Kevin Bacon is no stranger to the world of horror having appeared in the likes of Stir Of Echoes, Hollow Man, Tremors, and most recently, X trilogy film Maxxxine. In his latest genre offering, the Hollywood icon goes to hell and back in a demon-slaying thriller packed full of blood, guts, and country crooning. Announced earlier this year by Amazon Prime Video, The Bondsman has finally arrived on the streaming platform offering an action-packed narrative that, while offering nothing new in the supernatural sub-genre, hits all the notes.

Produced by Blumhouse, the action-horror hybrid begins with bondsman Hub Halloran (Kevin Bacon) meeting an untimely end at the hands of the Earl brothers during a job gone wrong. Shortly after, he wakes up in the wall cavity where the brothers left it, surprisingly alive but sporting a gaping neck wound that should have ended his life for good. His pursuit for revenge against the Earl brothers and the man who seemingly hired them, Lucky Callaghan (Damon Herriman), is dogged by the appearance of a strange figure with glowing eyes that soon rips the brothers apart in a fierce showdown. Hub soon learns why he survived his ordeal – the devil has recruited him as its own personal bondsman, to retrieve demons that have fled to Earth after a mass breakout in hell. He learns as much from Midge (Jolene Purdy), his parole officer, who informs him that he doesn't have to take the job, but he will go back to the firey pit beneath them if he declines. Alongside his mother Kitty (Beth Grant), Hub takes on contract after contract to bring down the demons, soon noticing a chilling pattern behind their attacks.

The Bondsman plunges viewers right into the action, treating gore hounds to smatterings of blood and violence from the opening scene. And across eight episodes, the high-octane thrills don't let up as the bodies pile and Hub's trail of destruction threatens those closest to him. The comically exaggerated gore goes hand in hand with The Bondsman's outlandish premise, tonally taking inspiration from the likes of the Evil Dead franchise, Hell Boy, and Constantine. The plot rarely offers surprises that storied horror fans won't see coming – especially when it comes to Hub's complex relationship with his ex Mary Anne (Jennifer Nettles) and son Cade (Maxwell Jenkins) – but its true shock moments come in the form of how far the horror and violence push the boundaries and the tragedy that follows. Far from just a fun, action-infused fright-fest, The Bondsman is here to inject some trauma into your binge-watch,

Bacon is electric as The Bondsman's antihero Hub, while Beth Grant's Kitty offers many of the show's laugh-out-loud moments with her cutting one-liners and devil-may-care attitude in the face of an impending apocalypse. WandaVision and Orange Is The New Black star Jolene Purdy is a delight as Midge, whose tragic backstory and how she became entangled with the devil provided the show's most thought-provoking and devastating episode yet. Jennifer Nettles is a delight as rising country music star Mary Anne. Her chemistry with Bacon's Hub is electric as the two struggle to navigate co-parenting teenage son Cade, reconciling with their tumultuous past and Hub's failed music career, as well as Mary Anne's new relationship with none other than Lucky, played expertly by Damon Herriman.