Peacock‘s coming-of-age thriller series “Hysteria!” is set to tackle the era of Satanic Panic, with heavy metal and actual Satanism sowing generational division in a small conservative town in Michigan. And what’s Michigan horror without actor Bruce Campbell?
The actor guest stars as Chief Dandridge in the series, set to premiere all episodes on Friday, October 18, 2024.
“Hysteria!” follows a group of 1980s high school misfits as they exploit the growing hysteria around teen occult activity, written and executive produced by Matthew Scott Kane (Stitchers) and David Goodman (The Orville). Caught in the middle of the mounting tension between adults and teens is Campbell’s police chief.
Unlike his most iconic character, Ash Williams, Chief Dandridge prefers logic and science. Though he isn’t your typical small-town police chief. That’s because he treats the teens with respect and compassion, a far cry from the typical parents in suburban set ’80s horror.
In other words, Chief Dandridge is the precise type of ally you want on your side when hysteria takes root and begins to spread. It also means he’ll be spread thin when the terror turns physical and hard battle lines form.
HYSTERIA! — “Speaking in Tongues” Episode 105 — Pictured: (l-r) Nolan North as Gene, Julie Bowen as Linda, Bruce Campbell as Chief Dandridge — (Photo by: Mark Hill/Peacock)
“Bad. The answer’s bad,” Campbell tells Bloody Disgusting of what would happen to the town if Chief Dandridge fails to root out the source of the town’s Satanic Panic problem. “Very bad. It would be the worst. He has a line at one point during an episode of, ‘Well if this isn’t real, we’ll get through this. But if it is real, then there’s no going back to what you thought the town was.’ There are things that happen in society that you go, ‘Wow, things are going to be different from now on; big sociological events, big disasters, big terrorist attacks. So this is the case where, in this small town, is it real or is it not? That’s the key thing, and my character as the chief of police doesn’t believe it. He’s a cop. Show me the fingerprints. Show me the evidence. Where’s the blood mark? Whatever. They have their own criteria. That’s what’s interesting to me, is that now these people who are not equipped have to try and deal with something that seems increasingly real.”
The atypical characterization of Chief Dandridge is a large part of what drew Campbell to the role. He explains, “The words pitched themselves. I read scripts, and very quickly, I go, no or yes. It’s that simple now. You really can tell. You can smell a rat. Actors can smell a rat after a while. What got me was the way that they spoke. He was an adult. He was acting like an adult. A weird thing that I actually really enjoyed was that he was not disrespectful to the teenagers who were involved, one of which was his granddaughter. I like that approach. It makes him way more of a gray area. He’s not just a good cop, bad dude. Cops love being portrayed as a tough cop. Right? What about the compassionate cop? Everybody wants a tough judge, right? Could I have a fair judge? How about a fair judge? I liked him. He’s a pretty rational dude, and so I like following him through, and I get disturbed when things start happening to him.“
HYSTERIA! — “Die Young” Episode 102 — Pictured: (l-r) Emjay Anthony as Dylan, Bruce Campbell as Chief Dandridge — (Photo by: PEACOCK)
It also helps that the cast is stacked. “Hysteria!“ stars Emjay Anthony (Krampus), Chiara Aurelia (Fear Street: Part Two – 1978, Gerald’s Game), Kezii Curtis, Nikki Hahn, Garret Dillahunt (The Last House on the Left), Nolan North(Pretty Little Liars), Elijah Richardson, Milly Shapiro (Hereditary), Allison Scagliotti (Warehouse 13), Jessica Treska, Julie Bowen and Anna Camp.
On working with this impressive cast, Campbell cracks, “I love working with people who have collagen in their faces. It’s refreshing. They’re so young. You look into their faces; they’re lovely, and they’re glowing, these kids. But it’s delightful because they’re very talented, they’re incredibly good-looking, and they’re eager. They’re fun. They want to learn. There’s no cigarette smoking. I’ve been around since I was three, doing commercials for baby wipes. There’s nobody like that. They’re fresh faces, and they want to be there.“
“It helps the old geezers, too,“ Campbell continues, “Because we go, ‘Oh, that’s right. That’s right. I don’t have to be completely cynical about this process.‘ So it’s helpful. They’re fun to be around. Julie Bowen, when I pitched her to the studio, they were hesitant, and of course, I’m lying about all of that. No. Look, comedy’s her background. Comedy, horror, it’s actually a fine line. There’s a lot of darkness in comedy. She’s great in the show. She’s hilarious. She’s kind of who you want to do this to, right? Because she’s her own version of a Mary Tyler Moore. You know what I mean?”
With the series premiering this week and Campbell playing such a level-headed character in an increasingly nightmarish predicament, how worried should we be for Chief Dandridge’s pursuit of truth and peacekeeping?
“You better worry for him,“ Campbell warns.
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