Interviews
How the “Hysteria!” Showrunners Found the Balance Between Horror and Comedy [Interview]
Writers/Executive producers/Showrunners Matthew Scott Kane (Stitchers) and David Goodman (The Orville) blend horror, humor, and heart in “Hysteria!” Peacock’s coming-of-age series mines its drama and horror from America’s dark history of mass hysteria through the shocking story of the teenage Satanic Panic.
The series follows a group of 1980s high school misfits as they exploit the growing hysteria around teen occult activity, and it boasts a tremendous cast that ensures these characters will worm their way into your heart before the horror ensues.
Garret Dillahunt (The Last House on the Left), Nolan North (Pretty Little Liars), Elijah Richardson (Fantasy Football), Milly Shapiro (Hereditary), Allison Scagliotti (Warehouse 13), and Jessica Treska (Alex & Me) star alongside Bruce Campbell, Julie Bowen, Anna Camp, Emjay Anthony, Chiara Aurelia, Kezii Curtis, and Nikki Hahn.
Bloody Disgusting spoke with Kane and Goodman ahead of the series’ debut, where the pair revealed how the cast came together and the research they put in when writing the series.
“Hysteria!” isn’t easy to categorize in terms of genre because it dabbles in everything with seamless ease. Kane divulges the key to balancing so many genres at once: the characters. He tells Bloody Disgusting, “With this show, we always wanted to make sure that the horror moments felt really earned. There was a quote years back from Edgar Wright talking about Scott Pilgrim, which was, ‘In most musicals, emotions get so high that they have no choice but to break out into song and dance.’ We tried to apply that feeling to this show, which was essentially when fear reaches a point where it’s too high to hold in anymore, it kind of explodes into one of these moments.
“We have to get there by working with the characters, understanding their fears, understanding the kind of hurdles that they’re trying to get over and put behind them, and all of that stuff. So, there was a very tricky balance between characters, horror, and humor in there.”
HYSTERIA! — “The Satanic Panic” Episode 101 — (Photo by: PEACOCK)
While the series is pure fiction, pushing into the occult and beyond, Kane and Goodman wanted to root their series in reality just enough to resonate with viewers. “My goal with this was to make everything rhyme with reality, but not necessarily take a figure or someone and base a character off of them directly,“ Kane explains. “I wanted to make sure that there were characters that felt like someone we’ve met in real life before, someone that was in the zeitgeist in the 1980s, without having to be beholden to their life story or anything, have them be our character. I did do a lot of research, too much research, on the Satanic Panic when I was getting into it. It took me two years to even put pen to paper on this show because I was voraciously reading all kinds of books. There’s one called Satanic Panic by Kier-La Janisse, which is incredible. It’s an essay compilation that walks you through all sorts of different avenues of the Satanic Panic, but also when you get into the really deep sort of paranoid side of things, and it’s not a retrospective, it’s like what you were actually reading at the moment.
“I was reading these books called Saturday Morning Mind Control, which are essentially books about how the Smurfs are in league with Satan, they are going to brainwash your children into sleeper cell Satanists, and they are going to rise up against you and kill you. That was the type of literature that I was reading in preparation for this, and it really helped inform the Tracy Whitehead character, as well as the world at large. In fact, on one of our first days on set, I gave Anna Camp a book called Dancing with Demons, which was a book about the devil’s influence over rock and roll music, essentially. It’s like, ‘Hey if you ever need a jolt in the arm to feel more like Tracy, read this book.‘ I think it was very helpful for her.“
Anna Camp is just one of the many recognizable names among the cast. Goodman shares how this talented lineup came together, “I joined the show after Matt had written the pilot script, and everything was in that script. When you’re sending a great script out to actors, actors are smart, and they see that there are a lot of great characters. So, Julie Bowen read the script. This was a real departure for her. This is not Claire Dunphy. This is the dark side of America’s mom. She hooked into that. But she called Matt. I mean, I really think Matt should tell the story of Julie talking to him about this character and where she was going to go.“
HYSTERIA! — “The Satanic Panic” Episode 101 — Pictured: Julie Bowen as Linda Campbell — (Photo by: PEACOCK)
“Julie was always number one on our list,“ Kane replies to Goodman. “That’s who we wanted for this part. We sent it to her, crossed our fingers, and then I got an email saying, ‘Julie would like to talk to you tomorrow morning. She’s got a 10-minute window before she has to take her kids to school.’ I’m in Georgia, and she’s in LA. I hopped on this call with her, and I’m so nervous. The first ever TV spec script I wrote in college was a Modern Family script. I’ve literally wanted to work with Julie since college. I get on the phone with her, and one of the first things she says is, ‘Hey, I’m going to do your show. I just wanted to talk to you. I just wanted to make sure you’re cool and that we’re all good, and I’m so excited to do this.‘
“She was thrilled with the idea of being able to play physical. In the pilot episode especially, she gets really physical. Something Julie loved to say to everyone on the set when getting into these scenes was, ‘Don’t worry, I’m sturdy.’ And she would just throw herself into everything. She was so gung-ho about making it look as good and as real as possible. Not only that, but every emotional scene with her nails it in one take. I mean, she was incredible.”
Goodman says of Bruce Campbell’s casting, “Bruce read the script and told us that it’s the words he connected to, the characters that we created for him, in a way. I mean, it was just so exciting to get Bruce Campbell to play this part. We’re such fans of his work. Then, casting the kids. Trying to find kids who are believable as musicians, as metalheads, and that that would start this, down this road of making these bad decisions. And so that was harder, but we found amazing people top to bottom. Then, Anna Camp, who also read the script, I think connected to the fact that this was somewhat of a departure for her as well. She just knocks it out of the park.“
“Hysteria!” is now streaming on Peacock.
Interviews
The Work ‘Grind’ Is Hell, So Brea Grant & Ed Dougherty Made a Horror Anthology About It [CFF 2026 Interview]
Genre fans rejoice! Chattanooga Film Festival is back for its 13th year in 2026 with a killer lineup and once again offering audiences both in-person and virtual options. After having its World Premiere at SXSW this spring, the horror comedy anthology Grind is playing CFF 2026 opening weekend.
From a screenplay by Brea Grant (Torn Hearts, 12 Hour Shift) and Ed Dougherty (MLM) and segments directed by Grant, Dougherty, and Chelsea Stardust (Satanic Panic), Grind features four interwoven stories that parody the gig economy, hustle culture, and the evils of late-stage capitalism.
The anthology follows weary everyday people juggling side hustles just to survive, while going up against greedy oligarchs, and cleverly uses dark humor and bloody practical effects to portray a world much like our current economic nightmare.
Bloody Disgusting had the pleasure of chatting with Brea Grant and Ed Dougherty about the socioeconomic commentary in Grind, casting Barbara Crampton as a villain, and DIY filmmaking.
Bloody Disgusting: Every segment in this anthology feels relatable because people are actually struggling to survive in the gig economy right now. How did the two of you come up with the idea of creating Grind?
Brea Grant: Like you said, we were trying to come up with a cool idea that seemed relevant right now. The thing that everyone we know is talking about is the economy, the lack of work, and the nightmare hellscape that is late-stage capitalism. It felt like the right time to write something that really featured that as the main horror. As the main thing that people were scared of, this world sort of came to us over the course of a couple of years.
Ed Dougherty: We wanted to make a hit film, and we said, “Let’s make a horror anthology, that’s the most marketable thing there is.” [laughs]
BG: [laughs] Definitely not!
BD: I love anthologies!
ED: We do, too. We feel like it’s kind of an undervalued form of horror film, but it’s a hard sell.
BG: People told us not to make it. They said, “Don’t make an anthology. It’s too hard to sell.” But we did it anyway.
BD: I guess I’m just one of those weirdos who likes anthologies and watches them all.
ED: We believe that there are a lot of weirdos like you out there. It seems like every good horror anthology has a long life, but it’s just getting over the initial hump that’s difficult.
BD: Chelsea Stardust directed some of the segments with the two of you and serves as a producer. How did she first get involved with this project?
BG: The project has a long history. We shot the first segment, which is about multi-level marketing, a couple of years ago. We had decided we wanted to make a full anthology, but it took us about a year after shooting that initial segment to shoot the rest of the movie. When we did that, we knew we needed to bring on a producer aside from Ed and me, since we were directing the bulk of the movie, so that was how she came on board. I’ve been friends with her for a long time, and the one thing I know about her as a friend is that she is very organized, so it felt like a good fit. I just called her one day and said, “Would you want to produce these three segments that we have left to shoot of Grind?” and she came on board.
BD: There are some fun cameos in Grind, but we have to talk about Barbara Crampton. She’s so good as a villainess. Why did you want her for this role, and what was it like working with her on this film?
BG: She’s in her villain era, which is so fun. [laughs] Obviously, we’re huge Barbara Crampton fans, and when we were making MLM, it was a smaller part of the movie that we knew we needed to call on people who could do a good job but were also friendly to us [laughs]. I’m friends with Barbara Crampton, and we’ve done three movies together before this. So, it felt like someone within our reach, but could also really draw a horror crowd. She has a huge fanbase, and she’s also super supportive of all the projects that she’s been in, so that was also really exciting. She’s a great actress, and she’s super funny. I think a lot of these horror actresses, especially those who came up in the eighties and nineties, weren’t given an opportunity to be funny. I think she was ready to jump on an opportunity that was different than what she was used to; it’s not running around and screaming. She is a cult leader, and she is quite funny in it. She just takes the comedy so well and seriously, and she does such an amazing job with it. She has a scene across from Rob Huebel, who is obviously a comedy master, and I feel like the two of them together were hilarious. It’s been fun to watch Barbara go from these iconic roles to a different kind of role at this point in her career. We’re super happy to be a part of that.
ED: And she loves the movie and has been so supportive. Every time she posts about it, I’m like, “I can’t believe this. This is amazing.”
BD: This is an accurate parody of the current socioeconomic situation in this country, as well as our obsession with online culture. It repeatedly asks the question, “What are you willing to do to make money,” in a world with wealth inequality and evil oligarchs. It’s fun, and it’s a horror movie, but it’s thought-provoking. What do you hope audiences take away from Grind, besides having a good time?
ED: I read every review and every Letterboxd review; Brea does not. So, I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen some reviews that say, “Good movie but doesn’t propose a solution.” I think we do propose a solution, which is that the power of unions and organizing is the only way that we will be able to fight back against oligarchs. I do think that is the message of the film. Organizing is the only way to defeat these villains. I do think we have a lot to say in the film. I’d want someone to say, “Man, I’ve never seen a horror anthology that had a political message before.” [laughs]
BG: I think the other thing is that what is currently happening is that we live in a world in which people kind of feel alone in this. They’re like, “Well, I’m doing bad, “or “I’m having trouble paying my rent.” We wanted to hang a lantern on the fact that this is happening to everyone, that wealth disparity is at an all-time high. We’re pointing out to people that you aren’t in this alone; you’re not the only person doing side hustles. Every filmmaker friend I have is working a side job of some sort at this point, and that is just in Los Angeles. Outside of this city, I think things are more dire. I think it was about infusing some politics into something that could make people realize that they aren’t alone and that there are ways of fighting back and fighting the system that has been set up against them.
ED: I think the tone of the movie, which is darkly comedic, also really matches the tone of life right now. Everything seems almost at a parody level as far as the disconnect between oligarchs and trying to make a living and reality. The absurdist nature of the film kind of captures the real tone of life.
BD: There are some cool creature effects and makeup effects in this movie. Can you talk a little bit about the practical effects and makeup?
ED: I think especially because of the message of the film, which is pushing back against the current hellscape we’re in, we wanted to use as many practical effects as possible. We used matte paintings, miniatures, and practical creature effects. I’m always afraid of the matte painting because we used the old school matte painter, but they do look a little AI. I heard someone make a noise behind me during one of the shots, and I was like, “I hope that noise wasn’t them using AI because that’s a matte painting.” [laughs] There’s also the fact that it’s pretty DIY. It’s a film that we financed ourselves and shot in our houses as much as possible. We wanted the whole thing to feel handmade and very tactile.
BG: We’re old school horror fans, so we love seeing practical effects. The practical stuff is really fun for us. It’s the stuff that we think is actually cool. [laughs] So, practical stuff made the most sense for us. We both grew up in the punk scene in the nineties, and I think it just kind of comes naturally to us to try to do things ourselves. And we both work on projects for big companies, with smaller companies, but always for other people, so trying to do something ourselves to see what that felt like was also part of the experiment of Grind.
ED: This was our chance to do everything we wanted our way.
Grind screens at the Chattanooga Film Festival on June 20.
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