Despite looking like Hellboy by way of Wish or Temu, this film skews far closer to Hellboy comics than previous iterations, with a stronger focus on horrific aspects of this universe. A stripped down budget works in this film’s favor, avoiding bombastic CG extravaganza in favor of more practical effects and a far more grounded tale. The horror itself skews towards old Appalachian folk flavor, and quite a few beats are extremely effective. There’s at least two sequences that could easly be stripped from an Evil Dead film. It is unfortunate this Hellboy skipped theatrical release, as its far better than the last Hellboy outing, even if one still laments never seeing Del Toro complete his Hellboy trilogy. That being said, it is far from a perfect movie, the direction and editing can sometimes baffle, and the story goes all over the place. But if you are a fan of the property, this is as close to the comics as you’re likely to get, and i would gladly watch more films set in this style.
Hellboy: The Crooked Man (2024)