Upamanyu Biswas
In Peacock’s ‘Hysteria,’ high school outcast Dylan Campbell finds himself with a rare opportunity to make an impression after the disappearance of a fellow classmate named Ryan Hudson. With Satanic panic at its peak, owing to its connection with Hudson’s abduction, Dylan rebrands his struggling metal band, Dethkrunch, into a Satanic metal band to garner more attention. It brings momentary success and a brief stay in the sun. However, his life is upended when the local townsfolk start a witch hunt for the culprit behind Hudson’s disappearance. Consequently, his Satanic-themed band becomes the target of the masses as unwanted infamy is brought to Dylan’s doorstep.
Dethkrunch is a Fictional Band That Embraces its 80s Metal Roots
Although ‘Hysteria!’ revolves around a thriller narrative, a large part of the show also delves into other intriguing aspects of the 1980s, primarily the world of pop culture and music. To that end, the three central characters, Dylan Campbell, Jordy, and Spud, get to explore their heavy metal passion through their high school band, Dethkrunch, which goes through a thematic makeover over the course of the season. It is a fictional band conceived by creator Matthew Scott Kane and co-writers Jamie Flanagan and David Goodman. Although it exists in a separate reality, the band’s influences can be seen through the posters hung in Dylan’s room, which include Iron Maiden, Metallica, and Skid Row, among many others.
While developing the world, the scriptwriters used every ounce of aesthetic paraphernalia to ensure the authenticity of the 80s retro themes. Of all of them, music plays the most important role because of the context of the era. During the height of the Satanic Panic, specific genres of music, like rock and metal, became the source of moral outrage for people. Through Dethkrunch, the writers reflect those real-life elements in a heightened and elevated setting, rife with all manner of anxiety. When Dylan decides to rebrand the band as a Satanic metal band, it quickly garners the attention of the other high schoolers, allowing the members to bask in the glory for a brief moment. However, it soon attracts the wrong type of attention when the town’s witch hunt targets them as the culprits behind Ryan Hudson’s disappearance.
In an interview, Kane revealed that he himself was part of a band in high school, which gave him some level of insight into recreating those same vibes through Dethkrunch. However, the creator stated that it would be an “embarrassment” to call his group’s songs metal. Thus, the band’s real-life roots are sparse and non-existent, being mostly confined to fiction. However, its real prominence lies in how it impacts the narrative and shapes the struggles faced by the protagonist while evading the ire of the townsfolk. Occasionally, it also allows for some musical flair to spice up the story and further immerse the viewers in the 80s.
Read More: Peacock’s Hysteria: All Filming Locations Explored
