Director: Brian Taylor
Guillermo del Toro's demon-hunter trades his familiar big-city monster hunts for backwoods dread in this 2024 standalone chapter, dropping Hellboy into rural Appalachia during the 1950s.
What is Hellboy: The Crooked Man about?
Stranded with a green BPRD recruit after a routine job goes sideways, Hellboy finds himself far from any city lights, in a hollow where the locals speak in hushed tones about something called the Crooked Man. What starts as a supply run turns into a slow, creeping investigation: livestock vanish, a coven of witches works old backcountry magic, and a folkloric bargain-maker with a taste for souls has been quietly claiming this patch of hill country for generations. Brian Taylor directs from a screenplay rooted in Mike Mignola's own comic-book arc, favoring practical effects, muddy roads, and firelit interiors over sprawling city set pieces. The tone leans harder into folk horror than the earlier Hellboy films — think whispered hymns, crossroads deals, and superstition passed down through families — while still keeping its title character's dry humor intact. Jack Kesy takes over the horns and stone hand from previous incarnations, playing the role as a weary journeyman rather than a reluctant hero, and the rookie agent at his side gives the story someone still capable of being frightened by what they're seeing.
Cast & crew
Jack Kesy anchors the film as Hellboy, with Jefferson White as the inexperienced BPRD agent along for the ride. Adeline Rudolph, Martin Bassindale, Leah McNamara, and Hannah Margetson round out the Appalachian ensemble, and Joseph Marcell appears as a local with his own history with the Crooked Man.
Context & significance
This is the third live-action Hellboy feature and the first to skip New York and European settings entirely in favor of an isolated American hollow, giving the production a smaller, more intimate horror scale than its predecessors. A German-American co-production, it draws directly from Mignola and Chris Golden's comic-book miniseries of the same name rather than adapting an existing screen continuity.
Where & how to watch
Hellboy: The Crooked Man streams on K-Time with Persian dubbing and Persian subtitles, playable after a quick account login — no separate app or extra step required, just a Farsi-friendly viewing experience built for the diaspora audience.