All episode titles are taken from songs by heavy metal/hard rock bands
Narrative
The story follows a high school heavy metal band, formed by outcasts who use the town’s sudden interest in the occult to build a reputation as a satanic metal band, until a strange series of events triggers a witch hunt that brings them back to them. . Hysteria by Def Lepard, Heaven’s on Fire by KISS, Speaking in Tongues by Meatloaf, Can I Play with Madness by Iron Maiden, Die Young by Black Sabbath, Mother by Danzig, It’s Late by Queen, and Dance Macabre by Ghost.
Set in the town of Happy Hollow, Michigan in 1989, teenager Dylan Campbell (Emjay Anthony), along with his best friends Jordy (Chiara Aurelia) and Spud (Kezii Curtis), are members of an aspiring heavy metal band called Dethkrunch, which has yet to attract any attention
After popular quarterback Ryan Hudson (Brandon Campbell) goes missing with an occult pentagram symbol as the only clue to his disappearance, rumors of satanic rituals and occult activity begin to spread throughout town as Sheriff Ben Dandridge (Bruce Campbell) tries to dispel them while continuing the investigation. Noting how high-profile Hudson’s death has become due to its occult connections, Dylan pitches his bandmates the idea of capitalizing on the rumors by renaming their band with satanic imagery, something Jordy and Spud are reluctant to do beforehand in order to finally move forward. The name change allows the group to gain much-needed attention and win Dylan the affection of his crush Judith (Jessica Treska), but when a moral crusade led by Christian activist Tracy Whitehead (Anna Camp) begins to gather support in the atmosphere of fear and paranoia, Ryan and his friends are put in the crosshairs.
Now time-lapsed for Halloween, Hysteria!
Hysteria! is the newest series on the NBC/Universal Peacock streaming service from creator Matthew Scott Kane. Kane wrote the pilot script in 2019, and was inspired by the prevalence of misinformation and reality distortion that had dominated much of real-life discourse, and wanted to explore this by comparing it to the Satanic Panic of the 1980s.
ends up being a clever and fun time, with a satirical twist and a bit of nostalgia mixed in
While undeniably cut from a similar cloth to Stranger Things (the show that tackled the Satanic Panic in season 4), Hysteria! largely goes in a different direction, with the series possessing a more vaguely supernatural/psychological bent in contrast to Stranger Things’ sci-fi trappings. Dylan’s main children, Jordy and Spud, are well-played by Emjay Anthony, Chiara Aurelia, and Kezii Curtis, respectively, and the series does a good job of playing the long game by playing with their characterizations.
Kezii Curtis also adds some touches of levity as the group’s eccentric oddball who spreads crazy conspiracy theories
While Anthony’s Dylan isn’t very likable for much of the series, the show is aware of this, as it blames him for putting his friends in danger in his abusive pursuit of popularity and superficial attention from his “dream girl” who, over time, reveals herself to be less and less in tune with his idealized romantic fantasies, her “girl next door” allure slowly eroding to reveal less Molly Ringwald and more Susan Atkins. Jordy is arguably a low-key protagonist because despite her gothic appearance she is also the most rational and down-to-earth member of the trio who also has a painful history with her former friend Faith Whitehead played by Nikki Hahn after a rift developed between them thanks to Faith’s mother Tracy, wonderfully and despicably played by Anna Camp. In addition to the main cast, the supporting cast are also very good in their roles and help to create an engaging ensemble.