AKAPAD The Film Buff dives back into the Hellboy fray with his take on the character’s latest cinematic outing, Hellboy: The Crooked Man (2024). This $20 million gem looks and feels like it was torn straight from the comic page, drenched in gritty folk-horror vibes. But here’s the head-scratcher: despite all its strengths, this flick got the cold shoulder from every tier of fan you’d expect to champion it. Time to dissect why the faithful adaptation, killer practical effects, and Jack Kesy’s brooding Big Red failed to ignite the passion this movie deserved.
Those who brought you Hellboy the Crooked Man
Cast
Jack Kesy - Hellboy
Jefferson White - Tom Ferrell
Adeline Rudolph - Bobbie Jo Song
Leah McNamara - Effie Kolb
Joseph Marcell - Reverend Watts
Hannah Margetson - Cora Fisher
Martin Bassindale - The Crooked Man
Nathan Cooper - Farmhand
Carola Colombo - Old Woman
Suzanne Bertish - Grammy Oaku
Crew
Director - Brian Taylor
Writers - Brian Taylor, Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden
Producers - Mike Richardson, Jeffrey Greenstein, Jonathan Yunger, Les Weldon, Rob Van Norden, Yariv Lerner, Sam Schulte
Executive Producers - Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson, Tanner Mobley, Lati Grobman, Christa Campbell, Mike Mignola, Michael Mullner, Julia Muentefering, Victor Hadida, Cristina Serafini, Gareth West, Artur Galstian, Vahan Yepremyan
Cinematographer - Ivan Vatsov
Editor - Ryan Denmark
Composer - Sven Faulconer
Production Companies - Millennium Media, Dark Horse Entertainment, Nu Boyana Film Studios, Campbell Grobman Films
Distributor - Ketchup Entertainment
More about Hellboy The Crooked Man
Alright, True Believers, let’s dive into Hellboy: The Crooked Man (2024), the latest gritty reboot of our favorite cigar-chomping demon! This flick, helmed by Brian Taylor, drags Big Red (Jack Kesy) and rookie B.P.R.D. agent Bobbie Jo Song (Adeline Rudolph) into the eerie backwoods of 1950s Appalachia. They’re up against a coven of witches and the sinister Crooked Man (Martin Bassindale), a devilish creep tied to Hellboy’s past. Think folk horror meets paranormal detective vibes—less blockbuster bombast, more low-budget chills. Co-written by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, it’s a faithful stab at his 2008 comic, with practical effects that’d make Sam Raimi nod approvingly.
Box office? Well, brace yourselves, Wiz fans—this one didn’t exactly set the world ablaze. Skipping U.S. theaters for a direct-to-VOD drop on October 8, 2024, it scraped together a measly $2 million internationally. With a rumored budget “way under $20 million,” it might’ve turned a profit via digital and streaming, but don’t expect it to topple Hellboy II: The Golden Army’s $160 million haul. A cult classic in the making? Maybe. A cash cow? Not a chance. Excelsior!
