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.

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.

It's 1989. Happy Hollow is a small town near Detroit. Star quarterback Ryan Hudson and his secret girlfriend Faith get taken by masked people. Dylan Campbell, Jordy Stanwyck, and Spud are a local high school metal band struggling to get noticed. Dylan goes fake Satanic to gain the attention of school hottie Judith.

I really really wanted to like this, but I really really hate Dylan. It's tough to watch the dumb pathetic teen do dumb pathetic teen stuff. He keeps making the same face, saying the same things, and doing the same idiotic mistake. Sure, Judith is hot and guys have done plenty of dumb things to get some crazy hot. It is still a frustrating watch. I feel like I'm Jordy.

Tracy Whitehead is problematic. She never declares that her daughter Faith went missing. The math doesn't add up for this helicopter mother in the early episodes. Then, there is an explanation, but it still doesn't work... especially for the daughter. Unless Tracy assumes that Faith has amnesia, that part doesn't make sense.

I would be more interested in Chief Dandridge's investigation. This is about a murder in a small town. That is still compelling. The actual hysteria part is somewhat interesting. The possession screws up the mystery part unless somebody solves that. There are too many dumb kids and too many dumb adults. I get it. That's the point. It doesn't make me hate Dylan's whiney voice any less.

I'm only on episode 3 but I have to take a second to say how Bruce Campbell is absolutely killing it in this show. I'm used to him being kind of over the top acting (not because he over acts, but because that's what the role called for) like Evil Dead but in this he really really really is doing a great job of like playing a sheriff. It's coming off like very genuine the way he's acting his. You know his hand movements and not just the words that he's saying but all of it just seems very very genuine. At this point I'm just trying to get to my 200 word mark because I'm not done watching the show.

Hysteria! Was a really pleasant surprise. Visually it shares a lot with Stranger Things, but on the other hand it has similar elements to Midnight Mass. At the same time it's easy series to watch. All in all the show is a mixture of murder mystery, coming of age story, horror... Again, Stanger Things anyone?

What separates Hysteria from other shows is how it handles the comedy-side of the story. Show doesn't take itself too seriously, but at the same time it avoids most pitfalls. TV mystery on satanic panic could easily be either a serious detective drama or slapstick comedy of goofy metal band. Hysteria! Is able to bake something else from premise, which feels both familiar and fresh.

Additionally, I really like the way how it handles references to pop culture and how the chemistry between actors works.

It's really hard to make anything really satisfying by mixing lots of genres and reusing already well known recipe of "Stranger Things". I would have expected a mediocre show, but had such a thrilling time binging this one. Keeping fingers crossed for upcoming seasons! Thus giving it a solid 8, but if you are really into nostalgia and love teen drama with mystery and horror, it's easy to give even an extra point.