50/28
The titles of all episodes are taken from songs by heavy metal/hard rock bands
Synopsis
The plot centers on a struggling high school heavy metal band of outcasts who exploit the town’s sudden interest in the occult to gain a reputation as a Satanic metal band until a strange series of events sparks a witch hunt that brings them back to life. Hysteria by Def Lepard, Heaven’s on Fire by KISS, Speaking in Tongues by Meatloaf, Can I Play with Madness by Iron Maiden, Die Young by Black Sabbath, Mother Danzig, It’s Late by Queen, and Dance Macabre by Ghost. Hysteria!
Any irritation I had with it stemmed from the fact that teenagers (and their decision-making) can be incredibly frustrating
is a horror thriller set in a small American town in the 1980s, centering on the mysterious death of a teenager and the panic that ensues over his alleged ties to a high school metal band and its Satanist cult. It’s a nod to 80s horror as well as high school coming-of-age dramas, so I went into it expecting to be bombarded with a long list of stereotypes embedded in both genres. Instead, I thought the characters were so well cast and the dialogue was so well written that I was able to accept the narrative without feeling like it was overtly cheesy.
But then again, they’re teenagers
The power of religious and societal prejudice over a community is a big driving force in the narrative, but overall, Histeria! is a really well-balanced cocktail of crime and paranormal horror. The show reveals its secrets gradually, so that we understand what’s happening long before the characters do (rather than in the revealing plot twist of the final episode), but only then do we have to guess who will take what drastic measures to further their own interests.
shows the power of suggestion during the Satanic panic of the 80s and exposes us to the warring forces that struggle to unite a community or tear it apart
Fans of the 80s, and especially the heavy music scene, will likely also get a thrill from the soundtrack, which features artists like Iron Maiden, Kiss, Mötley Crüe, and Alice Cooper. Hysteria! In any case, it’s nice to see the jocks, weirdos, and nerds of high school come together, even if only briefly, as they salute Satan around a candle-lit pentagram.