Satanic Panic Thriller Scores Peacock Series Order
Peacock is set to explore the 1980s satanic panic with its latest series pickup.
The NBCUniversal-owned streamer has given a straight to series order to Hysteria!, a coming-of-age thriller set in the 1980s. The show comes from writer Matthew Scott Kane (Stitchers) and Chris Bender and Jake Weiner’s Good Fear Content (the 2020 Mulan, My Spy). Universal Studio Group’s UCP is producing, and John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) will direct.
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“Our upcoming thriller series Hysteria! will explore the complex world of the Satanic Panic, set amidst ‘80s nostalgia, mystery, heavy metal, and an all-American setting,” said Lisa Katz, president scripted content at NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “We’re excited to partner on this fresh, coming-of-age story led by writer Matthew Scott Kane, executive producers and directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, Good Fear, and our partners at UCP, for what is sure to be a compelling original series for Peacock viewers.”
Hysteria! will follow the members of a struggling high school heavy metal band in the late 1980s. When their school’s beloved varsity quarterback disappears, the band members capitalize on their town’s sudden interest in the occult by building a reputation as a satanic metal band. Until, that is, a bizarre series of murders, kidnappings and reported supernatural activity sparks a witch hunt that leads back to the group.
“This nail-biting thriller dives into a mass moral panic and all the fears, desires, anger and dread that led to these dark days,” said UCP president Beatrice Springborn. “Matthew’s script is original, intriguing and perfectly captures the frenetic energy of the Satanic Panic. We can’t wait for audiences to experience the show on Peacock.”
Kane, Daley, Goldstein, Bender and Weiner will executive produce the series. Scott Stoops serves as supervising producer.
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