The Curse Of The HMS Terror

"**The Curse Of The HMS Terror**," also listed as simply "Curse Of The HMS Terror," is the fourth short in the mini-series *True Terror With George Takei*, a series of *The Terror* shorts narrated by George Takei, focused on real-life terrors. As with the other installments in the series save the premiere, it was released by AMC on YouTube on October 1, 2019. However, subscribers to the premium streaming service AMC Premiere were granted access on August 7, 2019.

It covers the discovery of the real-life wreck of the HMS *Terror*. A fictionalized story of the loss of the *Terror* was the subject of the first season of *The Terror*.

## Summary

*More than 160 years after a doomed Arctic expedition, archeologists recently discovered the wreck of both ships -- the HMS Erebus south of King William Island, and the HMS Terror just 30 miles away. As excitement builds from the discoveries, some in nearby Goa Haven fear the wrecks’ dark legacy of death will resurface now that the ships final resting places have been disturbed.*

## Recap

Goa Haven, an Inuit community with a population of 1,300 is the subject of this account. Here, there are only four months of the year where the temperature ever gets above freezing. In winter, the town is enveloped in darkness for an entire month. It's a place that inspires supernatural tales, and in the ocean not far from this community, a vessel was discovered. The HMS *Terror*, known for a gruesome past, vanished almost two centuries ago, turned up here. With it, a deadly curse may have returned.

In 1845, the HMS *Erebus* and HMS *Terror* both left England in the hopes of exploring the last unexplored section of the Northwest Passage. Both crews were experienced and confident in their abilities, but they were trapped in ice, the crews stranded for years in the inhospitable terrain of the area. A total of 129 subsisted on their provisions, but eventually succumbed to illness and starvation, and even turned to cannibalism. They all perished.

Now, a string of bizarre deaths has affected the community of Goa Haven. In September 2014, archaeologists discovered the wreck of the HMS *Erebus*, just south of King William Island. The *Terror* was discovered two years later, 31 miles to the north in Terror Bay. Search crews began removing artifacts from the wrecks almost immediately. While excitement built around the world, many of the Inuits were suspicious of the discoveries, fearful of the ships' dark legacies.

In August 2018, as a new exploration commenced, a series of strange deaths occurred within the community. A school staff member died unexpectedly from a heart attack. A father and son drowned in an unexplained boating accident, an elder passed away and two men died in a bizarre ATV rollover. This all happened in the span of just two weeks, in a community of only 1,300 people. Residents began to fear that the curse of the HMS *Terror* could be paying them a visit. As news spread, the village was engulfed in panic that the expedition was responsible for the events. They begin to suspect that other recent deaths might also be connected to the curse. Back when the *Erebus* was discovered in 2014, an elder performed a blessing on the site of the wreck to protect them, but he died before being able to perform the same blessing on the *Terror*.

During a town meeting, officials dismissed the idea of there being any sort of curse, stating that further exploration would pose no danger. Around the same time, Inuit elders performed a blessing at the site of the *Terror*. Since then, things have calmed down, with many now eager at the idea of bringing tourism to the community. Local officials have even created a festival to celebrate the discovery of the wrecks. For many, though, the curse is still very real. Despite this, the Canadian government announced plans in September 2018 for a new, multiyear expedition.

## Video

True Terror w George Takei 'Curse Of The HMS Terror' The Terror Infamy