Miss Stranger Things? Watch This Peacock's Overlooked Horror Gem With 91% on RT
And it's just the right time to get to know this series.
It's been over two years since the last season of Stranger Things debuted. In an attempt to steal Netflix's audience and create a hit, Peacock has released a new show with a supernatural twist.
Hysteria! debuted in mid-October and managed to become a quality, multi-genre entertainment on the eve of Halloween. From slasher to teen drama, heavy metal to occultism and moral decay, the series embraces all the recognizable hallmarks of the 1980s, rarely scaring, but satisfying the demand for nostalgia and authenticity.
What Is Hysteria! About?
The town of Happy Hollow, Michigan, was untroubled until the death of a popular high school quarterback. Adding to the turmoil is the local teenage rock band Dethkrunch, made up of three losers: Dylan, Jordy, and Spud.
Mistaken for Satanists, the boys decide to capitalize on their sudden popularity by declaring themselves servants of the Devil, hoping to attract a large following. Parents, led by devout Christian Tracy, are outraged and launch a massive campaign against the kids.
Sheriff Ben must deal with the growing chaos. The number of bodies in Happy Hollow grows, as does the number of possessed residents.
Hysteria! Masterfully Immerses the Viewer in the Era
The script is often quite simple, as the author relies mainly on the specifics of the period: an archival soundtrack, humor slipped into the dialogue, costumes, hairstyles, bloody pentagrams.
Matthew Scott Kane and his colleagues spare no props, while at the same time offering the audience the chance to decipher the simple twists of each episode.
Hysteria! predictably draws important historical parallels. The show's creators do not attempt to explore the phenomenon of satanic panic in detail – they are more interested in the reactions of ordinary people who jump to conclusions and ostracize children.
Hysteria! Is One of the Best Roles of Anna Camp
The young cast of Hysteria! is charming, but their older colleagues really shine on the small screen. The best work of the series belongs to Anna Camp, known from The Help and Pitch Perfect.
The actress embodied Tracy, who went through conversion therapy and a kind of ritual to get rid of the devil – her parents did not like her "vulgar" image in the late 1960s. Years later, the woman uses the same cruel methods on her daughter Faith.
Hysteria! is brilliantly edited, borrows heavily from Stranger Things, and maintains its high level until the very end of the season.