Hellboy: The Crooked Man aims to reinvent Hellboy’s cinematic presence with a fascinating new approach, opening up a host of possibilities for future Hellboy adaptations. Hellboy’s last cinematic appearance was in the 2019 David Harbor Star Vehicle, which suffered from a relatively poor critical reception. The release of the upcoming Hellboy: The Crooked Man Trailer seems to take the franchise in a new direction, focusing on a stand-alone horror story that happens with Hellboy.
Hellboy: The Crooked Man will be based on the comic of the same name, a short story by series creator Mike Mignola that sees Hellboy join a rookie BRPD agent in the mountains of Appalachia to fight a deadly coven of witches led by a mysterious demon. Despite a divisive fan reaction to initial previews, Hellboy: The Crooked Man Has the potential to be better than 2019 Hellboy. If this shorter, self-contained story is any indication of where future movies are headed, Mignola’s other quiet horror stories featuring Hellboy as a paranormal investigator first, world-ending demon second may be next.
10
Hellboy: Box full of evil
A capricious buddy cop horror investigation
Since Hellboy: The Crooked Man Promising to focus on Big Red himself, with no mention of his traditional supporting cast in sight, the first sequel could be a great place to introduce beloved fish man Abe Sapien, who almost got his own spin-off. No story provides a better introduction to it, which is still largely rooted in Hellboy’s more serialized plot elements than the two-part miniseries. Hellboy: Box full of evil. Here, Hellboy and Abe Sapien team up to investigate a mysterious break-in at an old English manor.
The BRPD duo get more than they bargained for when the stolen object turns out to be an iron box containing an evil demon, who quickly sets his sights on Hellboy. Hellboy: Box full of evil It could be a great place to start slowly introducing the heavier lore elements of Hellboy’s backstory, while largely remaining a fun buddy-buddy horror adventure featuring the two leading Inhuman investigators. The infamous series of panels in which a demonic monkey wields a gun against the protagonists would be pure gold to see filmed in live-action.
9
The third wish
An atmospheric undersea escape movie
After the harrowing events of overcomes worm, Hellboy leaves the BRPD, heading to Africa to find himself. It’s not long before he’s drawn into more supernatural adventures while all alone, including a harrowing encounter with the mermaid hag, the Bog Roosh, one of the most powerful witches of the Hellboy mythos. Trapped under the ocean, Hellboy has to survive the undersea ordeal by the grace of a sympathetic mermaid.
The third wish is admittedly quite an esoteric adventure, but Mike Mignola’s incredible art is a fantastic idea board for filmmakers to create some hauntingly beautiful scenery and special effects. The Bog Rush herself has the potential to be quite the visually intimidating horror movie villain, made all the more chilling by the revelation that her motivations for killing Hellboy are actually somewhat understandable. In the end, a film adaptation of this story could tease out the true nature of Jack Kesy’s Hellboy while demonstrating his honest qualities through his interactions with the young mermaid who saves him.
8
The troll-witch / The Baba Yaga
An exciting continuation of the Crooked Man’s folk horror terror
Originally releasing as part of a horror anthology series, The Dark Horse Book of Witchcraft, The troll-witch Might be the perfect folk horror sequel to Hellboy: The Crooked Man. Set as a prequel, The troll-witch Plays with Hellboy’s long life, taking place in 1963 when he was still a fresh demonic detective, investigating a series of brutal killings in Norway. These events lead to his confrontation with the titular troll-witch, who sends him one way to confront Baba Yaga for the first time in the following story, The Baba Yaga.
A movie adaptation that begins with The troll-witch and enter The Baba Yaga would be a great two-part descent into the horror of European folklore from Hellboy’s perspective. While the 2019 movie quickly included Baba Yaga in its overstuffed plot that drew inspiration from too many different comics, a more concentrated effort to show Baba Yaga as the terrifying Hellboy villain she’s meant to be would be a welcome refresh. . It’s all the better that such a film would be a thematically appropriate follow-up to the folk horror leanings of Hellboy: The Crooked Man.
7
Hellboy in Mexico
Could remake From Dusk Till Dawn with Hellboy
Another one of the many stories of 2019 Hellboy Caught loose inspiration in his buffet of ideas, Hellboy in Mexico is one of the best standalone Hellboy comics around. Another one-off investigation took place in the past, hellboy in mexico, Also marketed as a drunken mess, Shows Hellboy’s adventures in the 50s, describing exactly what the title promises. Hellboy joins forces with a trio of luchador triplets in their quest to rid the Mexican countryside of a nasty vampire infestation. Things get complicated when one of the brothers is kidnapped by the undead creatures, turning into a vampire himself.
This incredible book is an obvious setup for a Hellboy version of the From dusk till dawn Movies that also have vampire battles with found family under the blazing Mexican sun. The tragic moment Hellboy has to drive a stake through the heart of the turned Luchador Camazotz in the ruined Mayan temple has the potential to be the emotional dagger that drives home the horror of the unholy creatures. With a wide range of monsters and an eccentric cast of Mexican wrestlers, Hellboy in Mexico Could be the Aliens to Hellboy: The Crooked Mans Alien.
6
The Phantom Hand / The Kelpie
A spooky double feature that could introduce Trevor Bruttenholm
Both The Phantom Hand And The calf are one-off short horror stories featuring Hellboy released together in a single comic. The two naturally run into each other, and could make a chilling double feature to chase the success of Hellboy: The Crooked Man. The Phantom HandAppropriately enough, Hellboy and his adoptive father, Trevor Bruttenholm, travel to England to investigate a supposedly haunted house whose inhabitants claim to be terrorized by the disembodied hand of an old serial killer.
after that, The calf is a similarly straightforward story that sees Hellboy do battle with the titular folk monster, a creepy undead horse that lures riders into an early watery pit. With a little workshopping, the plots of both stories could easily be married into a single, elegant horror story along the lines of a modern haunted house thriller. These stories may also serve to introduce the new version of Trevor Bruttenholm, an important character and influential figure in Hellboy’s life who is nowhere to be seen in Hellboy: The Crooked Man.
5
The Wolves of Saint Augustus
A twisted tale of lycanthropy fit for a darker Hellboy
As fun as tales of vampire-fighting Mexican wrestlers and devious mermaid witches are, a simple werewolf story could be the perfect return to the more tour-looking world of Hellboy: The Crooked Man. The Wolves of Saint Augustus Feels like a very natural comic to adapt next. Originally released as a four-part miniseries, The Wolves of Saint Augustus Details Hellboy’s investigation into the sudden disappearance of the titular city, with droves of citizens suddenly seemingly being killed by wild animals. It’s not long before Hellboy is facing down an ancient werewolf curse on the desolate lands.
There aren’t enough werewolf horror movies, and an adaptation of The Wolves of Saint Augustus Could kill two birds with one stone by pitting the right hand of doom against some ferocious-looking lycanthropes. The film may also touch on the founding important characters to the BRPD mythos who may appear again later, such as Dr. Kate Corrigan and Dr. Izar Hoffman. The Wolves of Saint Augustus is also one of the most critically-charged Hellboy stories out there, making it good fodder for a cinematic interpretation.
4
Long night at Goloski station
A chilling flash story perfect for a one-off film
If Flash horror stories are to be Hellboy’s cinematic niche going forward, one can look no further than that Long night at Goloski station. The short story, which took place in the span of one night, sees Hellboy stranded in a lonely Russian train station. What should be a quiet, uneventful night soon becomes an all-out war for survival when Hellboy and his new Russian friends are set upon by three evil invaders.
Long night at Goloski station has the passing of a west, with the winter isolation and tragic dog death of John Carpenter’s The thing. The quiet moments allow the story room to breathe as the slow burning horror of its horror slowly sets in, making for an unforgettable debut from artist Matt Smith. Admittedly, the comic makes some offhand references to previous Hellboy stories, but for the most part, Long night at Golosky station Could easily work on its own as a stand alone scary movie that just so happens to have taut Hellboy as its protagonist.
3
Conqueror worm
A mind-melting tale of Lovecraftian horror
admit, Conqueror worm is a fairly important and involved comic story that has some earth-shattering implications for Hellboy going forward in the series. However, the potency the story promises as a self-contained cosmic horror movie with just a few simple edits is too delicious to ignore. The book revolves around Hellboy being sent to investigate an eerily abandoned Nazi castle that seems connected to some disturbing astrological phenomena. It wasn’t long before Hellboy realized he was being set up, with his German guide Laura, who was the granddaughter of a Nazi supervillain looking to challenge a Lovecraftian entity.
The titular Conqueror Worm is one of the most mind-bogglingly terrifying threats Hellboy has ever faced in the comics, and would make for a reality-warping nightmare villain that wouldn’t soon be forgotten on screen. The story also features Lobster Johnson, a fan-favorite character and Hellboy’s personal hero of Nazi-slaying pulp, who makes a brief appearance in the 2019 Hellboys post-credits scene. While some fat may need to be trimmed to keep Conqueror worm A lean horror story, it’s easily the Hellboy comic with the most hotly anticipated adaptation.
2
head
A Japanese horror story with Hellboy
Originally a vestigial add-on story to an Abe Sapien solo comic, head is a terrifying Hellboy short that could translate into an excellent horror film with unique Japanese trappings. Set in Kyoto, the story sees Hellboy travel to Japan in search of a mysterious “evil house” shunned by the people of a local fishing village. It’s not long before Hellboy is extended an invitation to the supposedly haunted house, only to learn that the place has been hosting far more devious entities than simple human ghosts.
A movie based on head Could take qualities from famous Japanese horror films like Ring And Ju-on: The Grudge, Updating with a healthy dose of comic book mystique. The dark silhouettes of the beautiful Japanese landscape could serve as the perfect backdrop for an entertaining fish-out-of-water story. The wicked of heads, The demonic disembodied floating heads of Japanese folklore could also make for exceptional horror antagonists that would help set the film apart.
1
Hellboy: Krampusnacht
An instant holiday horror classic in the making
It’s hard not to love a good Christmas horror movie, and the potential Hellboy: Krampusnacht Has to contribute to the niche subgenre is also good to ignore. True to its name, The Winter’s Tale follows Hellboy as he tracks down a seemingly kind old man who claims to be Krampus, the dark, demonic reflection of Saint Nick. Sure enough, Hellboy’s quarry isn’t lying to him, and what follows is a gruesome, macabre encounter with the dark side of the Christmas spirit.
Horror movies featuring Krampus are nothing new, but Hellboy could put a new spin on the concept by taking him seriously, whereas most films featuring the goat-headed demon typically play him at least partially for laughs. Beyond the double novelty of a Christmas movie and a Hellboy movie, an adaptation of Hellboy: Krampusnacht Provides a fascinating opportunity to draw comparisons between Hellboy and his own diabolical family, with Krampus sharing his experience of being a demon brought to Earth. Although it may not seem obvious, a chilling holiday theme can be just that Hellboy: The Crooked Man needs like a chase.