Bruce Campbell on Why HYSTERIA! Brings a Fresh Spin to Horror

Bruce Campbell in HYSTERIA! | Image courtesy of Peacock

In the new series HYSTERIA!, when a beloved varsity quarterback disappears during the "Satanic Panic" of the late 1980s, a struggling high school heavy metal band of outcasts realize they can capitalize on the town's sudden interest in the occult by building a reputation as a Satanic metal band, until a bizarre series of murders, kidnappings, and reported "supernatural activity" triggers a leather-studded witch hunt that leads directly back to them.

For the release of HYSTERIA!, Creepy Kingdom's Shannon McGrew spoke with horror legend Bruce Campbell about his role as the town's police chief. During their chat, they discussed everything from the allure of the Satanic Panic setting to playing a small-town cop and why HYSTERIA! offers a fresh spin on horror storytelling.

It's such an honor to speak with you today, Bruce. I was curious to know if, since the show centers around the Satanic Panic, that was one of the reasons you were drawn to it.

Bruce Campbell: A concept alone will not catch me. It's gotta be the writing. If the words ain't on the page, it ain't on the stage. It's easy to write a two-dimensional cop - they're not too smart, they're mean, they'd rather beat you up than talk about it, they're hitting on your wife, they're alcoholics, it's too easy. I have the normal criteria I look for when stuff is submitted to me, but if it's a horror, I have a higher bar to set because a lot has been done in horror.

What I like about HYSTERIA! is its new type of horror. It's a horror phase that everyone has heard about, even if they didn't directly experience it; they've heard about the Satanic Panic. They knew that there was crazy stuff happening, so I think it just sets your imagination off. So, the premise is good, the time period is cool, and it's analog - if you don't have a quarter to make that phone call, you ain't making that phone call. It's that simple, you know? Leaded gas and boxy cars and cigarettes and crappy diets. I liked that it was set in Michigan; I'm a Michigan dude. I was alive in the 80s and witnessed it as a parent in the 80s. I'm not sure how much they had tagged it Satanic Panic then. I think that came later over time. At the time, it was just Satanic influences on our children.

Bruce Campbell in HYSTERIA! | Image courtesy of Peacock

I enjoyed your performance as Chief Dandridge because you're going against the archetype of what to expect from law enforcement, especially since your character actually believes the teens when shit hits the fan.

Bruce Campbell: Exactly. These are the things that appeal to me as an actor. I've worked with tons of off-duty police on movies and TV shows, and you shoot the shit with these guys all day long. You find out the problems they have, the joys and the heartaches, how funny they are, or the hobbies these guys have, and so it's nice to round out that portrayal even for the sake of our people in uniform. I think we can use a few better portrayals. I hope cops actually like this show and say, "I wish my supervisor were like that guy!" [Laughs].

As someone who has been doing horror for so, so long, what continues to excite you about this genre?

Bruce Campbell: I try and mix it up. This is not stuff that you see much. We've heard of Satanic Panic, but I don't remember too many other TV shows or movies that dealt with it, even though it's really fertile. If you're a person who believes in the good book, there's nothing worse than Satan. When you start hearing about Satanic stuff coming into your town, your core beliefs are shaken by that perceived threat. In three decades past, how many people were actually incarcerated for those crimes? Maybe a couple because they were random creepers who would have been arrested anyway. Fear is amazing. I liked the show's premise, which appealed to me very much. I thought it was very fresh and in horror, that's tough.

What I really loved about the show was how, halfway through, it subverted my expectations to become far darker than I expected.

Bruce Campbell: Me, too. They don't sit down and say, "All right, Bruce, this episode is going to go here, and we're going to throw a zinger around episode six." They don't tell you that because they're sort of figuring it out, too, a lot of the time. But I realized the other day that I didn't want to know. I only want to know what my character knows at the time of shooting. It's not a method thing, but it's convenient that I don't know. What's cool is the PR people are always worried about spoilers, right? I couldn't tell you any spoilers because this show is so intertwined it's hard for me even to say who's a good guy and who turns into a bad guy.

You can stream all eight episodes of HYSTERIA! when it drops on Peacock on October 18, 2024.