Peacock’s Hysteria! Is More Than Just a Horror Series
Created by Matthew Scott Kane in the midst of the “fake news” presidency in 2019, Hysteria! is set during the famous "Satanic Panic" of the late 1980s and kicks off with the disappearance of Happy Hollow’s star varsity quarterback. His horrifying disappearance prompts a town-wide suspicion of darker forces at work in the Michigan suburb. Hoping to capitalize on their town's sudden interest in the occult, a struggling heavy metal band of three outcasts rebrands itself as Satanic, with disastrous results. By associating themselves with the supernatural, the musicians inadvertently become prime suspects in a string of murders, kidnappings and bizarre phenomena.
Hysteria! was quite literally the perfect show to binge this Halloween season. Serving as an homage to the kids that rebel against their generation’s definition of “normal,” Hysteria! scratches the itch for a campy thriller that plays on 80s horror tropes while offering a fun microcosm of how humans react to and spread misinformation like wildfire. Hysteria! introduces its characters in a quick, handshake fashion, but it quickly and subtly divulges more of their eccentric personalities as the series plays out full steam ahead. Hysteria! has veteran talent, Bruce Campbell, Julie Bowen, Anna Camp, and Garret Dillahunt, as well as young, emerging, and brilliant budding talent — Nikki Hahn, Chiara Aurelia, Kezii Curtis, Jessica Treska, and Emjay Anthony — that compliment one another so well.
Krampus’ Emjay Anthony has certainly grown up and plays the wide-eyed, naive goth teenager all too well, catapulting me back to the horrific halls of high school and the feeling of not fitting in. His counterpart Jessica Treska tapped into her unhinged, evil side to give an unforgettable portrayal of her character Judith, while Nikki Hahn portrays the complex character of Faith, a girl who is guiding her own life in real time right in front of us. Hahn bounced off of Camp’s character like a tennis match.
Both Bowen and Camp give career best performances in their leading roles. Bowen bestows a growing unease that radiates through the screen and can be felt at home as a viewer, while Camp’s exceptionally chilling performance as the town’s uber-religious and overprotective mom Tracy Whitehead made me crawl out of my skin. We never know Tracy’s next move as we snake alongside her in the series and we have Camp to thank for that. She added a layer of intrigue and mystery to the entire story itself, providing an unparalleled sense of angst and apprehension for viewers.
What I loved most about the series is its interactive play with the audiences. Hysteria! is the classic whodunnit mystery, with clues carefully placed throughout the first few episodes, luring the audience in like fish following bait on a tackle. You don’t know much about the characters as the series starts off and what you think you know about them quickly capsizes, but that’s the beauty of the mystery unfolding right before your eyes. The plot offers something for all fans alike — weaved into the dialogue, imagery, and characters themselves are the genres of horror, thriller, mystery, and comedy.
Underneath it all is a message that’s all too real, especially in our current climate. The creator, Kane utilizes the classic, nostalgic tropes of horror and the 80s setting to reel us in and get us to stay and view the analogy of it all — Hysteria! is about generational fear. It’s about the thrills of being young, rebellious in spirit and aspirational at heart, and the horrors of growing up and realizing that the world you thought you knew has shifted beneath your feet. Most importantly, Hysteria! is about how no matter what, we may never be prepared for the worst of it all, regardless of the era.
The full season of Hysteria! is now streaming on Peacock.
