With moody sayings, partly breathtaking effects as well as the rustic charm by Ron Perlman, Guillermo del Toro from Mike Mignola's actually emphasized cultural busters formed: After “Hellboy” (2004) and “Hellboy-the Golden Army” (2008), the later Oscar clearer (“Shape of Water”) Even a third part in mind, which then failed due to excessive costs. Instead, “Doomsday” director Neil Marshall delivered a restart a few years later with the much more cost-effective “Hellboy-Call of Darkness”, which, with a stronger focus on horror elements, approached the template more in terms of content, but still largely passed through the audience and criticism.
The new reboot “Hellboy: The Crooked Man” is based on the comic story of the same name, which was first published in 2008, which Mike Mignola and his “Dark Horse” publisher Christopher Golden himself processed rather into a script. The “Hellboy” creator in Instagram posts was also extremely satisfied with the recordings that were sent to him every day. Nevertheless, the result is polarizing-and this is also due to the visual overdrive of “Crank” director Brian Taylor: While (hardcore) fans of the comics will be happy at least about the extremely dark tone, average viewers should quickly lose their lust on the over-turned horror spectacle with a very thinly advised plot.
After Ron Perlman and David Harbor, Jack Kesy has already been the third “Hellboy” actor in the past 20 years.
1959: Hellboy (Jack Kesy) and his inexperienced BPRD colleague Bobbie Jo Song (Adeline Rudolph) are intended to convert an extremely versatile spider that extends into a mysterious forest in the appalaches. In search of the mutating animal, the duo gets acquainted with the residents of a village who have to defend themselves again and again against witches. The demon of the almost 200 year old Jeremiah Witkins (Martin Bassindale), called “The Crooked Man”, is also targeting her because he needs more souls to finally find peace …
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With just $ 20 million, the “Hellboy: The Crooked Man”, which was completely turned in Bulgaria, was only available in comparison to its predecessors, which shimmers through again and again, especially with the cheap-looking costumes of the title hero and the less recurring sets. The bluish-gray, overloaded booth magic scenes in a lovelessly furnished, dimly illuminated house comes to light particularly striking, where in every room with too predictable Hui-Buh-Jumpscares tension is to be created.
It is even more cheaper to get outside: Hellboy, Bobbie Jo Song and Tom trudge barren through the dark forest and are now and then confronted with witches or demons – but even these skirmishes do not get the tough narrative. The repeated inserts of slate strings than supposedly atmospheric music backgrounds also use quickly.
“Hellboy: The Crooked Man” is crammed with nightmarish horror pushing.
At least Brian Taylor at “Hellboy: The Crooked Man” relies entirely on practical effects, whereby he gives his visual ingenuity – as usual from his films, which was staged together with Mark Neveline such as “Ghost Rider 2” or “Gamer”. Then the improvised title lettering in blood-red letters in the style of a retro slasher appears suddenly, a trickiest train ride gets too cartoon-like, annoying blurring in the picture involuntarily reach for the glasses cleaning cloth.
The mix of fantasy action and creep is also overloaded with dim horror visions and nightmare sequences (such as a huge crow and Hellboys) unless a-completely unnecessary-meta scene for the recipe for the production of witch balls. All of the fibers of the only vague, wafer -thin plot more and more fibers until at some point the overview and interest in the dark spook is completely lost. It is significant that Jack Kesy (“The Pickup”), as a chain, then rather dutifully grows a few snotty sayings and otherwise trudges rather resigningly through the nebulous hustle and bustle.
Conclusion: faithful? Might be. In the increasingly incoherent unit of sometimes nicely stylized nightmare scenes and horror visions in “Hellboy: The Crooked Man”, however, the overview and unfortunately also the fun.