Hysteria! Stars Really Learned to Play Heavy Metal Music For Those Dethkrunch Scenes Before Shooting

Dethkrunch, the fictional heavy metal band in Peacock's Hysteria!, might not be a real group, but their musical prowess is anything but fake. Speaking with USA Insider, co-stars Emjay Anthony (Dylan Campbell), Chiara Aurelia (Jordy), and Spud (Kezii Curtis) reveal that they actually learned to play their instruments before shooting the Satanic Panic-inspired series.

Hysteria! actors really learned to play their instruments for Dethkrunch scenes

"We all had this thing called ‘band camp,'" Anthony explains. "We flew out to Atlanta three weeks early and went to this awesome music studio with all these professionals and they taught us the instruments. I learned guitar, Chiara learned bass, and then Kezii mastered the drums."

"I did have some experience with drumming, but I learned proper etiquette of the drums," adds Curtis. "It was a really cool and exciting time for all of us. But Emjay and Chiara did not know how to play their instruments [at all] and now, specifically Emjay, will send me videos of him playing full songs."

This pre-production investment paid off big-time, according to fellow cast member Jessica Treska (the cult-obsessed Judith), who got to see the fruits of "band camp" once the cameras got rolling. "All of the [musical] performances were really, really fun," she says. "I was never a huge metal fan before filming this show. It wasn’t completely on my radar, but since the filming the show, I’ve grown to love it, especially being in that environment. I don’t know how much the audience is gonna pick up just watching it, but being in that room and feeling the vibrations of this music… The band is literally performing and Chiara is singing right in front of me. It was just riveting, it was such a cool experience. I had never been in any type of concert like that before."

How to watch Hysteria!

All eight episodes of Hysteria! are now streaming exclusively on Peacock. Episodes also air weekly, every Thursday night at 10:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.

The show stars Bowen as Linda Campbell; Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect) as Tracy Whitehead; Emjay Anthony (Chef) as Dylan Campbell; Chiara Aurelia (Fear Street: Part Two) as Jordy; Kezii Curtis (Secret Headquarters) as Spud; Nikki Hahn (American Housewife) as Faith; Garret Dillahunt (Burn Notice) as The Reverend; Nolan North (Uncharted) as Gene Campbell; Elijah Richardson (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) as Cliff; Milly Shapiro (Hereditary) as Ingrid; Allison Scagliotti (Warehouse 13) as Officer Olsen; Jessica Treska (Sharp Objects) as Judith; and the great Bruce Campbell (Ash vs Evil Dead) as Chief Dandridge.

For a more in-depth rundown of who plays who, click here.

Jordan Vogt-Roberts (The Kings of Summer, Kong: Skull Island) directed Episodes 1 and 8. He also serves as an executive producer alongside co-creators Matthew Scott Kane and David A. Goodman; Chris Bender (The Last Voyage of The Demeter); Jake Weiner (Mulan); and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves co-directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. 

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