What’s It About
Introduce parapsychologist Bobbie Jo Song, who is tasked with delivering a spider to the BPRD but must seek Hellboy’s help when things go awry. Together, they travel to Appalachia to take on the Crooked Man, who has been sent back to Earth to collect souls for the devil.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
As a longtime follower of the Hellboy franchise, I approached this latest incarnation with cautious optimism. After all, we’ve been down this road before with varying degrees of success. This new Hellboy film, directed by Brian Taylor of “Crank” fame, finds itself occupying an awkward middle ground in the franchise’s cinematic history—it’s certainly a step up from the disastrous 2019 David Harbour reboot (which even its own director, Neil Marshall, has publicly distanced himself from), but it falls dramatically short of the magic Guillermo del Toro and Ron Perlman conjured in the original films. Working with a comparatively modest $20 million budget—pocket change by modern superhero movie standards—Taylor delivers what amounts to a glorified television episode rather than a cinematic experience worthy of the character’s rich mythology. The financial constraints are immediately apparent in almost every frame, giving the entire production a distinctly B-movie quality that might have been charming if the execution were more inspired. Jack Kesy steps into the title role this time around, the third actor to don the filed-down horns and Right Hand of Doom. While he makes a decent effort, Kesy simply lacks the gravitas and sardonic charm that made Perlman’s interpretation so definitive. The makeup effects similarly suffer from the budget limitations—this is, without question, the least impressive visual rendering of the character we’ve seen on the big screen. The prosthetics look stiff and occasionally awkward, particularly in profile shots where the seams of the application become distractingly visible. Set in 1959, the narrative follows Hellboy as he’s paired with rookie agent Bobbie Jo (Adeline Rudolph) on what should be a routine mission through the backwoods of Appalachia. The film opens with a genuinely entertaining sequence featuring our demonic hero battling an oversized arachnid aboard a moving train—a set piece that, unfortunately, establishes expectations the rest of the movie never comes close to meeting. After this promising start, the train derails (both literally and figuratively), leaving our protagonists stranded in the dense forest. What follows is essentially a slow-burn folk horror tale as Hellboy and Bobbie Jo encounter Tom (Jefferson White), a recently returned veteran with connections to the area’s dark history. Tom reluctantly agrees to guide them through the woods as they investigate local witchcraft and eventually confront the Crooked Man himself (Martin Bassindale), a sinister collector of souls working on Satan’s behalf. For those of us who grew up with practical effects and appreciate their tangible quality, there are moments where the film’s old-school approach to creature design proves effective. However, these brief highlights can’t compensate for the unconvincing Bulgarian forest locations that poorly substitute for 1950s Appalachia. The setting never feels authentic, with landscape features and vegetation that are jarringly inappropriate for the region and era. Mike Mignola, Hellboy’s creator and comic book visionary, shares screenplay credit with Taylor and Christopher Golden, which explains the film’s slavish adherence to the source material. The script follows Mignola’s acclaimed 2008 “The Crooked Man” comic book arc almost panel for panel, with only minor additions like the train sequence and Bobbie Jo’s character. Normally, such fidelity would be commendable, but paradoxically, this faithful adaptation fails to capture what made the original comic so compelling. The pace drags interminably, with characters meandering through virtually identical woodland settings while occasionally encountering supernatural elements that never build to a satisfying crescendo. For those of us who remember when horror movies took their time to develop atmosphere, there’s something almost nostalgic about this approach. However, even the most patient viewers will find themselves checking their watches as the film struggles to maintain tension or interest between its sparse horror sequences. The action, so integral to Hellboy’s appeal, is virtually non-existent after the opening sequence, making the 90-minute runtime feel like an endurance test rather than an entertainment experience. The character dynamics, which should be the emotional anchor in such a dialogue-heavy film, never quite coalesce. Bobbie Jo’s sole existence is as a witness to events for the film; she hasn’t been created as one who really takes part in any sense. Always within sight, then, she is permitted to ask a question or two, but beyond that, she has no real meaning. Tom, ostensibly our window into the local community, remains equally underdeveloped, with Jefferson White unable to elevate the thinly written role beyond basic tour guide functionality. Even the antagonists suffer from insufficient development. The Crooked Man himself, despite an effectively creepy design, never emerges as a truly formidable threat. His enforcer, Effie (Leah McNamara), offers some mild intimidation but ultimately feels like a standard-issue henchwoman rather than a memorable villain. A few elements do manage to break through this general mediocrity. The film attempts to explore Hellboy’s complex relationship with his demonic origins, particularly regarding the mother who abandoned him. These moments hint at a deeper character study that might have elevated the material had they been given more room to breathe. Joseph Marcell brings welcome gravitas to his role as Reverend Watts, a blind clergyman who provides both spiritual insight and practical assistance in the form of a blessed shovel—easily the film’s most inspired weapon. What’s particularly disappointing is Taylor’s restrained direction. Known for kinetic, over-the-top action films he seemingly abandons his signature style in favor of a plodding pace that never generates sufficient momentum. The film employs abundant darkness—partially for atmosphere, partially to obscure budget limitations—but fails to create the haunted house experience it’s clearly aiming for. For those of us who’ve followed Hellboy through various iterations—from the groundbreaking comics to del Toro’s visually sumptuous adaptations—this low-budget approach feels like a regression rather than a fresh start. The character has always struggled to find mainstream acceptance despite a devoted cult following, but this latest attempt does little to expand his appeal beyond existing fans. If future installments continue this approach, they’ll require significantly stronger ideas and at least moderately increased funding to capture what makes the character special. Current trends favor the production of cheap, quickly adapted stories that may seem financially wise; however, this trend also diminishes any potential value that might have turned the Hellboy franchise around because an adaptation without visual flare or any of the other personal touches would be so far from the ideal Hellboy. As someone who remembers when comic book adaptations were rare special events rather than monthly occurrences, it’s particularly dispiriting to see such a uniquely weird and wonderful character reduced to this level of mediocrity. “Hellboy: The Crooked Man” ultimately feels less like a genuine attempt to reinvigorate the franchise and more like a contractual obligation to keep the intellectual property active—a cinematic placeholder rather than a passion project. For completists and die-hard Hellboy enthusiasts, there might be just enough here to justify a rental, but casual viewers would be better served revisiting del Toro’s original films or, better yet, diving into Mignola’s exceptional comic books. Sometimes, the page is simply better than the screen.
OUR RATING – A REGRETTABLE 4