⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: This article contains mild spoilers for Season 1 of The Bondsman, now streaming on Prime Video. Proceed with caution if you haven’t watched yet.
Kevin Bacon is back and this time, he’s teaming up with the devil himself. In The Bondsman, now streaming on Prime Video, the veteran actor plays Hub Halloran, a murdered bondsman brought back to life by Satan to hunt down demons who’ve escaped the underworld. But while the show is packed with gore and supernatural mayhem, Bacon says it’s the emotional core that really drew him in.
You see him right away kicking ass, right? But he’s also a man-child. He’s still living in his mom’s garage. That to me is an interesting look at manhood… He’s stubborn, but he’s also kind of a baby, and I find that fascinating.
Bacon explains.
Far from just another monster-of-the-week series, The Bondsman explores Hub’s strained relationships with his ex-wife, his son, and his long-lost music career. For Bacon, who also serves as an executive producer, it’s the contrast between the grounded characters and the insane supernatural world that makes the show special.
On one hand, you have all this insanity in terms of the plot and demons and devils and the violence. But the way the characters react to it and to each other is very grounded. It stays really small and real while all the rest of the world is just so completely insane.
he says.
Showrunner Erik Oleson, known for more serious fare like Daredevil, was excited to bring something lighter, funnier, and more unpredictable to life.
I’ve done the big, fancy shows. This was an opportunity to do something that would be just fun to write and make and watch… We’re thinking, ‘OK, let’s make this a laugh out loud, scream out loud mash-up that’s totally unpredictable.’
Oleson says.
And scream—and laugh—the audience did. Bacon recalls the moment he knew the show had nailed its horror-comedy tone: during the premiere screening at South by Southwest.
My wife hadn’t seen it yet, so she didn’t know what to expect. The audience, when I got my throat cut, they’re like [makes a shocked face]. And then they laughed and it was exactly what we wanted, a lot of ‘Oh, shit’ reactions… She was having a good time. So it was very satisfying. That’s the kind of stuff that I dig, when horror works in that way.
he recalls.
Bacon is no stranger to horror. From his grisly death in Friday the 13th (1980) to fan favorites like Tremors, Hollow Man, and MaXXXine, he’s built a legacy of scares. For him, horror is about more than monsters.
It’s life and death. Stakes are high. As a consumer, I like to share that experience with people in the theater… everybody jumps at the same time, and everybody laughs about the fact that they jumped at the same time. That’s just a great shared experience.
he says.
That spirit of shared chaos was evident behind the scenes, too especially during one wild water-based fight scene where Hub takes on a demon disguised as a cheerleader in a swimming pool.
I’ve done some underwater stuff before, but I don’t think it had ever been an actual fight. You don’t realize how much air you lose trying to do that. I was exhausted, but that was fun as shit.
Bacon explains.
Hey, Mr. Bacon: Do you wanna hold your breath underwater while you’re fighting a demonic cheerleader?’ I thought for sure he was gonna ding that… but instead he doubled down: ‘Oh hell yes, we are doing that scene.’
Oleson adds
With Season 1 now streaming, both Bacon and Oleson are hopeful there’s more hell to raise in Season 2.
They have not picked the show up for a second season, but we’ve already had conversations about if they were to do it, what it might be. From a character standpoint, I’m always looking for new and harder challenges: Loss, guilt, redemption.
Bacon reveals
And Oleson isn’t holding back either:
I have evil, devious plans for a second season. There’s a lot more story to tell in this world. We’re just getting started.
He teases.
Source: Variety
