5 Kevin Bacon Horror Films To Watch After ‘The Bondsman’
Kevin Bacon is back in a new horror TV show called The Bondsman on Prime Video. So, all is right with the (genre) world. The Blumhouse series premiered last week and left weirdos like me trying to recall all of the horror movies Bacon has appeared in during his long career. While many people like to think they first met him as the cool cat in Footloose, the Baconmaster General has been a genre staple for longer than I have been alive. Sure, he will occasionally do an upsetting drama like Sleepers and remind us the scariest monsters are human. However, the decorated horror veteran has unforgettable genre titles under his belt, like Hollow Man, Flatliners, Wild Things, Space Oddity, and Where the Truth Lies.
This is why I volunteered as tribute to write a streaming guide of Kevin Bacon’s horror roles. I am yelling “Let’s hear it for the boy” (who has been a grown man for a while now) and watching some truly wild, chaotic, and deadly cinema. Maybe some of you will find a film you haven’t seen yet. However, I bet many of you could use this as an excuse to revisit some of the best stops on his long genre resume. Wherever you fall, I am happy to have you aboard the S.S. Bacon.
Here are the five Bacon bits I think you should check out.
The Demon Murder Case (dir. William Hale)
Where You Can Watch: Youtube
A young man commits murder and blames it on demonic possession. Did you know Kevin Bacon was in a 1983 made-for-TV horror movie with Andy Griffith? Did you know Griffith was playing a loose version of Ed Warren in this film that came out decades before The Conjuring Universe tackled this tale? Well, I did! I finally watched it in all its grainy glory on YouTube because this title is hard to find. Captain Bacon does not get enough screen time for my liking. I also do not think we spend enough time on demonic activity. However, I will watch this again because I love 1980s special effects in made-for-TV films with all my heart. If you want to see more of Bacon from this era, check this out ASAP. I might make it a double feature and watch it alongside The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It because I am an agent of chaos.
Friday the 13th (dir. Sean S. Cunningham)
Where You Can Watch: Pluto TV
Teen camp counselors set out to reopen Camp Crystal Lake and find themselves terrorized by a mysterious killer. Kevin Bacon’s horror tenure has seen him turn up at the start of a few horror franchises. Including being on the scene of Mrs. Voorhees’ killing spree, which is the reason most of us will never go camping. This time, he plays Jack, the camp counselor who dared to get laid and smoke a joint in an 80s slasher. If you think about it, he was practically campaigning to be murdered. We all remember the cutie getting stabbed in the neck as one of the most memorable deaths of the film. Jack may not have been here for a long time, but he was here for a fun time, to say the least.
Stir Of Echoes (dir. David Koepp)
Where You Can Watch: Plex
Stir Of Echoes is my favorite Kevin Bacon movie thus far. I rented it on pay-per-view with my allowance as a kid, and I was shaken. Living in my second haunted house as a child was bad enough. However, seeing the Baconator play Tom in this haunted nightmare made it much worse. Tom’s switch gets flipped, causing him to have visions of a missing girl who is trying to reach him from the afterlife. He sets out to find her body, and when he does find her, it will leave you with a couple of new irrational fears. I am slightly afraid of houses, basements, and walls. So, it is a good thing I am a millennial and will never be able to afford a home. Stir Of Echoes is that girl, and I’ve lost count of how many times I have rewatched this unsettling gem.
Tremors (dir. Ron Underwood)
Where You Can Watch: VOD
A small band of people must defend their town from enormous critters with a huge appetite. Kevin Bacon, as Valentine McKee, made giant worms an event. Sure, this cast includes Reba McEntire, Michael Gross, and Fred Ward. Obviously, it is one of the best B-movies of the 90s. However, as a child, I saw General Bacon in a cowboy hat and knew I was experiencing cinema. I am happy that as an adult, I am discovering other people love this movie too. Tremors is a good time and always worth the rental price. It has just enough monster chaos, humor, and Bacon time to continue owning a small piece of my heart.
You Should Have Left (dir. David Koepp)
Where You Can Watch: Peacock
An American couple escapes to the Welsh countryside with their daughter for a vacation. However, something sinister lurks inside their rental home, forcing them to confront who they really are. I was excited to see Kevin Bacon and David Koepp team up again because I am a Stir Of Echoes stan account. Bacon plays Theo, and it’s a joy to watch him act opposite Amanda Seyfried as Susanna. They’re a married couple lying to each other, and it is a beautiful mess. As the plot picks up speed and pulls the rug from underneath us, it becomes a battle between Bacon and the house that wants to claim his family. It feels akin to a 90s-era thriller and simultaneously a more modern haunted house tale. Almost like Tales From The Crypt presents The Outer Limits set today. While it’s not my favorite movie on this list, it’s not the worst way to spend an afternoon.
The Bondsman is now streaming on Prime Video.
Are you also going down a Kevin Bacon rabbit hole? Then find me on Bluesky and tell me your favorite Bacon-infused horror movie.
Categorized:Editorials Streaming Guides
