Hellboy: The Crooked Man

Set in the 1950s, Hellboy and a rookie BPRD agent find themselves stranded in rural Appalachia. There, they uncover a small community plagued by witches, led by a local devil known as the Crooked Man, who has a disturbing connection to Hellboy’s past.

Hellboy: The Crooked Man Review

Whereas the Guillermo del Toro films suffered a bit from wanting to be the X-Men of the Occult and 2019’s disappointing attempt was a chaotic mess, Hellboy: The Crooked Man manages to be charming (if that’s an appropriate term for a film about demons and witches) despite its many warts.

Unlike previous attempts to bring Big Red to the silver screen, Hellboy: The Crooked Man is a horror film first and an action film very distantly second. Its visuals strongly invoke classic Rami with frenetic monster attacks and undead enemies that rely more on physical performances, practical effects, and melodramatic deliveries than hundred-million-dollar effects to spook the audience. This back-to-basics approach is bolstered by the fact that Hellboy creator Mike Mignola co-wrote the screenplay based on his favorite storyline, and his reverence for the source material is evident, with many of the film’s scenes looking ripped directly out of the comic pages.

However, not everything about Hellboy: The Crooked Man is heavenly. Agent Kinsley, who meets a gruesome end early in the original story, is replaced by a fish-out-of-water research agent on her first field mission, Bobbie Jo Song, played by Adeline Rudolph. Ostensibly, she is intended to become Hellboy’s 1950s love interest, but her character fits as unnaturally into the story as her gender and race do into the era and setting. Her character and arc are virtually nonexistent, and her only meaningful impact is to eat up time that the movie’s 1 hour and 40 minutes doesn’t have to spare.

Likewise, the movie’s contrivances to get Hellboy into position are beyond Tony Stark-discovering-time travel-in-minutes levels of convenience. Worse, they, too, are not needed and consume time that would have been better spent developing Hellboy and the character that was initially his human counterpart in the source material, Tom Ferrell, played in the film by Jefferson White of Yellowstone fame. Instead, most of the movie feels rushed, and there’s insufficient time given for audiences to emotionally bond with anyone on screen, lessening the impact of its handful of action set pieces.

However, the film’s greatest shortcoming is its under usage of the titular character. Except for some trips to the Otherside, Hellboy’s interactions are mostly relegated to the monosyllabic and the occasional grunt, and whether a performance decision made by Jack Kesy, who plays Anung Un Rama (Hellboy’s real name), or that of director Bryan Taylor, The Right Hand of Doom’s demeanor often seems less like indifference than it does low energy.

Yet, despite its inefficient use of time and rather amateurish rush to get the lead characters into place, or a sometimes lethargic and underutilized lead, there’s something about Hellboy: The Crooked Man that is entertaining and presents enough potential that the right team could harness to build a fun and offbeat horror franchise. Fans of classic B horror films will almost certainly enjoy it for its retro style, while fans of the comic will enjoy seeing some of their favorite panels brought to life.

Role Models

Fully Frocked and Ready To Rock

• Despite his handicap and understandable terror, the Reverend leans into his faith as he is tempted and tormented by demons. In the face of pure evil and likely death, he finds time to bolster those in his charge with prayer and by setting a faithful example. He doesn’t hesitate to place himself between the attacking evil and the rest of the cast.

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