Hellboy Finally Goes Full Horror In ‘The Crooked Man’ Trailer

Hellboy got his first movie in 2004 — before Iron Man, Doctor Strange, or Green Lantern, or got their first movies. A sequel followed in 2008, and then a reboot came in 2019. All of these movies were in the general shape of big blockbuster-y movies. But the Hellboy comics, created by Mike Mignola, are often way darker and spookier, and way closer to straight-up horror stories than more traditional superhero tales.

Apparently the new Hellboy movie will change that. Dubbed Hellboy: The Crooked Man, it’s inspired by one of Mignola’s Hellboy series and Mignola himself co-wrote the screenplay. (At Comic-Con, he called it the “actual first horror film” in the franchise.) It was directed by Brian Taylor, director of the underrated Nicolas Cage movie Mom and Dad, and one-half of the Neveldine/Taylor duo who made Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance and the amazing Crank films. His Hellboy is played by Jack Kesy, from The Strain and Claws. He takes over the role from Ron Perlman and David Harbour.

The first trailer for The Crooked Man debuted during Comic-Con and it definitely looks a lot darker (and also a lot smaller in scope) than the previous three Hellboy movies. Take a look for yourself below:

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Here is the new Hellboy’s official synopsis:

From the visionary director, writer, and producer Brian Taylor (Crank, Happy!), this film brings a chilling tale of survival against the forces of darkness. Set in the 1950s, rookie BPRD agent Bobbie Jo Song finds herself in a dire situation when tasked with delivering a spider to the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. She must enlist the help of Hellboy to confront the malevolent Crooked Man, who has returned to Earth to harvest souls for the devil.

Hellboy: The Crooked Man is scheduled to open in theaters in the fall of 2024.