‘Hysteria!’ Music Supervisor Jen Malone on Curating the Show’s Authentic ‘80s Tracks

Peacock’s new series Hysteria! takes a look at what might have happened if the Satanic panic of religious zealots in the 1980s was justified, and if there actually had been sinister cults proliferating across the country and cases of demonic possession that really happened. Beyond the show’s cheek blend of satire and genuinely scary moments, the show’s soundtrack is comprised of pop, rock, and metal tunes from the time period that are not only very true to the era but not obvious choices. Many old-school metal fans will be pleasantly surprised at the inclusion of groups like Mercyful Fate, Bathory, Omen, Cirith Ungol, and Bolt Thrower.

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Keeping It Real and Legit

“I don’t think that there are a lot of shows that are [set] in the ‘80s that have the super authenticity that we have, like having [the band] Halloween in the first episode,” explains Jen Malone, a four-time Emmy Award nominee who is the music supervisor for the series. “Most metalheads might not even know who Halloween are, but they’re from Detroit and that’s the area of where the show takes place. There are a couple songs in the series that are not of the time period, and we know that, but it was very intentional putting them in. It wasn’t for lack of research. I don’t know if you noticed the Cabaret Voltaire [track] that was in there. Those are not artists that get a lot of syncs, if any.”

What’s interesting to note is that show creator Matthew Scott Kane was born in 1990, so he was not around to experience any of the Satanic panic. But Malone did not see that as being a problem, even when it came to music. At New York Comic Con, Kane tells American Songwriter he was a big fan of the horror movies of that decade, and he certainly knew about and learned a lot about the music of the time.

The Authenticity Was Written In

“A lot of the songs were scripted in,” Malone says, noting a track by late ‘60s occult rock band Coven. “That wasn’t my find. I think that, in a way, you don’t necessarily need to be born in that time period to know everything there is about it. I did a show called The Offer which took place [from] ‘68 to ‘72. I’m not that old, and my showrunners were not on the Paramount lot talking to [then-studio head] Bob Evans. I don’t think that that’s a hindrance or an indication of anything when you’re writing a television show or a movie.”

The music supervisor states everybody did their research to make sure the different aspects of the show are period authentic—from amps and equipment to costumes, hair, and makeup. She stresses Kane knows his metal inside and out—although he acknowledges to me she knows more about metal than he ever will–and the music-curation process for Hysteria! was a collaboration between them.

“I don’t think that because he was born in ‘90 and didn’t live through the Satanic panic there was any inaccuracy,” Malone says. “I don’t think that that was a hindrance to the music that was chosen or the authenticity, because if that was the case then it just would have been Metallica and all the commercial metal bands. Not some of the insanely deep cuts, the obscure, true metal that we have in the show.”

Dream Syncs and Ghostly Easter Eggs

On top of her quest for authencity, Malone always has many artists on a “someday I want to put this artist in a show” list. One of these was Judas Priest, whom she had repeatedly pitched but never landed the right show or scene—until “Devil’s Child” got placed in the Hysteria! season finale.

“I got to put in Thin Lizzy,” Malone says of a band she’s a big fan of. “That has always been in my someday sync folder, and we got to do it in such a way that it’s so featured and prominent.” The British band’s “Cowboy Song” factors into the debut episode.

Malone admitted to slipping in two songs that are not period specific, notably two songs by Ghost, a band she and Kane love. But that band’s music was not injected in the way one might think.

“The chant that they do in the third episode when they’re having the ritual, that’s the chant in ‘Year Zero,’” Malone reveals. “It was actually funny because when I was reading the script, I texted Matt: ‘Did you do this on purpose? Is this ‘Year Zero’? And he said, ‘Yep.’ Amazing. We had to license it, of course. We have another [Ghost] song in the finale, ‘Devil Church,’ which is just the instrumental organ. It was perfect to put in. We were able to get one of our favorite bands in there. It’s just an Easter egg, perhaps only for me and Matt, but I’ll take it.”

Passion and Purpose

“[Matt’s] excitement is infectious,” Malone says. “This is such a special show that I think because we were all just so passionate about it, it was so fun. It’s the music that I f–king love.” She says she was elated to work on a show attuned to her tastes and with people who got that. “There are definitely so many funny moments … [like] being able to use needle drops in a really funny way, like White Lion. I died laughing when I saw that, and I hope that’s exactly what other people [do]. It’s funny. Then you’ll see Lita Ford at the end. When am I ever going to be able to put Lita Ford in a TV show? It’s for comedic effect—’oh my God, do you remember that?’

Malone hopes Hysteria! can be the gateway to metal for people who don’t know that much about the genre, and that it is appreciated by longtime headbangers who know the deeper cuts placed in the show.

“I really hope that the show finds its audience,” Malone says. “I think [there will be] people who enjoy the horror aspect. But I really hope that some of the metal journalists get wind of it and have some of the reactions that you have—’Coven, Bathory, Mercyful Fate? What now?’”

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Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic