There might come a point when filmmakers will need to give up on Hellboy. What works on the pages of a comic doesn’t always triumph on the screen, and though Guillermo del Toro’s films found an audience, the pictures that followed have been decidedly uneven.
This moody, misshapen reboot means well, but is plagued with problems, chief among them a clumsy, incoherent screenplay.
Directed by Brian Taylor, and co-written by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, Hellboy: The Crooked Man doesn’t mess about. Jack Kesy is the titular red demon, assigned to investigate all things paranormal; Adeline Rudolph is his rookie human partner.
Our shadowy heroes are transporting a spider across 1950s America when suddenly they become entangled in an Appalachian nightmare involving cackling witches (our own Leah McNamara) and tricksy devil men.
Hardcore Hellboy enthusiasts will probably find something to like about Taylor’s yappy, ear-splitting folk horror.
But it’s a poor film, flavourless and confusing, and I spent most of the time trying to figure out what was happening. Not good enough.
Two stars