Hysteria! Season 1 Review: Satanic Panic Story Offers Passable Seasonal Fun

Hysteria! is Peacock’s new thriller that finds the town of Happy Hollow dealing with the Satanic Panic of the 80s. Unsettling events leave them questioning whether something evil is actually happening.

Split across multiple storylines that converge, the show primarily follows a group of teens whose heavy metal band gets tangled in accusations of satanism after the murder of a popular student. 

The 80s setting puts it in company with other small-town nostalgia supernatural outings like Stranger Things or the Fear Street trilogy. If you’re a fan of those types of stories, Hysteria!’s mystery of everyday evil versus the supernatural and its fun soundtrack will probably be enough to hook you. 

Although not set during Halloween, the decision to air the show around the holiday makes perfect sense. Satanism, cults, and possession are cornerstones of horror.

That said, the show definitely leans more thriller than horror. Despite some excellent stunt casting, including horror legend Bruce Campbell as the town sheriff, there aren’t many truly scary moments. 

Most of the violence or creepy supernatural moments feel pretty tame despite the show’s rating and are balanced with some goofier moments. The show doesn’t market itself as a comedy but it’s awfully hard to take the shenanigans seriously at times. 

The most disturbing elements of the show come from a plot involving a religious deprogrammer called The Reverend (Garret Dillahunt) and his protege Tracy (Anna Camp), who is desperate to save her daughter from sin. There is a not-so-veiled message that the real evil is people who seek to provoke fear in others. 

The biggest thing keeping the show good instead of great is the lack of investment in characters. I don’t mean quantity because there are plenty to follow, but not enough time is spent developing them, even the arguable “leads.”

Mom Linda (Julie Bowen) is poised to be a prominent character but her reasons for getting caught up in the hysteria sweeping the town are thin until towards the end of the season, and even then her past trauma is just barely looked at. Her counterpart Tracy gets a little more backstory, including a flashback episode, but any character growth is washed away by the ending.

The teenagers don’t fare much better and the show relies heavily on archetypes in the 80s fashion. There is a popular girl, a mean jock, a dorky kid, a goth girl, and they keep going down the list. 

Even the core band trio of Dylan (Emjay Anthony), Jordy (Chiara Aurelia), and Spud (Kezii Curtis) don’t really feel like a friend group you want to root for (do they even like each other?). A show about teens usually requires you to care about those teens but Hysteria! misses the mark in that regard. 

The good thing is the mystery of what is actually going on in this town is enough to get you to want to finish the season. 

The finale leaves things open enough for a second season, but the show might be better as a one-and-done. Hysteria! Season 1 isn’t likely to earn cult status, but its satanic panic storyline is an entertaining enough option for October if you’re looking for something new to watch. 

What did you think of Hysteria! Season 1? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Hysteria! Season 1 is streaming now on Peacock. 

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