The World’s Greatest Paranormal Investigator Returns in Hellboy: The Crooked Man

There’s a devil down south, and it’s not the one you think. Comic book hero Hellboy (Jack Kesy) returns to the silver screen in the third iteration of this pulpy, supernatural franchise. The Crooked Man sees Big Red stumble into a witch infested town in 1959 Appalachia, putting him on a collision course with the titular Crooked Man (Martin Bassindale), a local devil running a soul collection racket. While the film has an uphill battle thanks to its shoestring budget, The Crooked Man is able to pull off a grounded, spooky adventure that delivers on the scares…or at least tries to.

Historically, Hellboy films have been nightmares to make. Whether it’s hours in the makeup chair or ballooning budgets thanks to puppets and prosthetics, Big Red can’t catch a break. The first two Hellboy films, starring Ron Perlman and directed by Guillermo del Toro, enjoy cult-classic status, but what the audience has in love they lack in numbers. These films have always had a hard time making back their budget, which explains the noticeably cheap feel of The Crooked Man. Previous movies, especially del Toro’s, absolutely spoil the audience with makeup, practical effects, and CG characters, but this film strips down the cast to regular humans besides Hellboy and the Crooked Man himself.

You may have noticed the lack of a domestic theatrical release for this film, or a lack of much marketing at all. Anyone outside of the dedicated fan base probably won’t know about this release. The Crooked Man did score a theatrical release in Australia and the UK, but not at home, instead arriving direct to digital. 

Business Insider confirmed the budget to be $20 million, a staggeringly low number for any modern film, much less a Hellboy flick. For reference, the first Hellboy movie was made for $66 million…in 2004. Nevertheless, treating Hellboy more like a horror franchise and less like a superhero one is definitely the right call. Appealing to the horror crowd, infamous diehards of beloved niche franchises, could be the way to secure a new, committed audience outside of the competitive superhero lane. Original horror films typically have lower budgets thanks to casting new or unknown actors and operating with a smaller scope. Abandoning “Hellboy, the superhero” in favor of “Hellboy, the Horror Icon” allows for smaller movies to be made on a more frequent basis. 

So what about the film itself? Is it any good? The budget has monopolized the discussion, but overall, I really like this. It has a palpable folk horror atmosphere, and while not some spine-tingling scarefest, it’s a solid, spooky romp with impressive effects and sequences for its limited resources. The budget is truly not that big a deal and hardly noticeable outside of some iffy CGI. At its best, the film uses small moments of folk horror to genuinely unsettle the audience. At its worst, it can’t engage the audience with these thin, boring characters. 

Aesthetically, the film pops off with psychedelic dream sequences, stark Dutch angles, zany POV shots, even old-timey title cards referencing the original issues of the comic, and…flat colors and lighting. I struggle to recall any sequences that have any impactful lighting choices. Making the film black and white would honestly create a stronger visual aesthetic. “But Adam!” I hear you saying, “Hellboy is red!” Yes, but not very much in this movie. He’s rocking a tasteful salmon thanks to the terminally dull lighting. 

The story fairs much better. It closely follows the source material, a short story by the same name, with one major change: the inclusion of Hellboy’s partner, Bobbie Jo Song (Adeline Rudolph). Jo, an original character, is clearly based on a comic book character named Kate Corrigan, a paranormal researcher who itches to do field work like Hellboy does, which is basically Jo’s character. I would have preferred just using Kate since they’re so similar, but Jo being Asian-American (while Kate is not) in the post-WWII South is acknowledged in the film, adding some texture to the narrative. I only wish this element was something the film paid more than just one line. Rudolph is able to give Jo some classic “final girl” energy in the closing scenes, but she’s largely underutilized. We know very little about her, even by the movie’s end, since a backstory involving a dead family member is only hinted at visually, leaving us to put things together. Her chemistry with Hellboy is a struggle, but enough to sell their connection. Thankfully, romance was only implied, even played for comedy.

Besides an original opening sequence in which Hellboy and Jo fight a big spider, more than an hour of the film follows the comic beat for beat, sometimes lifting dialogue verbatim. I’m not the biggest fan of the source material, so I enjoyed the film’s embellishments of its admittedly thin plot. One of my favorite sequences was when the demon familiar of local witch Cora Fisher (Hannah Margeton), crawled inside the saggy skin left behind by her mortal body and contorted it back to life. Unfortunately, when the story merely followed the comic’s plot, I was utterly bored. The characters lack the depth to sell the impact of most of the events before the second half. 

In contrast, the comic’s standout character is Tom Ferrel (Jefferson White), a WWII soldier returning home. He has a history of witchcraft and relationships to two other witches, including Cora Fisher and Effie Kolb (Leah McNamara). He brings a down-to-earth, personal perspective to the story. In the film, however, the cast is crowded, so Tom is losing the fight for screen time. 

Everyone here is trying, but the accents are too much. Bless you, Leah McNamara, but you’re at an 11 and I need you at 6. Effie Kolb is the embodiment of temptation, as she was the one who seduced a young Tom Ferrel into witchcraft, performing a ritual that’s had the Crooked Man after him ever since. That being said, McNamara’s performance is over-the-top ridiculous in a way that clashes with the established tone. The film’s impressive wirework allowing the characters to defy gravity is what saves Effie’s dignity. Watching her scuttle up a wall or float into the night were moments of horrific wonder that will stick with me.

The standout performance of the film was Joseph Marcell as Reverend Watts, an old, blind priest that helps Hellboy and friends fight the Crooked Man. Marcell is able to give depth and gravitas to a character that is introduced later into the runtime. He gets some additional scenes that further flesh him out. Watts feels like the missing piece of the puzzle, as after his introduction, the characters really come alive, if only for a scene. 

The Crooked Man himself, Martin Bassindale, is grotesquely captivating. When’s on screen, you can’t look away from his ugliness, and when he’s gone, you’re looking for him in the corners of every shot. In life, he played both sides of the American Civil War, and in death, he continued swindling by taking souls and turning them into coins. In the comic, his end is a sad one, reduced to a parasite-like monster on top of a mound of golden souls. While I find this one more thematically appropriate, his demise in the film comes with Hellboy putting a bullet in his head and a flood of pennies coming out, which I appreciate for the visual alone. What the film’s Crooked Man has over the comic’s is that he makes the conflict personal for Hellboy by playing with his mind.

I was impressed with how the film was able to tie the fact that Hellboy’s mother was a witch into the plot. Sara Hughes (Carola Colombo) has a small but haunting role. She’s trapped in a black void, cursed to burn forever for her sins, but the Crooked Man tries to bargain with Hellboy by offering to save her if he kills Tom Ferrel. The dynamic between Hellboy and Sarah was interesting, but came too late. I needed more of it because otherwise, Hellboy has little to no motivation. That’s a shame, since overall, Jack Kesy nails his version of the character. 

While this iteration leans heavy on the attitude, he feels ripped right off the page. Kesy delivers Hellboy’s wisecracks like he was born to do it. He also nails the character’s angst, being able to catch nuances in interactions with Jo and Sarah. Hellboy also looks his best here, his slim yet powerful physique from the comics perfectly realized. I sincerely hope this team gets another crack at the character. With more money and ambition, they could make something great. 

In the end, the fact that this movie exists is a miracle. I can forgive some wonky CG and a clumsy script if it means that I get to enjoy an actual Hellboy horror movie that sticks the landing. While the film’s success is still in question, I’d love to see Jack Kesy in the role of Hellboy again. It has its problems, but there are worse ways to spend an October night than with The Crooked Man.