As a fan who grew up during the era of parental panic about heavy metal music and Satanic cults, I can’t help but feel a strange sense of nostalgia while watching Hysteria! Matthew Scott’s creation has beautifully captured the paranoia and hysteria that plagued my teenage years. The show masterfully portrays how fear can spread like wildfire, consuming rational thought and turning neighbors into suspects.
[This story contains major spoilers from season one of Peacock‘s Hysteria!]
In 2019, the creator of the series “Hysteria!”, Matthew Scott, penned down the initial script. He had a message to convey about the concept that facts and truth could be disputed, and feared that if it wasn’t produced soon enough, that central theme might appear outdated.
After a span of five years, the production titled “Hysteria!” finally reached audiences. Interestingly enough, the message it conveys about human perception of the world seems even more applicable today than it did back then.
As a gamer, I found myself uneasy with the shifting narratives surrounding us. I yearned to craft a tale that mirrored this unsettling vibe. Over the years, I’ve delved deep into the Satanic panic, and I felt this era was ripe for exploration as an allegory reflecting our current predicament. Regrettably, it appears we’re still deeply immersed in these troubling times, much like we were back in 2019.
The story revolves around three teenagers named Dylan (Emjay Anthony), Jordy (Chiara Aurelia), and Spud (Kezii Curtis) who form a heavy metal band called Dethkrunch. When the star football player mysteriously vanishes, and a pentagram is found painted on his garage door, they decide to capitalize on this by adopting a Satanist image for their band. This strategy gains them popularity, but the mock cult they create with assistance from some outcasts begins to take a darker turn. It appears that they might have inadvertently conjured genuine Satan, as well as uncovering unsettling aspects of Dylan’s crush, Judith (Jessica Treska), and other popular students at school.
In the television series, it’s Linda (played by Julie Bowen), Dylan’s mother, who bears the brunt of the ominous atmosphere. She starts sensing and encountering an unsettling, malevolent force.
Bowen wonders aloud, more to himself than anyone else. ‘Is she undergoing this?’ he muses, unsure with each new script. Every time a fresh one arrived, he found himself questioning its reality. He was never informed about the nature of these events, so he played his role as if Linda was indeed perplexed, bewildered, and frightened, because who knows for sure?
It transpires that Tracy Whitehead (Anna Camp), a devout woman, sets in motion the events leading to the quarterback’s disappearance and demise. Her aim is to frighten her daughter, Faith (Nikki Hahn), away from sexual relationships. To achieve this, she hires The Reverend (Garret Dillahunt), a cult deprogrammer/criminal, who had previously rescued Tracy from a hippie commune following an LSD trip where she claimed to have seen the devil. During this time, Faith and the quarterback, Ryan Hudson (Brandon Butler), were engaged in a passionate kiss. The Reverend’s henchmen then kidnap Ryan, but unfortunately, he succumbs to an asthma attack while in their custody.
The Reverend manipulates events to give the impression that Satanists were responsible for abducting and murdering Ryan. In the meantime, Tracy implicates both Dethkrunch and Linda, accusing them of allowing evil into her home, which she believes tainted Dylan’s spirit. This accusation only fuels the growing fear in the town.
Tracy initially portrays a devotion towards God and service, as Camp shares with THR. However, throughout the season, we witness her dual nature. She’s not just spiritual; she’s also focused on preserving herself and her daughter. As the story unfolds, we see that Tracy can act quite selflessly – primarily for her child’s sake. She’ll go to any lengths to ensure her daughter’s safety, disregarding potential costs. In one episode, she even declares that she’ll let God decide if their actions are right or wrong.
As the police chief (Bruce Campbell) relentlessly pursues The Reverend, a series of peculiar events unfold: The chief receives a call from an apparently disconnected phone line, Linda’s health worsens, and band members scramble to exonerate themselves amidst escalating dread and commotion. This fear and panic is not just psychological; it physically materializes on people’s skin as reddish-purple blemishes.
Executive producer David A. Goodman explains that the series focuses on individuals who often make poor choices, including teenagers and their parents. He emphasizes that this is a common theme across societies. He adds that the show seamlessly integrates all elements that Matt Groening initially wrote for the pilot script. Goodman himself joined the project after Groening had already written the initial episode.
Kane was born a year after the series’ setting, yet he recalls his early years vividly, including attending his initial concert by Kiss and donning their shirt to school on the following day.
Kane remembers his teacher not letting him wear a shirt featuring the band Kiss, as she explained that Kiss represented Knights in Satan’s Service. This was when he first realized that people could fear seemingly harmless things. The song was about love guns and rocking all night, which didn’t seem evil to him, but it seemed like a “Satanic panic” moment for him. This encounter made him more intrigued by the world and even sparked a sense of calling within him. The forbidden nature of it all made it appear cooler and more fascinating to him.
The series, however, does not make it completely clear whether the events portrayed are simply a mass panic or if the devil himself has arrived in town (although the ending of the season hints strongly at the latter). Kane and Goodman express their eagerness to delve deeper into these concepts should there be a second season.
Kane states that our aim should be to track these characters. We’re huge fans of Dethkrunch and believe there’s a long journey yet for them. We anticipate a fantastic future for Linda (portrayed by Julie Bowen), Julie Bowen’s character, Tracy (played by Anna Camp), Chief Dandridge (played by Bruce Campbell). It seems there are many opportunities for them to leap into exciting second, third, and potentially even fourth seasons.
Goodman explains, “We’ve also developed a set of characters, brilliantly portrayed by these talented actors, including both children and adults. We don’t want to leave this cast behind. Even though we push these characters to their limits and beyond in the finale, there are still many paths for them to explore. This is the team we wish to continue working with, and we believe the audience will feel the same way.
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Hysteria! is now streaming all episodes on Peacock.
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2024-10-21 16:56