With all eyes suddenly on Peacock’s new horror thriller Hysteria!, series star and Evil Dead legend Bruce Campbell recently told MovieWeb that the eight-episode ride is, “creepy as hell, but cool.” The icon is definitely spot on.
Set in the 1980s, showrunner Matthew Scott Kane’s tale revolves around the residents of a small town braving the “Satanic Panic.” Led by a solid ensemble cast featuring Julie Bowen (Modern Family), Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect), Nikki Hahn (Adventures in Babysitting), and others, the series packs in plenty of mystery, fright, and a gaggle of absurdity along the way, of which, Campbell noted:
“Look, every time you talk about the possibility that the S-word — that Satan might actually be real — it’s enough to install terror into the hearts of most Americans. If you’re a God-fearing person, you don’t want to hear that there might be something happening in your town that you can’t explain — things catching on fire; strange things happening with animals.”
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Pressing the Satanic Panic Button
The official logline of Hysteria! reveals that the tranquil town of Happy Hollow quickly become rattled when a celebrated varsity quarterback disappears. A troika of high-school outsiders who never fit in quickly create a Satanic metal band to capitalize on the town’s sudden interest in the occult. It doesn’t quite take, as a series of murders, kidnappings, and supernatural activity finds everybody pointing fingers at them.
“No wonder it [the ’80s Satanic Panic’] caught, because of how terrifying the concept is,” added Campbell, who plays a respectable cop in a show that doesn’t hold back on the pentagram usage. “Especially in the ’80s where you had Ronald Reagan and ‘God Bless America,’ and ‘Don’t Do Drugs.’ It was a very black-and-white world… and everything’s supposed to be perfect under that world.” Campbell continued:
But whenever that happens, you’re always going to have groups that go, ‘Nah, I’m good. It was a natural reaction to things happening in society. Musicians are like, ‘I’m gonna call it death metal’ — not even heavy metal, death metal. It’s just rebellious behavior.
Hysteria! streams on Peacock October 18. You can watch it here .
A group of high school outcasts rebrands as a Satanic metal band during the 1980s “Satanic Panic” after a quarterback vanishes. However, a series of violent incidents and paranormal reports lead to a town-wide witch hunt, which eventually points to the band.
- Release Date
- October 18, 2024
- Creator(s)
- Matthew Scott Kane
- Cast
- Chiara Aurelia , Nikki Hahn , Jessica Luza , Eric Tiede , Jennie Page , Emjay Anthony , Allison Scagliotti , Brogan Hall , Anna Camp , Julie Bowen , Bruce Campbell
- Seasons
- 1