Did You Catch That Cameo from a YouTube Horror Icon in Peacock's Hysteria!?
Blink and you'll miss it!
We've already talked about that surprise Re-Animator reunion in Peacock's Hysteria! (all eight episodes are now streaming), but there's another horror icon you might have missed. In the opening minutes of Episode 3 — "Can I Play with Madness" — a number of Happy Hollow residents appear on the local news, reacting to the discovery of a mutilated deer carcass hanging from a tree.
"Yeah, it's scary — no doubt about it," says the first interviewee, a young man with a beard, parted hair, and a scared look in his eyes. "I mean, my kids used to play in those woods." This concerned citizen is played by none other than James A. Janisse, founder and host of the wildly popular Dead Meat Youtube channel, which serves as home to the "Kill Count," a series in which Janisse brilliantly dissects horror movies through their notable character deaths. James and his wife, Chelsea Rebecca, are horror die-hards through and through — so much so that Heather Langenkamp was the officiant at their wedding.
But how exactly did Mr. Janisse go from awarding Golden Chainsaws to protesting Satanic activity in Happy Hollow?
How Dead Meat host James A. Janisse landed that cameo in Peacock's Hysteria!
The blink and you'll miss it appearance from Janisse was the result of the successful YouTuber's close friendship with Hysteria! creator, showrunner, and executive producer Matthew Scott Kane, whom he met while studying film at the University of Michigan.
"It was an honor to be included in this project that has the love of horror and Southeast Michigan in its DNA just like me," he tells USA Insider over email. "Matt is a longtime friend of mine and one of the best people I know. I couldn't be more proud of him and his work."
"It’s not often you get to witness a friend blossom into a star in real time, so it’s been incredibly exciting and inspiring to watch him hustle his way from an intern and PA to the creator of a full-blown horror media empire," adds Kane. "Honestly, Dead Meat is something I would watch even if I didn’t know James or Chelsea. They’re some of the smartest, hardest-working people that I know, and have an undying warmth to them that has created a wonderful community in the horror space. Anyone who has watched his Dead Meat channel on YouTube is familiar with James’ sign-off, "Be good people." As someone who has watched this dude grow for over a decade, I can confirm without hesitation that he very much practices what he preaches."
As such, the decision to have Janisse appear in the show "was a no-brainer," the showrunner continues. "I’ve probably seen Episode 103 a hundred times, but it never gets any less surreal to see my longtime friend on screen (immediately preceding fellow Michigan legend, Bruce Campbell, no less). We have both worked so hard for so long to make names for ourselves, so it was really special to bring him into a show that I created."
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.
