Hysteria

Just like everything with the name Flannigan attached to it this was a few hours of good entertainment, a nice mystery at the core that got lifted just a little bit too early, high technical marks, and the kind of writing that does not waste my time, but also doesn't miss a beat. Not stellar, not genius, not a masterpiece, but even more important: Not trying to be any of that and not pretending to be more than that.

By just being solid this was one of my best TV experiences in 2024. Or, a little more poetic: In an endless stream of washed out franchises with refurbished content this was a gem washing ashore at the very end of the year and restored my faith in the medium, at least a little bit.

The cast was a pure delight, which I really did not expect from a long list of names that I had either never heard of or had not heard from in a long time. If you have a few hours to spare and like horror mysteries with an 80s twist I highly recommend this.

I'm only on episode 3 but I have to take a second to say how Bruce Campbell is absolutely killing it in this show. I'm used to him being kind of over the top acting (not because he over acts, but because that's what the role called for) like Evil Dead but in this he really really really is doing a great job of like playing a sheriff. It's coming off like very genuine the way he's acting his. You know his hand movements and not just the words that he's saying but all of it just seems very very genuine. At this point I'm just trying to get to my 200 word mark because I'm not done watching the show.

As a super fan of heavy metal and fan of horror flicks and the supernatural this one was a no brainer for me. I think I enjoyed the aesthetic and soundtrack a bit more than the story it was trying to tell though and that's fine. The soundtrack alone gets a 9.5. The cast was solid enough to keep me entertained throughout for the most part. Bruce Campbell is always a welcomed delight in supernatural stuff like this and even though he was more of a background character in this he was still pretty cool as usual. It has potential in the writing and if it gets a season 2 I hope they expand a bit more on just the typical exorcising demons motif that has kinda been there, done that time and time again. It did start off strong though with the whole era of the late 80s in middle America still fearing heavy metal music and thinking everyone who listens to it and/or is in a metal band automatically is associated with giving Satan a handy or some crap. The way the season ended softly sets up a season two but it felt kind of forced in a sense. It could have ended a little better and honestly this could very well have been a one and done limited series and I think it would have fared just fine if not better than the hopes of season after season. Don't get me wrong though would I want to see more classic heavy metal tracks be well timely executed given the situations going on within each episode? Hell yeah. But I also realize that not everything is meant to go on for too long without running out of steam or losing it's luster. I don't want that to happen with this show. I hope they neatly wrap up it's story in 3 seasons or less. Less is more sometimes folks and I feel that concept would be well applied with this show as you leave them wanting more in a sense.

This show captured 1989, the satanic panic, and the style of all those old supernatural horror films to the 'T'. I suspect that when the network saw it, they had them edit out a few minor shots that might give away what was a possible ending, so they could do a second season. At least I hope so. But having lived through that period, I can say they did it very well.

While not a comedy, it did keep me laughing at all the nods to other films of that genre, which in way reminded me of Stranger Things, but they limited jump scares, nudity blood, and ultra violence, and still made a good show. My hat is off to the producers and directors and writers.

PS the cast is all good, and this is Brice Campbell's 2nd best role after Bubba Ho Tep.

I went in to this completely blind, and my first impressions was that it was going to be a dark comedy and satire from the 1980's satanic panic. It turned out to be a teen drama best suited for the likes of MTV. Once again, it's another 80s throwback where most of the cast look like they're out of 2024 cosplaying 80s characters and getting it all wrong. The story lines are all over the place but they do come together for the most part. I binged watched this in one day and it very well much could have been a 2 hr movie. The not so subtle ending really ruined what could have been an amazing wrap up. I can't really recommend the show, but it wasn't bad. It's definitely a one and done with no rewatchability. They really missed the mark on just how funny the satanic panic was in the 80s when we all knew it was bs.