Hellboy: The Crooked Man

"Something crooked this way comes."

2024 1h 40m EN

😐

5.1

MID

★5.1TMDB · 608

FantasyHorrorAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Hellboy and a rookie BPRD agent get stranded in 1950s rural Appalachia. There, they discover a small community haunted by witches, led by a local devil with a troubling connection to Hellboy's past: the Crooked Man.

“Something crooked this way comes.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Cast

Jack Kesy
Hellboy
Jefferson White
Tom Ferrell
Adeline Rudolph
Bobbie Jo Song
Leah McNamara
Effie Kolb
Hannah Margetson
Cora Fisher
Martin Bassindale
The Crooked Man
Joseph Marcell
Reverend Watts
Suzanne Bertish
Grammy Oakum

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Brian Taylor
Writers: Christopher Golden, Mike Mignola, Brian Taylor
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America, Germany, Bulgaria

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 10% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 2 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: United States of America, Germany, Bulgaria.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Brian Taylor, shot by Ivan Vatsov. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Sven Faulconer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ryan Denmark shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jack Kesy and Jefferson White and Adeline Rudolph carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Something crooked this way comes.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Brian Taylor directs. Ivan Vatsov behind the camera. Sven Faulconer scores. Ryan Denmark cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America, Germany, Bulgaria. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 10% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 2 years ago.
3International production across 3 countries: United States of America, Germany, Bulgaria.
4Directed by Brian Taylor, shot by Ivan Vatsov. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Sven Faulconer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Ryan Denmark shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jack Kesy and Jefferson White and Adeline Rudolph carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Something crooked this way comes.".
9IMDB entry: tt26757462 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Released under 11 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Ivan Vatsov
Original score: Sven Faulconer
Editing: Ryan Denmark
Production design: Orlin Grozdanov
Costume design: Irina Kotcheva
Makeup / hair: Daniela Avramova
Stunt coordinator: Markos Rounthwaite
Runtime: 100 min · 1h 40m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $20,000,000
Box office: $2,014,050
Return: 10% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Hellboy: The Crooked Man (2024)

Also by

Brian Taylor

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-10-05
★ 5/10
This film has an unique place in my cinema viewing history. It's the only series I've ever seen on a big screen where I've been the only person in the auditorium for each one. This latest episode sees the eponymous devil (Jack Kesy) escorting a lethal spider on a train with aspiring para-psychologist "Bobbie Joe" (Adeline Rudolph) when an accident sees them deposited into the middle of the Appalachian forest. Here they encounter long-since abandoned coal mines and an equally out-of-touch community that smacks a great deal of "The Deliverance" (1972). With little sign of their spider, they encounter the returning local lad "Tom" (Jefferson White) and are quickly helping him repatriate his dad to the cemetery and keep his ex-girlfriend/local witch "Effie" (Leah McNamara) out of the hands of the real devil. It's dark and misty settings do go some way to creating a slight sense of mystical peril, but the rest of this is badly acted and written with zero originality and few opportunities for action or humour. Kesy seems content to take his fee for wandering around wagging his pointy red tail and smoking whilst the director Brian Taylor uses plenty of tried and tested cinematic techniques to try and breathe some life (or death) into this derivative drudge of a film. I kept thinking he's got a pair of goggles on his head - but them's what used to be his horns. Like his horns, whatever made this work first time round has long gone and I can't say I'd even bother with this on a streaming service on a wet Wednesday in February. No more, please.
MovieGuys2024-10-11
★ 4/10
I didn't think it was possible to make Hellboy boring but as has often been the case with cinema in recent years, I was wrong, very wrong. Whilst this film starts off well, with typical Hellboy style action involving a train and a giant spider, it doesn't take long before it devolve's into a languid affair. The atmosphere and handling is reminiscent of Tim Burton's work but that's where the similarities end. The script lacks pace, momentum and the frenetic, supernatural action, which has come to characterise the Hellboy franchise. Even the climax to this film felt inconsequential. In summary, decent cinematic's, combined with sound acting can't fix the marked absence of the horror action elements viewers have come to expect from the Hellboy franchise.