Peacock’s Hysteria Cast Talks Satanic Panic and Fake News at New York Comic Con
A new binge-worthy thriller series has dropped on Peacock and, if you haven’t tuned in yet, the outstanding cast, their performances, and the story Hysteria! tells is one that is not to be missed.
When a beloved varsity quarterback disappears during the “Satanic Panic” of the late 1980s, a struggling high school band tries to capitalize on the town’s sudden interest in the occult by building a reputation as a Satanic metal band — until a bizarre series of murders, kidnappings, and “supernatural activity” triggers a witch hunt that leads back to them. Pop Culture Planet’s Danielle Forte sat down with Julie Bowen, Anna Camp, Bruce Campbell, series creator Matthew Scott Kane, and executive producer David A. Goodman at this year’s New York Comic Con to delve into their characters and the inspiration behind Hysteria!
Hysteria! is about both sides of that 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. Hysteria!’s creator and writer Matthew Scott Kane explained that when he sat down to write the show in 2019 that “there were things changing when it came to facts and how they’re disseminated.” “This was a big time for fake news, people were spreading misinformation, and there was nothing to do but check it. When parents were scrolling on Facebook and reading this fake news they now internalize that and are now afraid of what they read about,” he said. “It’s not true, but it’s now real to them in terms of how they see the world. That freaks me out so much… that you can lie about one thing and change the way an entire country thinks about x, y, and z. So I was looking through history, wondering, ‘Has this happened before?’ And right there, the Satanic Panic.”
“What are those kids up to? Whatever it is, it can’t be good,” Kane noted that fear haunts every generation. Children of the Atomic Age went on to terrify their families by turning on, tuning in, and dropping out in the 60s. Those same “free spirits” went on to vote for Reagan and called for censorship of the “obscene” and “Satanic” heavy metal bands their own kids worshipped. Now, those kids are adults who rail against pronouns, TikTok, and a movie about Barbie. The cycle doesn’t end. And it’s hard to escape the feeling that someone, or something, is sitting by watching it all and laughing. Thus, the idea for Hysteria! was born.
“There are so many twists and turns in this show,” Campbell, who plays the town’s earnest Chief Dandridge, excitedly explained. “I consider myself to be a reasonable man and Dandridge is a reasonable man.” For Bowen, the trajectory of her career path going from comedy to Halloween movies and now shows like Hysteria! was never a planned notion for her: “I don’t like Halloween, I scare too easily! But I like getting to do different characters.” As for Camp, who plays the town’s uber-religious infamous mother Tracy Whitehead, was excited to sink her teeth into the role and transformed into Tracy seamlessly. “I love it,” Camp smiled. The role is a far cry from her character in the Pitch Perfect franchise, to which she credits the hair, makeup, and wardrobe teams on set. “It completely transformed how I sat, walked, and it really helped my performance come to life at the end of the day.”
Executive producer Goodman proudly told us that they “hit the casting jackpot,” while Camp explained what separates Hysteria! from the rest of the thriller and horror genre is that it focuses on family, giving a nod to Hereditary. “At the end of the day, the show is about parents and their children and each generation rebelling against the previous generation,” she said. “I don’t know if I’ve seen a horror series or film really take that on. Hereditary had the ancestral trauma, but this show hits it in a way I’ve never seen before.” Bowen added that the series perfectly encapsulates “people living in their own bubbles. In the 80s, people were only getting their news from the 6 o’clock news, the same newspaper, or word of mouth. Everybody was in a news bubble together.”
With network changes, cast changes, and a writer’s and actor’s strike in-between, Kane called it “surreal” to be at this year’s New York Comic Con. Luckily, the message within Hysteria! is ever more pertinent and relevant today. Kane hopes that “parents and children (of the appropriate age, of course) can enjoy the chills, the laughs, the music, and the heart of Hysteria! together.” After all, growing up is scary, but so is parenting. Campbell’s reasoning to watch the series differs from that of Kane, but it shares a likely sentiment: “Horror is mainstream now, man. If you like horror, come on down.”
So, what are you waiting for? Just in time to binge for Halloween, the full season of Hysteria! is now on Peacock.
