Mike Mignola’s Hellboy stories have an odd legacy in the comic book movie boom. Guillermo Del Toro’s brace of 2000s adaptations, starring Ron Perlman as a monster-busting demon, were cult favourites but never quite blockbuster material. A 2019 reboot starring Stranger Things’ David Harbour was a notorious flop; now the creator of the comics wants to go back to basics for another reinvention.
Co-written by Mignola himself, Hellboy: The Crooked Man is based on the comic book series of the same name and shifts to a folk horror setting. Jack Kesy plays the title character, a younger version of Hellboy travelling across the US in the late 1950s alongside newbie BPRD (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense) agent Bobbie Jo Song (Adeline Rudolph). While passing rural Appalachia, their train is derailed by a malevolent spirit that leads them to a small town terrorised by a demon named The Crooked Man.
Tonally, the film couldn’t be further from the Del Toro movies. There are fewer cartoonish jokes, and the Mexican director’s dark fairytale aesthetic is substituted for gritty American wilderness. There’s also far more body horror and gore, with guts spilled and eyes pecked out by demonic crows. Comic book purists will tell you this is closer to Mignola’s original stories but it’ll be a steep curve for those who only know the big screen versions. Nevertheless, it’s a chance to see a comic book movie without the Hollywood bloat.
If you’re exhausted by everything that comes with a Marvel or DC film – endless lore, sequel plugs, oversaturated CGI – then this lo-fi spooky tale will be a breath of fresh air. There are no outlandish action sequences, no secret societies. It’s just Hellboy and his rookie partner investigating a witchy mystery. It’s similar in tone to an episode of The X-Files, with Kesy’s world-weary demon quipping his way to the heart of the supernatural. The Southern fried mysticism isn’t particularly subtle, and some of the effects can be a little wobbly given the movie’s small budget. But at just over ninety minutes the creepy vibe and bone-dry humour make it a lot of fun.
Perlman’s performances as Hellboy are considered definitive by fans, but the Deadpool 2 actor Kesy puts his own spin on it. His version is more serious, but not above some deadpan humour. Seeing him deliver lines like “I AM the Heebie-Jeebies” with a straight face brings some chuckles in between the fights with beasties and ghouls. There’s also delightfully over the top support from Joseph Marcell, aka Jeffrey from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, as a blind priest who assists the group.
In a genre where every film has to be an event, The Crooked Man’s modest approach proves there is something new to be found in comic book movies if you take enough chances. It won’t be for everyone, but Mignola has finally seen his character brought to the big screen in the way he intended.