At New York Comic Con 2024, I sat down with the producers and cast of Peacock’s latest horror drama, Hysteria! The show is set during the Satanic Panic, and we interviewed the show’s producers Matthew Scott Kane and David Goodmanand the actors Julie Bowen and Anna Camp.
Showrunners Matthew Scott Caan and David Goodman
Q: Can you talk about the influence of The Satanic Panic on the show?
Matthew Scott Kane: When I first wrote this, it was 2019, and at that time, it felt like something was changing. Fake news is everywhere. The truth is no longer as solid as it once was. They are very malleable. When this goes out and spreads, it can have a negative impact on people’s perceptions. It starts to change the way they see the world. So, when you heard someone say in 1989, hey, I think blue goblins are trying to turn our children into Satanists, now people are going to look at that person differently because that’s completely untrue.
So I wanted a thesis statement that looked at how these things work today and applied it to the Satanic Panic that was already happening.
Q: Julie Bowen’s character has a saying that is “It’s about being known, not being seen.” Can you expand it?
Kane: What Dylan wanted most was to be seen. He wanted everyone in town to see the rock star he was. But as long as he continues this satanic trick, no one will truly understand this. And if you take the time to get to know them, you can almost eliminate their fears. Many people would panic if they knew the person they were afraid of, and it would probably all end in a completely different way.
Q: The show is a cult classic and has an amazing 80s feel. Are there any shows that inspire you?
Kane: When I was pitching this show, I was surrounded by freaks, geeks, and Satanists. So it should be about teenagers with horror elements. I’m a huge fan of 80s horror movies. “The Risen One,” “The Evil Dead,” “Fright Night,” and more. I love the bullet-like momentum of studio horror movies. We wanted to bring that into the fabric of the show. Once you get to the midpoint of the series, the ball starts rolling down a hill and doesn’t stop until the very end.
David Goodman: Influence can also be achieved through screaming. We have a list of all of these things for staff, as well as a long reading list, as well as documentaries and related books about the Satanic Panic. All of this was in preparation for the pilot, but when we were developing the show we were all drawing from the same inspirations and the writing staff was already immersed in that stuff.
Q: Midway through the season, the emotional dynamics of the show changed. Can you elaborate on the writing?
Kane: We also know what the plot in the middle is going to be. We’re basically treating this as a second pilot. So the first episode is about Dylan, but we know there’s going to be an episode about Faith and what happened to her during that time. Essentially, we knew we were getting a mid-season reboot of the show that would take us to the end. What we learn about Tracy, Faith, the Reverend, and all of these characters changes everything we know about them in the first four episodes. The rest of the show is tongue-in-cheek. Jokes to keep the atmosphere light. For us, it was exciting to be able to witness that moment and have it last until the end of the season.
Goodman: All the high school stuff, prom and dating girls, had to go away in the first few episodes. So what you end up with is this bifurcated show that’s still horror, but has a sense of maturity, and as Matt said in the writers’ room, we had to get those things done in the first half because at the midpoint we’re on the train superior.
Kane: We always say it’s fun, until it isn’t. Hopefully it’s still in a different way.
Q: What do you remember about that time in the 1980s?
Goodman: I remember Tipper Gore being upset about Easy Williams and thinking it was ridiculous. I grew up in the 80’s, but understand this is something that happens with every generation, every generation has some version of the Satanic Panic. You are scaring parents, what is my child doing, is there anything to blame?
Actresses Julie Baldwin and Anna Camp
Q: Please introduce the role you play.
Julie Bowen: I play Linda Campbell. She was a mother from small town Michigan with a son. She’s a good, ordinary person who knows nothing about heavy metal and fears her son is possessed by the devil. It turns out she’s either crazy or possessed.
Anna Camp: I play Tracy Whitehead, a fundamentalist in the town of Pleasant Hollow. She is the mother of destiny and a very loving and protective mother who will do whatever it takes.
Bowen: Well. What you said was too dirty.
camp: And she might have a few more secrets.
Q: Is it easy to get into a horror headspace?
blog post: Play the real game as hard as you can. Thank God Anna is the best because even though what’s happening in the scene is next level bananas, you get to make it as realistic as possible.
camp: The most extraordinary situations are tough. That’s why it’s so exciting and people keep watching it and wanting it because the limits of fantasy are unlimited. As an actor, you have to find reality in the truth. That makes it exciting, but not that easy.
Q: Are there any techniques to do this?
camp: Connect with your breath.
Bowen: Her (Anna Camp’s) speech lasted 1,170 minutes and my character had her eyes closed for most of that time and I was listening to her and I was like, can she control her breathing? It’s like a trip to Broadway.
camp: And, when you’re in a scary scene, like, how do you breathe? Not so good, or right here. When you move, the body doesn’t know the difference. Don’t know about chemistry. So if you breathe here, your body starts to tense up and react as if you’re really scared. That’s what I try to do in scary situations – know what it feels like to breathe.
Q: So you two have a very antagonistic relationship on the show, can you dig into that?
camp: Quite the opposite in real life!
Bowen: We and our characters are also very different. It’s kind of like when we were all around each other in season one. There are a few confrontations, but the finale is where we get the full pyrotechnics.
camp: I will do whatever it takes to destroy you, and all I’m doing is saving myself. But it’s good to work with an actress that you trust and get along with, because I think when you’re with someone and an actor that you respect and you love, you can go much further in those scary hard moments. You provide room to shine that you don’t get in every job – so I love trusting, loving and respecting her. So we finished playing and headed out.
Bowen: I agree. Sometimes you feel like it might be silly, but you have to give it your all because we’ve all been there with someone – oh my god.
But it’s great.
Missed any Comic-Con news? Check out the rest here The Beat’s NYCC ’24 Coverage
