‘Hysteria!’ (2024) Series Review - 80s Satanic Panic and a Murder Mystery

I will start by saying that this new series felt amazing to watch, with minor faults here and there. It's brilliant and provocative. Hysteria landed on Peacock in the US and its related streaming services in other parts of the world this Friday. The eight-episode series, which stars Emjay Anthony, Julie Bowen, Bruce Campbell, Jessica Treska, Anna Camp, and many others, is worth your time.

This horror thriller series on Peacock is set during the 1980s Satanic Panic. The disappearance of a beloved varsity quarterback raises suspicions of occult activities and Satanic influence throughout town. Dylan Campbell, Jordy, and Spud, three misfits from a faltering heavy metal band named Dethkrunch, decide to profit on the town's increased interest in the occult by rebranding themselves as a Satanic metal band, which leads to them being the focus of the witch hunt.

The plot appears to revolve around solving the alleged murder of the star quarterback, who was discovered dead in the woods with organs stolen. We witness his kidnapping - he was at the house of Faith Whitehead, a protected girl attempting to break free from her repressive mother's grip - when masked men raid the house, abducting him and Faith; nevertheless, we do not know who was responsible. After he is discovered dead, the community looks for anything or someone to blame. The missing organs and other items found around the body prompted the adults in town to assume a Satanic cult among the high school students. The local death metal band becomes the natural scapegoat, which is exacerbated when one member, Dylan, agrees to the rumors in the hopes that the lady he has a crush on would think he's cool and want to date him.

The first few episodes are pretty wild because it include a coming-of-age story, and of course, like any coming-of-age story, this one has an arc of trying to impress a girl, which leads to conflict with other bandmates, so it's a fully developed, fully expected, fully invested friendship journey that will resonate with anyone who has ever been a teenager. It was pleasant to know that the series mocks people who make a big deal out of nothing issue and it does it in a way that leans into horror without being too heavy-handed about it. I also love that the show is so classic rock and heavy metal.

The following episodes are when things start to get a little wobbly, but it never crashes and burns, thankfully. By that, I mean it's seemingly biting off more than it can chew, and I'm like, okay, where are you going with this? There are times when it feels like the writers are juggling too many things, and you wonder how on Earth they're going to make this all work together. The tale establishes one core arc only to attempt to capitalize another huge arc onto it midway through, diverting attention away from what could have been a decent look at parents, their children, and the stresses of adolescence making it a much more convoluted and disappointing story in general.

Fortunately, in the final few episodes, everything comes together. The way they gradually fall into place is cleverly weaved, so the whole process is similar to flying in an airplane; you have some turbulence along the way, but it eventually lands safely on the ground, which is pretty much Hysteria for you. Anna Camp's character and Julie Bowen's character are both moms on opposing ends of the spectrum, and when they collide again in the last episode, it's quite a sight to witness; this is when the show gets truly intense and gritty. Julie Bowen's act here is very different from what you remember from Modern Family.

Hysteria! is a couple of episodes too long, and the new narrative thread does not fit into the story as cleanly as the creators appear to believe it does. Overall, I found the performances quite impressive, although I wish some characters had more significant roles throughout the series. The combination of excellent acting and an engaging narrative allowed me to become emotionally invested in the journeys of several characters. This emotional connection is more than sufficient to make the series worth watching.

Final Score – [7.5/10]
Reviewed by: Greg Becker