The Crooked Man returns to its comic book roots in one important respect

The trailer for Hellboy – The Cursed Man proves that the new big screen version of the character takes a key element from the original comics. Hellboy has been a consistent force in pop culture for three decades, making the leap from the comics page into film, animation and video games. The demonic herald of the apocalypse raised to be a heroic paranormal investigator, the Hellboy created by creator Mike Mignola has always had to contend with supernatural threats and enemies. Despite their differences from the source material and from each other, this was reflected in the previous live-action versions of the character.

Guillermo Del Toro’s two Hellboy Films and Rob Marshall’s approach to the material in 2019 seem to be very different from the far more subdued and grounded Hellboy – The Cursed Man Restart. Direct inspiration from the comic story of the same namethis new version of Hellboy has some specific stylistic elements that underline the filmmakers’ unique approach. The biggest difference between the new film and the other Hellboy Films are a clear attempt to restore a key element of the original stories that was under-represented in the other films.

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Hellboy: The Crooked Man returns to the comic’s horror roots

Hellboy – The Cursed Man Based on a scary classic Hellboy Comic

Hellboy – The Cursed Man seems to bring the title character into the horror tone that typically characterizes his comic stories. All Hellboy Films had scary elements that underlined the supernatural and monstrous enemies that Hellboy must regularly fight. Hellboy – The Cursed Man seems to be more of a down-to-earth horror story than a supernatural adventure. This reflects the rather gentle and spooky nature of the comics. Mike Mignola’s Hellboy Comics are far darker and more atmospheric than the Hellboy of Guillermo Del Toro’s fantastic bombast or Neil Marshall’s dark interpretation.

In this sense, Hellboy – The Cursed Man seems to be a better reflection of the original Hellboy Stories. The Crooked Man is one of the most memorable villains from the original comics, the star of a story full of scary twists and haunting imagery. Hellboy – The Cursed Man seems to be a direct adaptation of this storywith the teaser showing a greater amount of horror movie tropes and stylistic flourishes. This is in stark contrast to the more explosive action sequences of other live-action Hellboy Films that filtered the concept through the lens of a blockbuster.

Hellboy creator Mike Mignola is behind The Crooked Man

The person who invented Hellboy is one of the screenwriters of Hellboy – The Cursed Man

One of the things that Hellboy – The Cursed Man from other adaptations of the character is the direct involvement of Mike Mignola. The legendary comic artist was the creator of Hellboywho debuted in 1993. Mignola has offered his support for the other two versions of the character, but Hellboy – The Cursed Man Mignola is listed as a member of the film’s screenwriting team. Mignola collaborated on the screenplay with Christopher Golden and Brian Taylor, who also directed.

This suggests Hellboy – The Cursed Man will be more like Hellboy from the original comics. The film versions of the character have been portrayed as much more boisterous, particularly Ron Perlman’s incarnation from Del Toro’s two live-action films. This new Hellboy is a conscious attempt to focus on a more grounded version of the character, more defined by his simple humanity, dry humor, and quiet thoughtfulness. He feels more like the Hellboy from most of the comics, who was only occasionally the boisterous thug you see in other films.

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Previous Hellboy adaptations focused more on action than horror

Hellboy – The Cursed Man Looks far more terrifying than previous versions of the franchise

So far there have been three live-action Hellboy Films. The first two, directed by Guillermo Del Toro, relied on the fantastical elements of the franchise, with Hellboy: The Golden Army Introducing new lore that fits perfectly with Del Toro’s blockbuster. The 2019 Hellboy tried to give the work a harder edge, but was also characterized by large action scenes and sequences. In contrast Hellboy – The Cursed Man seems to be a much more restrained storyThere is little action, the focus is rather on frightening images, such as the titular demonic power or the people who become entangled in its machinations.

It helps the new film to immediately stand out from other big-budget attempts, Hellboy on the big screen. It’s also potentially a great way to reflect the creepier and more subtle horrors of the original comics, as opposed to the big and boisterous approach to the material seen before. If the filmmakers are able to fully execute the atmospheric and creepy approach of the folklore that helped Hellboy stand out, then their version of the character in Hellboy – The Cursed Man could be the most faithful comic book adaptation to date.