Astro Originals presents a bolder and gorier spin-off to 2008 box office film ‘Histeria’

Astro Originals presents ‘Histeria The Series’, a premium drama series about the mysterious disturbances a group of students experience as they investigate the strange death of a student 10 years ago.

Histeria The Series is a spin-off to the 2008 box office film ‘Histeria’, which stars Liyana Jasymay, Scha Al-Yahya, Yana Samsudin and Ady Putra; both the 2008 film and the upcoming series are directed by James Lee, winner of the Best Asean Feature Award at the Bangkok International Film.

The horror film director of ‘Tolong Awek Aku Pontianak’, ‘Sini Ada Hantu’, ‘Claypot Curry Killers’ and ‘Two Sisters’ fame promises gorier and bolder elements in Histeria The Series. The 8- episode series will feature James Lee’s creativity, signature directing style and fresh editing techniques that culminate in a dramatic and realistic series.

Histeria The Series explores high school-related issues that are relevant and relatable to society, including bullying and sexual harrassment.

This Astro Shaw and Infinitus Gold production sees the Astro Originals brand entrusting a young ensemble cast as the main leads, including Mia Sara Datuk Afdlin Shauki, Sharifah Aryana Syed Zainal Rashid Al-Yahya, Amelia Christie and Serra Kamal.

The spin-off also stars an original cast member returning to play her character – Liyana Jasmay as Murni – in addition to established and prominent actors Namron, Tony Eusoff, Ziana Zain, Ziha Salleh, Fimie Don, Mathni Razak and Dr. Rosdeen Suboh.

Previously, Astro Originals presented a slate of premium drama series in a variety of genres, entertainment values and storylines inspired by real issues, such as ‘Kampong Pisang Bersiri- Siri’ (the number 1 Malaysian comedy film franchise), ‘Projek: Anchor SPM’ (a coming-of-age story), ‘I-Tanggang’ (highlighting the reality of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy), ‘Dukun Diva’ (a female con artists and anti-heroes story), as well as ‘Kuasa’ (a fictional story about an influential family in the entertainment industry).

On behalf of Astro, Vice President, Malay Nusantara Business & Head of Astro Shaw, Raja Jastina Raja Arshad said that Astro will remain focused on strengthening the Astro Originals brand by presenting the best content with cinematic quality to be enjoyed by Malaysian audiences across all backgrounds, thereby elevating the quality of local drama series to be on par with international productions.

The key differentiators and appeal of premium drama series under the Astro Originals brand are the elevated production quality and storylines that can be enjoyed by all Malaysians.

“Through Histeria The Series, Astro Originals presents for the first time the mystery horror genre while exploring topics that are highly talked about in society, namely bullying, sexual harrassment and high school social issues, with the use of bolder scenes. Histeria is an IP (Intellectual Property) under Astro Shaw, and we believe that its story remains relevant today.”

“Hence, we decided to revisit the story by presenting it as a premium drama series. Even though it is a spin-off of the 2008 film, the storyline for this series has been updated to feature a fresh narrative with conflicts that are relevant to society today.”

“This series is also the first collaboration between Astro Shaw and Infinitus Gold in producing a premium drama series. Our long-standing partnership and collaboration in past projects such as Hantu Kak Limah and Sangkar has open doors for both parties to expand our creativity to the television platform.

We hope that Histeria The Series will not only entertain audiences, but also raise awareness about these social issues among students, parents and teachers.”

Executive Producer of Infinitus Gold Sdn Bhd, Gayatri Su-Lin Pillai said, “We are honoured to have the opportunity to work with Astro Shaw once again to produce a premium drama series. I was personally involved in the production of Histeria in 2008, so this story is very dear to me. For Histeria The Series, we want to present a more grand and intricate editing style.”

“We hope that this series would entertain audiences and further elevate the quality of Malaysian drama series.”

Histeria The Series tells the story of a group of teenage students in a boarding school who are haunted by mysterious events that lead them to investigate a murder case that happened 10 years ago in their school. One by one, strange and horrifying incidents start to follow.

The first episode of Histeria The Series will premiere simultaneously on Astro Citra and Astro Ria on 6 June, 9.00pm. For the subsequent episodes, catch this premium drama series every Monday, 9.00pm on Astro Citra or stream it on Astro GO or On Demand.