Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Cosmic Spider-Man card details

    [EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

    09/02/2025
    Lee Corso from College Football GameDay in EA Sports games

    EA Sports Always Understood Lee Corso’s Legacy

    09/01/2025
    Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 2 But Why Tho 10

    Spider-Man Is Coming To Magic And It’s Just Like The Comics

    08/29/2025
    Star Wars Visions Volume 3 Black

    ‘Black’ Sets The Tone For A Bold New Mixtape In ‘Star Wars Visions: Volume 3’

    08/28/2025
    Olivia Colman in The Roses

    ‘The Roses’ Is A Reimagining, Not A Remake, And That’s Why It Works So Well

    08/27/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » TV » REVIEW: ‘The Terror: Infamy,’ Episode 2 – “All Demons Are Still In Hell”

REVIEW: ‘The Terror: Infamy,’ Episode 2 – “All Demons Are Still In Hell”

Kate SánchezBy Kate Sánchez08/19/20194 Mins ReadUpdated:11/05/2021
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

The Terror22

The Terror, AMC’s anthology horror series is in its second season. Dubbed The Terror: Infamy, this season revolves around Chester Nakayama, a Japanese-American college student living on California’s Terminal Island during World War II (WWII). Last episode, we saw the mysterious death of one of the Nakayama family’s friends, a woman who has revealed herself to a yurei, and the beginnings of Japanese-American internment when Chester’s (Derek Mio) father is taken away in the middle of the night.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Now, in episode two, “All Demons Are Still In Hell,” we’re immediately shown the cruelty of internment. Chester’s father Henry (Shingo Usami) sits in a cell, washed in moonlight, repeating, “I am not a spy.” All the while you hear screams in the background. Similarly to the first season of the series, the showrunners use environment, light, and circumstance to build a terror in the audience. The reality of the events supersede the supernatural horror, which is reserved for the back-half of the episode.

As “All Demons Are Still In Hell” continues, we meet the rest of the Nakayama family and the other Terminal Islanders as they are evicted from their homes by the US military, forced to find a life somewhere with no direction or aid from the government. Just when the family finds themselves space, they’re evicted once more, sent to an internment camp to live in converted stables, covered in hay and feces, allowed to only take two suitcases, and forced to fit their entire life into one small piece of luggage.

While Chester’s family is bussed to the camps, he attempts to find Luz (Cristina Rodlo), his girl and the mother of his child. In this moment, the reality hits the audience even harder as orphans of all ages, including babies, are taken to be sent to the camps for the “safety” of the United States.

It’s safe to say that this scene brought tears to my eyes, because maybe, just maybe, if we didn’t erase the trauma this country inflicted on Japanese-Americans, just maybe history wouldn’t be repeating itself and kids wouldn’t be in cages today, as one of the consultants on The Terror: Infamy and cast member George Takei has pointed out.

If you’re unaware, The Terror: Infamy is one of the first series to depict the internment of Japanese Americans on such a massive scale. From the recreated internment camp sets to the experiences of the characters, it’s clear that AMC has focused on allowing the horror of the reality for Japanese Americans at the time to accent the horror of the haunting. In addition to playing Yamato-san, Takei also serves as a consultant on the series, using his experience in two camps after WWII to help tell this story in an authentic way.

Beyond Takei, there is an emotion that leaps from the screen, especially when you realize that others involved have immediate connections to WWII and the Internment of Japanese-Americans. For one, Mio is a fourth-generation Japanese American, whose grandfather lived on Terminal Island and was sent to Manzanar internment camp after Pearl Harbor, similar to the story that Mio brings to life as his character Chester.

But being uprooted and abused by the military isn’t the only thing to fear in this episode as more information about the evil spirit is revealed. The Terror: Infamy lives firmly in the Kaidan genre of Japanese horror, a genre built on and around ghost stories. In this episode. We learn the name of the specter haunting and killing the community, a bakemono.

Episode two excels in its exposition, plainly laying out the lore of the bakemono for non-Japanese audiences without sacrificing narrative. This is a feat that is hard to pull off when presenting a culturally specific theme to a wide audience. While we learn about how the ghost works, we still do not know why she came across the Pacific. That said, the older members of the community are scared, and they seem to know that she has attached herself to Chester.

While I haven’t spoken about this much, the costuming in the show is superb. Also, the dialogue, with characters slipping in and out of Japanese, is heartening; it is reminiscent of something I see my Spanglish speaking family in. That said, The Terror: Infamy continues to be a show to watch if you’re both a fan of horror and of history.

This year, Chernobyl showcased how history, in its rawest form, can produce horror, dread, and terror. The Terror: Infamy follows these same lines. “All Demons Are Still In Hell” is terrifying not because of its spirits, but for its raw portrayal of the cruelty and violence that has always been a part of this country.

New episodes of The Terror: Infamy air Monday nights at 9/8pm CT.

Photo Credit: Ed Araquel/AMC

  • 10/10
    Rating - 10/10
10/10

TL;DR

This year, Chernobyl showcased how history, in its rawest form, can produce horror, dread, and terror. The Terror: Infamy follows these same lines. “All Demons Are Still In Hell” is terrifying not because of its spirits, but for its raw portrayal of the cruelty and violence that has always been a part of this country.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘The Forbidden Arts’ Builds an Immersive World (Xbox One)
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Good Boys’ had Heart and a Massive Amount of Raunchy Humor
Kate Sánchez
  • Website
  • X (Twitter)
  • Instagram

Kate Sánchez is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of But Why Tho? A Geek Community. There, she coordinates film, television, anime, and manga coverage. Kate is also a freelance journalist writing features on video games, anime, and film. Her focus as a critic is championing animation and international films and television series for inclusion in awards cycles. Find her on Bluesky @ohmymithrandir.bsky.social

Related Posts

Travis, Ned (Domnhall Gleeson), and Adelola in Season 1 of The Paper
6.0

REVIEW: ‘The Paper’ Season 1 Lacks Conviction

09/03/2025
Mitsuki Yamato Invasion Season 3 Episode 2 still from Apple TV+

RECAP: ‘Invasion’ Season 3 Episode 2 — “The Message”

09/02/2025
John Cena in Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 2

RECAP: ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 Episode 2 – “A Man Is Only As Good As His Bird”

08/29/2025
Foundation Season 3 Episode 8 promotional still from APple TV+
9.0

RECAP: ‘The Foundation’ Season 3 Episode 8 — “Skin In The Game”

08/29/2025
Ateez featured in KPOPPED
6.5

REVIEW: ‘KPOPPED’ Has Potential But Loses Its Spark

08/28/2025
Sydney Chandler in Alien Earth Episode 4
8.0

REVIEW: ‘Alien: Earth’ Episode 4 — “Observation”

08/26/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Cosmic Spider-Man card details Features

[EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

By Kate Sánchez09/02/2025Updated:09/02/2025

An exclusive look at a new 5-Color Spider entering Magic: The Gathering’s Spider-Man set, and Cosmic Spider-Man is going to be a tough one to take on.

Hololive EN at Radio City Music Hall Events

Hololive EN At Radio City Music Hall Was A Pure Expression Of Fandom

By Adrian Ruiz08/31/2025Updated:09/03/2025

Hololive EN turned Radio City in New York City into the pure expression of fandom: chants, penlights, and community in perfect sync.

Karl Anthony Towns in NBA 2k26 But Why Tho
8.5
PS5

REVIEW: ‘NBA 2K26’ Brings Basketball To Life

By Kyle Foley09/03/2025

NBA 2K26 combines improved visuals with some important tweaks to keep the series feeling fresh in the latest yearly release.

Cronos: The New Dawn Nest
8.0
PC

REVIEW: ‘Cronos: The New Dawn’ Does Post-Apocalyptic Psychological Horror Right

By Mick Abrahamson09/03/2025Updated:09/03/2025

While not particularly sacry, Cronos: The New Dawn is a lot of fun as a survival horror that puts you in the futuristic armor of the Traveler.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here