Blumhouse has become the undisputed champion of theatrically released horror films thanks to Jason Blum’s frankly brilliant method of “low budget, high concept” filmmaking. However, one territory that the “House of Blum” hasn’t entirely broken through yet is the small screen. Blumhouse’s TV division hasn’t quite found the same success as its movie counterpart, and it’s somewhat understandable given that the company’s business model means these horror shows need to have even lower budgets and even higher concepts to succeed.
Nothing says high-concept like a good old-fashioned demon hunter, and Blumhouse’s newest collaboration with Prime Video has just that with The Bondsman. Featuring Kevin Bacon as a complicated individual who is forced to trade bounty hunting for demon slaying, The Bondsman does admittedly dig up a lot of familiar concepts from other shows, with particular similarities to Ash vs. Evil Dead. That being said, the more The Bondsman goes on, the more it starts to branch out into more exciting ideas and begins to find its footing as something special.
What Is ‘The Bondsman’ About?

Hub Halloran (Kevin Bacon) makes a living as a grumpy bounty hunter alongside his mother, Kitty (Beth Grant), but he’s also grappling with the state of things after a particularly messy divorce. Things get even messier when a simple job turns into a sadistic homicide, leaving Hub with buckshot in his back and a slice in his neck. However, Hub miraculously survives this mortal encounter, but the reality behind this circumstance is far from a miracle — quite the opposite in fact, as Hub has been recruited by Satan themself to hunt down demons that have escaped directly from Hell.
In short, Kevin Bacon plays an undead officer tasked with finding runaway specters and sending them back to where they came from. It’s a concept that’s exceptionally similar to R.I.P.D. — the 2013 box office bomb that just so happened to also star Bacon. We can safely say that The Bondsman is a heck of a lot better than that poor excuse for a Men in Black rip-off, but many of the show’s elements still feel fairly derivative. The Bondsman is essentially trying to be a “murder of the week” series, but with a new demon to hunt every episode. Unfortunately, apart from each episode’s cold open setting up said demon, most of the series is more focused on Hub’s family struggles instead of the supernatural wraiths.
That’s a shame, considering The Bondsman offers only a small taste of a much more interesting demonic underworld — purely because of how mundane and corporate it is, with an example being Hub receiving his demon dossiers through an old-timey fax machine. Even some of the supporting characters kind of outshine the show’s lead, thanks to their seemingly simple treatment of working for the literal devil. A prime example of this is Joline Purdy’s Midge, Hub’s handler, who really should have had more of a presence in the series, particularly after a great episode that delves into her backstory.
‘The Bondsman’s Characters Are a Mixed Bag

Image via Prime Video

The central characters of The Bondsman are about as hit-and-miss as the rudimentary core narrative, with Hub bearing the brunt of that. Bacon is a perfectly enjoyable protagonist to follow — even if his Southern accent does take some getting used to — but his character spends a good much of his time sulking, all while coming to terms with his charge as an undead demon hunter strangely quickly. That said, much like the rest of the show, Hub’s character does become more interesting as the show goes on, as the details of his checkered past start to emerge.
Along with Midge, another rock-solid character can be found in Damon Herriman’s Lucky Callahan, an allegedly reformed mobster who has tried to build a new life for himself, much to Hub’s chagrin. Again, Herriman’s accent (an Italian one) is a bit over the top, but there’s some genuinely creative juxtaposition in his character’s deep-seated rivalry with Hub — even if Callahan also isn’t given enough time to really come into his own.

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That latter statement sadly applies to the rest of the ensemble, including Hub’s other family members, Maryanne (Jennifer Nettles), Kitty, and Cade (Maxwell Jenkins), who all feel like they’re just kind of there and don’t add all that much to the wider story. The show’s main antagonists, the demons, arguably fare the worst. As mentioned earlier, many of them almost feel like an afterthought, and while they each have some simple yet effectively creepy designs, they all leave largely the same impression, and don’t have a lot of depth beyond bloodthirsty monsters.
Despite Its Flaws, ‘The Bondsman’ Does Have Potential for Season 2

Image via Blumhouse

Overall, The Bondsman relies far too much on familiar tropes from similar stories. That said, the series does gain much more momentum in its finale by introducing a genuinely creepy villain with an intriguing backstory and a terrifying method of slaying her victims; it also ends in a way that definitely steers the plot in an intriguing direction. When the show finally starts to stretch out of its comfort zone and begins setting up a horror comedy, it finds its own distinct identity. It’s just unfortunate The Bondsman doesn’t get to that point sooner.
The finale of Blumhouse’s latest horror-comedy is proof that creator Grainger David’s story does have more potential. The Bondsman really is at its best when it follows through on the aspects that make it unique, such as Hell being treated more as a tedious office setting. Should the show be resurrected for a second season, it really should prioritize distinct worldbuilding to make this version of the undead feel more alive than ever before. If it doesn’t, The Bondsman may end up as yet another failed horror comedy that struggled to capitalize on its central concept.
The Bondsman will be available to stream April 3 on Prime Video.

The Bondsman

Blumhouse’s The Bondsman feels far too derivative of other demon-hunting comedies, even if there is a spark of originality buried underneath.

Release Date

April 3, 2025

Network

Prime Video

Pros & Cons

Jolene Purdy and Damon Herrimann portray some great supporting characters.
Kevin Bacon fighting demons is going to have some intrinsic entertainment value.
The finale introduces some promising concepts for a second season.

The series borrows too much from similar stories.
The Bondsman doesn’t focus enough on building its world into something unique.
The show’s demons all feel very similar.