Upamanyu Biswas
Peacock’s ‘Hysteria!’ is a thriller show revolving around the mysterious disappearance of a varsity quarterback in a small town in Michigan known as Happy Hollow. Subsequently, the populace is gripped by growing concerns and anxieties surrounding occult activities and the Satanic panic of the 1980s. The Matthew Scott Kane-created show follows three friends, Dylan Campell, Jordy, and Spud, who utilize the whispers and rumors of supernatural anxieties to rebrand their heavy metal band, Dethkrunch, as a Satanic metal band. However, it proves to be a dangerous move as the townfolks turn their attention to the trio as the main suspect behind the disappearance.
Dark, twisted, and exciting, the Peacock show jumps back in time to an era defined by moral outrage and a terrifying fear of the unknown. It creates an intriguing atmosphere that is further augmented by the incisive narrative built on suspense and thrills. However, like all environmentally charged stories, ‘Hysteria!’ owes much of its creation and depth to its timeless backdrop, which drops the viewer into an era where a sense of anxiety is as familiar as the quaint small-town vibe. It draws much of its mystery from the setup, blending retro themes with a world slowly descending into madness.
Hysteria! Filming Locations
‘Hysteria!’ is set in the fictional town of Happy Hollow in Michigan. However, technically, the show is filmed in Georgia, specifically Atlanta and Covington, where principal photography for the first season began on December 4, 2023, and was wrapped by March 8, 2024. Setting the narrative in Michigan was integral to the development process as creator Matthew Scott Kane and several other crew members grew up in the state. The same sentiment was shared by Bruce Campbell, who plays Chief Dandridge. The actor explained, “When I saw it, I’m like, great – Michigan, small-town Michigan in the 80s? Oh, hell yeah! They won’t be ready for any of this.” He viewed the Michigan setting as the main flavor of the series, emphasizing how the choice of story locale exacerbates the panic within the narrative.
Atlanta, Georgia
Despite being set elsewhere, ‘Hysteria!’ is primarily filmed in Atlanta, Georgia, which has hosted a growing number of film and TV show productions over the years. It offers diversity in terms of spacious suburban neighborhoods alongside the presence of an underlying darkness seeping into an 80s-inspired fictional Michigan town. As such, The show’s mixture of retro aesthetic and high-octane thriller premise is brought to life through the various nightscapes of the Hollywood of the South. During the first season’s filming, a number of peculiar incidents took place that offered a spooky vibe on set. As creepy occurrences on horror/thriller production sets are quite common, it is apt that ‘Hysteria!’ was afflicted by the same.
In an interview with Us Weekly, Chiara Aurelia said, “Actually, our set was a little haunted. The night before we started filming, I had a black cat that arrived at my door. I’m not super superstitious but it was definitely an interesting (experience), like, ‘OK, we’re starting to film tomorrow and there’s a black cat at my door.'” The same black cat also made an appearance in front of the other series regulars over the course of the season. The seemingly trivial incident added to the superstitious vibe on set and fed into the nervous energy pulsing beneath the Satanic show. Aurelia also recalled how one of the picture cars got hit by a train, but fortunately, no injuries happened as a result. Needless to say, these spooky encounters kept the crew on edge.
Covington, Georgia
Shooting for ‘Hysteria!’ also took place at the Cinelease Studios – Three Ring at 11642 GA-142 Bungalow 10 in Covington, Georgia. The studio offers easy access to nearby airports and has a great collection of shooting locations, including a massive stage space. Furthermore, the town is known as “Georgia’s Backlot” for its great range of suburban and aesthetically pleasing outdoor locales ready for shooting. Previously, productions on films and shows like ‘The Vampire Diaries,‘ ‘Doctor Sleep,‘ ‘Legacies,‘ and ‘Career Opportunities’ took place in the town’s versatile offerings. It also makes for the perfect backdrop in the thriller as it blends small-town high school environments with dark subterranean occult themes.
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