PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Ah, the 80s. Such a simpler time. Or was it? That’s something to think about while watching the new Peacock Original series, Hysteria!. Set in a small Michigan town in 1989 at the height of Satanic panic, Hysteria! is a fun mix of comedy and horror, and what makes that even better is the amazing cast. Starring Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead), Julie Bowen (Modern Family), Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect), Chiara Aurelia (Cruel Summer), Emjay Anthony (Krampus), and Kezii Curtis (Dolemite is My Name), among others, Hysteria! is a bold and exciting flashback to the crazy 1980s.
Follows a struggling high school heavy metal band of outcasts who use the town’s sudden interest in the occult to start a reputation as a Satanic metal band, until a strange series of events triggers a witch hunt that leads back to them.
To celebrate the release of the show, I chatted with Emjay, Chiara, and Kezii about crafting their characters, being transported back to the 80s, horror movies, and more!
PopHorror: I really enjoyed Hysteria! so I’m super excited to talk to you about it today. What intrigued you about the script and made you want to be a part of the project?
Emjay Anthony: I think one of the coolest things is definitely the 80s. It was cool to be able to dive and fully immerse ourselves in that time period with the music and the clothes. It’s really one of the coolest eras. We’re very lucky to get to experience that a little bit.
Chiara Aurelia: Yeah, I think that there was so much about the script to love. There’re so many different characters. It’s such a roller coaster. There’re so many different dimensions to everyone that’s involved. Nothing’s really what it seems. You see people from one perspective then you realize there’s more going on and I always love stories like that.
Kezii Curtis: I like the internal conversation that every character has. I think it’s really cool how we highlight the strife that all the characters are going through, whether it’s in physical manifestations or it’s in things that you couldn’t see. I think that’s the part that always stuck out for me.
PopHorror: Emjay, you mentioned being able to go back to the 80s, and that was one of my questions for all of you. What was it like being transported back to the 1980s for you?
Emjay Anthony: It was a really cool experience because, like I said, they had the coolest music, the coolest clothes and stuff. My mom and dad always had fond memories of it. They always talk about it as parents like to do. It was really cool to be able to experience a little bit of it.
Chiara Aurelia: I think there was a ton about 1989 that we were able to dive into over the course of the show, in between the hair and makeup, the wardrobe, kind of every little bit of it. Also being able to watch a bunch of 80s movies, listen to 80s music. There’s honestly so much to love about that decade.
Kezii Curtis: They both kind of nailed it on the head. I feel like we missed out on so much, especially now if you’re a Gen Z. You look back at the way your parents describe that time so fondly, it does nothing but make me jealous. When I had the chance to be in the 80s for like six months, I loved it. My playlist has not been the same.
PopHorror: I’m jealous of all the horror movies that came out in that decade and being able to see them in their heyday.
Chiara Aurelia: There are so many great films from then!
PopHorror: Was there anything that you were adamant about bringing to your character?
Chiara Aurelia: I was pretty adamant about bringing more coloration to Jordy just because I think we’ve seen that stereotypical goth girl so many times throughout the last 30 years of film, and I wanted to make sure it was recognized there were a lot of layers to her. There’s more complexity even though she chooses to express herself with her clothing and hair and makeup in a certain way, that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s who she is on the inside. I wanted to make sure there was more captured in the character. That was really important to me.
Emjay Anthony: I was very conscious of not making Dylan super hateable because he does a lot of stupid, stupid stuff. But you’ve got to realize he’s an idiot, you know? He’s in love and he’s just completely blinded. He’s not a horrible person, or is he? He might be.
Kezii Curtis: For me, it was just establishing Spud’s world, which is his friends and the band. It was really imperative to me that we showed that side of him. He’s a kid. He loves hanging with his friends. He loves having fun. If anything happens to his circle, you don’t know how he’ll react.
PopHorror: I love that. I have just one last question for you all. What is your favorite scary movie?
Emjay Anthony: I’m going to say Krampus. That was a pretty good movie.
Chiara Aurelia: I’m going to say two and they’re both on the horror/thriller line. Seven, directed by David Fincher, and Cape Fear are probably my favorite.
PopHorror: Those are great answers.
Kezii Curtis: I’m going to go very… I don’t know if you’d call it generic but this one of the first horror series I remember watching – Final Destination. I think I’ve seen all of them, very early in my life. I love those movies.
Thank you so much to Emjay, Chiara, and Kezii for taking the time to chat with us. Hysteria! is now available exclusively on Peacock!
