Hysteria!

Just like everything with the name Flannigan attached to it this was a few hours of good entertainment, a nice mystery at the core that got lifted just a little bit too early, high technical marks, and the kind of writing that does not waste my time, but also doesn't miss a beat. Not stellar, not genius, not a masterpiece, but even more important: Not trying to be any of that and not pretending to be more than that.

By just being solid this was one of my best TV experiences in 2024. Or, a little more poetic: In an endless stream of washed out franchises with refurbished content this was a gem washing ashore at the very end of the year and restored my faith in the medium, at least a little bit.

The cast was a pure delight, which I really did not expect from a long list of names that I had either never heard of or had not heard from in a long time. If you have a few hours to spare and like horror mysteries with an 80s twist I highly recommend this.

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 named Dethkrunch which has yet to garner any attention. After popular quarterback Ryan Hudson (Brandon Campbell) disappears with an occult pentagram symbol the only clue to his disappearance, whispers of Satanic rituals and occult activity start permeating throughout the town as Sheriff Ben Dandridge (Bruce Campbell) tries to dispel while maintaining a proper investigation. Noting how publicized Hudson's death has become thanks to the occult connections, Dylan floats the idea to his band mates to capitalize on the rumors by rebranding their band with Satanic imagery which Jordy and Spud are hesitant to do before ultimately going forward with it. The rebrand gets the band their long sought after attention as well as winning Dylan the affection of his crush Judith (Jessica Treska), but when a moral crusade led by Christian activist Tracy Whitehead (Anna Camp) starts garnering support among the atmosphere of fear and paranoia, Ryan and his friends are placed in their crosshairs.

Hysteria! Is the newest series from NBC/Universal streaming service Peacock from creator Matthew Scott Kane. Kane first wrote the pilot script back in 2019 and having been inspired by prevalence of misinformation and reality distortion that had taken up much of real life discourse and wanted to explore that by paralleling it with the Satanic Panic of the 80s. Now premiering in time for Halloween, Hysteria! Proves to be a smart and entertaining good time with a sharp satirical edge with just a bit of nostalgia mixed in.

While undeniably cut from a similar cloth to Stranger Things (with that series having tackled Satanic Panic in season 4), Hysteria! Largely goes a different direction with the series possessing a more vaguely supernatural/psychological bent in contrast to the sci-fi trappings of Stranger Things. The main kids of Dylan, Jordy, and Spud are well played by Emjay Anthony, Chiara Aurelia, and Kezii Curtis respectively and the series does well playing the long game in playing with their characterizations. While Anthony's Dylan isn't all that likable for much of the series, the show is aware of it as it calls him out for putting his friends in danger in his exploitative pursuit of popularity and the superficial attention of his "dream girl" who as time goes on reveals herself to be less in line with his idealized romantic fantasies with her "girl next door" allure slowly eroded to reveal less Molly Ringwald and more Susan Atkins. Jordy is definitely something of a stealth protagonist as despite her goth exterior she's also the most rational and down to Earth member of the trio who also has painful history with former friend Faith Whitehead played by Nikki Hahn after a schism developed between them courtesy of Faith's mother Tracy wonderfully and despicably played by Anna Camp. Kezii Curtis also adds some nice bits of levity being the eccentric oddball of the group complete with him spouting insane conspiracy theories.

Outside of the primary cast, the supporting players are also quite good in their roles and help create an engaging ensemble. Julie Bowen plays Dylan's mother Linda and convincing plays a downward trajectory of a woman slowly unraveling in the face of fear and uncertainty that the literal devil may be among them. Nolan North (whom I know best for voicing Nathan Drake in the Uncharted games) is really good playing the anchor of the Campbell family who tries to keep things rooted in reality only for him to frustratingly possess a multitude of questions without answers. We also have the always welcome Garrett Dillahunt playing a slimey character who is effortlessly loathsome. Last but certainly not least is Bruce Campbell as the town's sheriff Ben Dandridge. While Campbell is always a welcome addition thanks to how much energy and passion he brings with him, more often than not he's usually called to play a winking self-awareness. Here however, Campbell feels like he's going for a more dramatic (though not without humor) route for his character, a frustrated lifelong lawman trying to keep his town sane, and it's probably the most "authentic" (for lack of a better word) role Campbell's done since The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. In the 90s.

I really quite enjoyed Hysteria!. While it does take a few episodes to really settle into a groove, there was a compelling atmosphere and story at play that kept me engaged even in instances where the characters made boneheaded (by design and with context) decisions. While the show doesn't overtly season bait, it does leave the door open for more while telling a complete story and assuming Universal and Peacock are inclined I'd love to see Matthew Scott Kane and co. Return to the compelling world created here.

This show captured 1989, the satanic panic, and the style of all those old supernatural horror films to the 'T'. I suspect that when the network saw it, they had them edit out a few minor shots that might give away what was a possible ending, so they could do a second season. At least I hope so. But having lived through that period, I can say they did it very well.

While not a comedy, it did keep me laughing at all the nods to other films of that genre, which in way reminded me of Stranger Things, but they limited jump scares, nudity blood, and ultra violence, and still made a good show. My hat is off to the producers and directors and writers.

PS the cast is all good, and this is Brice Campbell's 2nd best role after Bubba Ho Tep.

One of my rules for the cinematic universe: watch everything with Bruce Campbell. So, naturally, I put Hysteria on my screen. First off, it's one of the weaker projects that got Bruce involved. Hysteria isn't bad and is professionally made, but the pacing drags, and there's too much of filler time. In my opinion, the story would have worked better cut down to a two-hour movie - many scenes and dialogues just pad the runtime and nothing else. The characters are mostly caricatures too we've watched countless times. Verdict: watchable, and if you're committed to watching everything Bruce has worked in, you will give Hysteria your time, of course. What to expect: some teen drama, some elements of comedy, a little piece of horror, some twists.

The good old Eighties, when some Christian conservatives attempted to stop kids from listening to wild heavy music supposedly associated with Satan and the likes. This series has playful fun with this basis, via a suburban town of Happy Hollow, where the residents and their teenagers get caught up in some strange going-ons, led by a high school heavy metal band and its wild antics - with the demonic Satan along for the ride.

Bruce Campbell as the chief of police is a bonus and an absolute hoot, as is Julie Bowen, a concerned mother who is flung around by an entity, and even gets to have visions of the evil creature with the horns. Emjay Anthony Is perfect as the son, Dylan, going to great lengths to get that girl, even if it means starting your own satanic cult!

There is plenty going on in this series; school bullying, doing anything to get attention, peer pressure, craving acceptance, and all things associated with teenage angst. Most of all it's about the hysteria parents create to deal with the situation.