Peacock’s coming-of-age, Satanic Panic thriller series “Hysteria!” has turned the small Michigan town of Happy Hallow upside down, with many of its residents giving in to fear as bizarre phenomena takes root. At the forefront is Julie Bowen’s Linda, a doting housewife who finds herself in dire need of an exorcism.
Bloody Disgusting can exclusively debut a clip that peers into Linda’s possessed mind when Tracy Whitehead (Anna Camp) hosts an exorcism for all of Happy Hallow to witness.
All episodes of “Hysteria!” are available to stream on Peacock. Episodes also air weekly on USA Network.
Written and executive produced by Matthew Scott Kane (Stitchers) and David Goodman (The Orville), “Hysteria!” explores 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.
Here’s the series’ full synopsis: “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.”
Kane recently told Bloody Disgusting that Bowen was the top choice for both Linda and the series. The showrunner also teased just how physical the actor would get, “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.”
Watch the clip below to get a glimpse of Bowen’s physicality in action, even when bound to her chair mid-exorcism.
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.