PLOT: Hellboy and a rookie B.P.R.D. agent in the 1950s are sent to the Appalachians, where they discover a remote community dominated by witches and led by the sinister local demon, the Crooked Man.
REVIEW: The Hellboy series has struggled ever since its inception. It was never financial dynamite for the studio, despite its clear fanbase. So now filmmakers are taking a different approach. Hellboy: The Crooked Man is much more in line with the graphic novels from Mike Mignola than anything we’ve seen before. He’s more of a paranormal detective with the scope being much more street-level. There are still fantastical creatures to fight, but it’s more location shooting and less crazy action set pieces. This is certainly not the Guillermo Del Toro movies, which went for a more large-scale, fantastical world. And it really worked for me!
Having low expectations can often help a movie out and I’m not sure my expectations could be lower after that first trailer. But the film itself really managed to appeal to the indie horror fan in me. Hellboy: The Crooked Man follows Hellboy and his team from the BRPD as they head to the Appalachians. It’s the 1950’s and they find a community of witches, with the mysterious Crooked Man at the forefront. I think most need to go into this with the proper expectations as this is a slow burn. Unlike the other which go further into the action, this leans heavily on folk horror. I watch a lot of indie horror, so I felt properly prepared for the structure at play. But those expecting large action beats and jokes will be disappointed.
Jack Kesy is pretty good as Hellboy. He has that trademark sardonic dry wit and annoyance with the world around him. Unlike the trailers that had a fanfilm look to them, he fits in well with the world here. The makeup grew on me, mostly because his performance just nails the Hellboy spirit. Most of the other characters are pretty bland, with no one really getting a chance to stand out. They are simply pawns in the story between Hellboy and the Crooked Man. A little more characterization would have gone a long way. I couldn’t tell you the name of anyone outside of our hero and villain. I definitely was missing Abe Sapien and Liz.
The Crooked Man takes advantage of the gothic horror aesthetic, complete with large spiders, decrepit buildings, and cemeteries. There are some really cool gags like a witch returning to her body and repopulating her skin, all in-camera. The CGI certainly isn’t Hollywood blockbuster level but it’s completely competent. There are some larger-than-life visuals and mostly shoots around its limitations. The filmmakers do a good job of setting up the Crooked Man as a force to be reckoned with. His presence is felt long before he appears on camera. He’s framed by other characters as evil incarnate and he’s properly creepy. Once we meet him, he falls into more generic territory.
When I think of writer/director Brian Taylor, I think of the high-octane action of the Crank franchise or the utter insanity of Mom and Dad. But he dials things back here, focusing on interesting shots that feel straight out of a comic panel. And despite the low budget, the sets never feel cheap. Everything feels very old and lived in. I was constantly impressed with the beautifully creepy visuals on display. The R Rating is pretty well utilized with some eye gouges, squished heads, and some swear words. But I definitely could have used more.
To be sure, The Crooked Man is going to have a steep hill to climb with general audiences. This is a very different style than the one fans of the Del Toro films will be used to. While it doesn’t entirely come together with some shoddy acting and some cringy dialogue, the gothic horror and atmosphere is fantastic. Despite the simple story, I really enjoyed my time with this. I think you have to go into it with the right mindset because this is very much an indie horror film and not an action blockbuster. Watching it overwhelmed me with the same sense of dread I had when reading the graphic novels. I really appreciated the low-budget approach and think they stretched the dollar well. While I doubt we’ll see more, I’m appreciative that we finally got this version of the character on the screen.
HELLBOY: THE CROOKED MAN IS AVAILABLE TO RENT/BUY DIGITALLY NOW.