Get Me Doug Jones aims to explore how an actor and mime went from humble beginnings in the American Midwest to becoming one of Hollywood’s most sought after performers when it comes to creating fantastic creatures in full body make-up & costumes.

Currently in production, the in-depth doc will showcase the incredible life that Jones has lived, not only focusing on his iconic career, but also on the deeply personal relationships he has held with family, friends, and fans.

Interviews have already been filmed with Hocus Pocus‘ Bette Midler, David Kirschner, & Tony Gardner; Hellboy‘s Ron Perlman, Mike Mignola, & Mike Elizalde; “What We Do in the Shadows'” Harvey Guillén; “Star Trek: Discovery'”s Sonequa Martin-Green, Anthony Rapp, David Ajala, & Jayne Brook, “Falling Skies'” Noah Wyle, and more.

They’ve also spoken to TaMara Carlson Woodard (“The Mandalorian”), Douglas Tait (Freddy vs. Jason), Dane DiLiegro (Prey), Trevor Newlin (Alien: Romulus), Jason Liles (Godzilla: King of The Monsters), and film historian Leonard Maltin, along with Jones’ family, friends, and fans from around the world.

The documentary is directed by William Conlin (Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film), with Jones’ appearance manager Derek Maki (Aliens Expanded) serving as executive producer.

Due out in 2027, Get Me Doug Jones is currently raising funds on Kickstarter. Rewards include early copies of the film, exclusive merchandise, signed memorabilia, and more.

Doug Jones in ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’

The post ‘Get Me Doug Jones’ Documentary Will Explore In-Demand Creature Actor appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

We have an exclusive look at Christopher Mitten‘s cover art for the first issue, releasing August 12 via Dark Horse Comics.

Featuring characters from Witchfinder and Hellboy: The Silver Lantern Club, the comic is co-written by Mignola and Roberson with art by Mitten, colors by Michelle Madsen, and letters by Clem Robins.

The globe-trotting adventure follows Queen Victoria’s secret agency as they travel the world seeking supernatural-powered technologies and the stories of the civilizations that harnessed them — for good and for evil.

“Long before Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. defended the world against supernatural threats of all types, the men and women of the Foundry protected Queen Victoria’s Empire,” explains Roberson. “But the operatives of the Foundry were adventurers and explorers with no time for the paranormal or the occult, only interested in the scientific applications of the artifacts that their expeditions uncovered or what engineering marvels could be devised from ancient discoveries.”

Roberson continues, “In The Foundry: In Peril on the Seas, Major Karam Singh and his fellow members of the Foundry go in search of an unknown menace that appears to threaten enemies and allies alike, unsure whether they are in pursuit of some sort of monster or something far worse.”

“This is a really fun corner of the universe in which to wander and explore; finally seeing the Foundry in more detail than we have before is exciting,” adds Mitten. “Chris, as he always does, infuses the book with such intrigue and heart, giving all these characters their proper moments to shine. He’s a remarkably gifted writer, and he makes it all feel effortless. Having the chance to again work with this team, these wonderful people with whom I’ve been telling these stories for the last decade, is truly such a joy.”

“We like to explore the dark corners of the Hellboy universe, and it’s always important to us that each story stands on its own and is a story worth telling and worth reading,” says editor Katii O’Brien. “The Foundry is no exception to that, and is a deep-cut look at humanity’s exploration into science and the supernatural long before the B.P.R.D. comes on the scene, but that has both ties to and implications for the Hellboy universe as a whole.”

The post ‘Hellboy’ Spinoff Comic ‘The Foundry’ Coming from Mike Mignola & ‘iZombie’ Creator [Exclusive] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Launching on January 7, 2025 from Dark Horse, the paranormal Western comic connects Lobster Johnson to the greater Hellboy lore.

The four-issue series is co-written by Mignola and Rae Allen (The Manderfield Devil), with art from Allen, colors by Michelle Madsen, and letters by Clem Robins.

Carmen Red Claw is a descendant of the notorious El Bogavante, the fearsome privateer who first appeared in Mignola, John Arcudi and Tonci Zonjic’s 2014 Lobster Johnson: Get The Lobster featuring iconic 1930s crimefighter, the Lobster.

Working as a shape-shifting, supernatural gun-for-hire, Carmen investigates a supposedly cursed ranch in 1870s New Mexico territory. Something is killing the cattle in the area, and it’s up to Carmen to find out whether there’s a beast to blame, or if humans are the real monsters.

The series series feature covers by Allen, and Mignola created a variant for the first issue. We have your first look at both below. Future issues will include variants from Jake Parker, Tonci Zonjic, and Benjamin Schipper.

“I’ve wanted to find a project for Rae for a long time, and finally just had the good sense to ask her if she had something in mind—and she did,” explains Mignola. “She had half a dozen ideas—all great—but I was super impressed with this one, that she was able to create an entire character and situation based on a super tiny bit of a Lobster Johnson history.”

Mignola continues, “Such a fun addition to the Hellboy universe. We banged some details back and forth, but that was all fun and easy. She is a joy to work with and I hope this is only the beginning.”

“One of my favorite parts about Hellboy is the merging of classic folklore with the Hellboy universe,” says Allen. “A lot of that ground has already been covered in Europe, how about more from America? I’m a big fan of the radio show Have Gun – Will Travel, and I thought a Paladin-style gun-for-hire in a supernatural Old West facing off with Native American, Colonial, and Mignolaverse monsters would be a lot of fun. Plus, why not add a lizard shoulder demon?”

Allen adds, “Mike and I bounced ideas off each other and landed on a story that we think you’ll really enjoy. And I’m excited to introduce you to some Lakota folklore inspired by Yankton Dakota author Zitkala-Sa, enriched with the help of my friend Shiala King.”

Cover by Rae Allen

Cover by Mike Mignola

The post Mike Mignola Returns to ‘Hellboy’ Universe with ‘Carmen Red Claw’ Comic [Exclusive] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

No special features are included with the reboot.

Based on the 2008 comic mini-series, Brian Taylor (Crank, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance) directs from a script he co-wrote with Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden.

Jack Kesy (Deadpool 2) stars as Hellboy alongside Jefferson White, Adeline Rudolph, Leah McNamara, Joseph Marcell, Hannah Margetson, and Martin Bassindale.

Daniel Kurland wrote in his review of Hellboy: The Crooked Man, “Despite an evocative atmosphere and a rewarding embrace of folk horror, Brian Taylor’s take on the big, red paranormal detective feels creatively lost in limbo.”

In the brand new Hellboy movie, “Hellboy and rookie BPRD agent Song find themselves stranded in 1950s Appalachia, where they discover a community of witches led by a sinister evil called The Crooked Man, with mysterious ties to Hellboy’s past.”

The post ‘Hellboy: The Crooked Man’ Comes to Blu-ray in December appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Hellboy is a promising property that’s periodically stumbled with its live-action adaptations. There’s such a rich world to pull from here that brilliantly mashes together Lovecraftian horror, pulp detective fiction, superhero storytelling, and sprawling adventures. At the same time, it takes a delicate hand to properly bring all these elements together into something that’s not only coherent, but entertaining. Hellboy’s cinematic offerings continue to mutate and hold a mirror up to changing pop culture trends. Hellboy versus witches in a haunted house, from the director of Crank and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, should be an easy home run. This is exactly why it’s so frustrating that Hellboy: The Crooked Man is such a generic and forgettable experience — as an action film, horror movie, and graphic novel adaptation.

There’s a fairly barebones plot that drives Hellboy: The Crooked Man forward, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing and it gives the movie more of an opportunity to flex its horror muscles and develop character. Set in 1959, Hellboy encounters an Appalachian community that’s afflicted by witches who answer to a darker demonic force, The Crooked Man. It’s admirable that The Crooked Man really wastes no time with exposition or table-setting. It throws the audience right into the middle of this adventure and it almost feels like the film’s first act has been chopped off in favor of getting tight to the good stuff. The Crooked Man is largely successful on this front and basically presumes that anyone who is watching has at least some level of familiarity with the Hellboy property. That being said, it’s still a slightly jarring tactic that may leave some audiences scrambling to catch up while Hellboy smashes monsters and his sidekick, Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense agent, Bobbie Jo Song (Adeline Rudolph), espouses wisdom.

Hellboy himself dispenses sarcastic one-liners, which are true to the character, but also don’t do the film any favors. They make this feel like expendable superhero fare and soulless IP mining. Jack Kesy is absolutely fine in this role, but it’s nothing to get excited about and he’s not doing anything here that wasn’t previously touched upon by Ron Perlman or David Harbour. He doesn’t feel inauthentic to the curmudgeonly antihero, but the makeup and prosthetics are doing a lot of the heavy lifting here. Alternatively, Leah McNamara’s Effie Kolb, a haunted acolyte of The Crooked Man, delivers the film’s most memorable performance. McNamara channels an unpredictable and chaotic nature to Kolb as she gleefully skitters and taunts Hellboy and the other individuals who have been drawn into her wicked web. She’s at the center of many of the film’s strongest scenes and it’s unfortunate that the rest of the film can’t rise to her level.

Even the titular villain, The Crooked Man (Martin Bassindale), comes across as a rejected monster-of-the-week from a CW series.

One would think that The Crooked Man would benefit from the fact that its script is co-written by Hellboy creator, Mike Mignola, who certainly understands what’s necessary to tell a good Hellboy story. Co-writer Christopher Golden, while largely known for young adult fiction, also has penned several Hellboy books with Mignola and is no stranger to this character and his universe. This makes The Crooked Man’s shortcomings all the more perplexing and even reinforces that perhaps the best approach to a Hellboy movie is one that’s allowed to get quite liberal with its source material, take big swings, and focus on atmosphere, art direction, and creature designs, like with Guillermo del Toro’s two Hellboy films.

Hellboy: The Crooked Man’s first act is surprisingly effective and approaches the film like a folk horror monster mystery. It’s a rich, original angle for a Hellboy film that helps it establish an original voice and not feel derivative of past entries. Brian Taylor’s trademark hyperbolized filmmaking style is often on display as he utilizes visceral, handheld filmmaking through some of the action sequences that really works in the film’s favor and adds a kinetic dynamic to the experience. That being said, this striking quality progressively drains out of the movie the longer that it goes on and it begins to feel increasingly generic and bogged down in lengthy action set-pieces that often struggle to sustain themselves outside of a few compelling ideas that feel like vintage Taylor. There are brief glimpses of greatness when it comes to some crunchy body horror and disturbing visuals, but it’s never too long until they’re undercut by regrettable CGI. Hellboy largely uses practical effects for Hellboy and The Crooked Man, and it’s better off for it. Unfortunately, there are so many other monsters in the film that don’t benefit from the same treatment and look even worse when juxtaposed against the impressive work that’s done with its central characters.

The film’s reported $20 million budget is very much felt and there’s a lo-fi quality to the movie’s perpetual use of the woods as a primary setting. There are certain shots that even feel reminiscent of early Friday the 13th films, which is kind of incredible, before it begins to feel cheap. Neil Marshall’s 2019 Hellboy movie was by no means a success, but it definitely looked beautiful a lot of the time and did the most with its budget, which was more than double that of The Crooked Man. It’s hard to say if The Crooked Man would have been more successful with a bigger budget or if it would just succumb to the same problems on a grander scale. 2019’s Hellboy, while largely a forgotten film, at least features some genuinely grisly demon sequences and creative monster designs. The Crooked Man struggles on this front — outside of the titular Crooked Man’s design — and frequently feels like it’s taking shortcuts so it can rush to its ending and call it a day. There’s a good film buried deep in The Crooked Man, it just struggles to claw its way out of the ground as it’s progressively pulled down deeper.

Hellboy: The Crooked Man misses its mark and its periodic successes aren’t enough to justify this disappointing experience. Seasoned Hellboy fans will feel robbed of a substantial story and curious genre fans will be left wondering what they just watched. There’s not enough going on here beyond a few exciting scenes and committed performances to elevate this above any other modern folk horror film. Hellboy: The Crooked Man’s botched magic sadly means that the franchise’s curse only grows more potent. This will likely be the last time that anyone attempts a live-action Hellboy adaptation before it inevitably gets reduced to some eight-episode direct-to-streaming venture a few years down the line. It’s too bad that this BPRD bad-ass goes out with a whimper instead of a bold, double-barreled bang. 

Hellboy: The Crooked Man is now available on at-home Digital.

The post ‘Hellboy: The Crooked Man’ Is a Cursed Hex That Further Damns the Franchise [Review] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

When will you be able to watch it? According to pre-order listings on outlets including Amazon, Hellboy: The Crooked Man debuts direct-to-digital at home on October 8, 2024.

You can digitally pre-order the new movie for $19.99 on Amazon right now.

Hellboy: The Crooked Man is “set in the 1950s and costars Adeline Rudolph (Resident Evil) as a rookie agent of the BPRD who teams up with Hellboy to protect the residents of Appalachia from the creepy Crooked Man, who is collecting souls for the devil.”

Mike Mignola co-wrote the new Hellboy film with Christopher Golden.

Brian Taylor (Crank, Gamer, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Mom and Dad) directed the movie for Millennium, based on a Hellboy mini-series from 2008. The story is said to “expand Hellboy’s world through one of the most beloved issues of the comic series.”

Jefferson White (Yellowstone) stars alongside Kesy and Rudolph as Tom Ferrel, Leah McNamara as Effie Kolb, Joseph Marcell as Reverend Watts, Hannah Margetson as Cora Fisher, and Martin Bassindale as the Crooked Man, among others.

“The Crooked Man is a departure from all previous Hellboy films where Mike Mignola and the creator of the comics will finally shepherd an authentic version of his stories and characters in film form,” said Millennium Media’s President Jeffrey Greenstein. “This is the first in the series of films that will captivate audiences in familiar (and new) ways. Brian Taylor is an expert across the board, and I couldn’t think of a better person to bring this story to life to show our audience this different and original Hellboy slate of films.”

Millennium Media is producing the new movie alongside Dark Horse Entertainment.

The post ‘Hellboy: The Crooked Man’ Gets a Straight-to-Digital Release in October appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Oddly enough, however, the film’s official UK poster refers to Hellboy: The Crooked Man as “the fourth installment in the global franchise.” Technically true, of course, but usually a franchise reboot of this sort isn’t labeled that way. In any event, check out the UK art below.

Hellboy: The Crooked Man comes to UK theaters on September 27, with no United States release date announced at this time. We tip our hats to Total Film for sharing the UK art today.

Mike Mignola co-wrote the new Hellboy film with Christopher Golden.

Hellboy: The Crooked Man is “set in the 1950s and costars Adeline Rudolph (Resident Evil) as a rookie agent of the BPRD who teams up with Hellboy to protect the residents of Appalachia from the creepy Crooked Man, who is collecting souls for the devil.”

Brian Taylor (Crank, Gamer, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Mom and Dad) directed the movie for Millennium, based on a Hellboy mini-series from 2008. The story is said to “expand Hellboy’s world through one of the most beloved issues of the comic series.”

Jefferson White (Yellowstone) stars alongside Kesy and Rudolph as Tom Ferrel, Leah McNamara as Effie Kolb, Joseph Marcell as Reverend Watts, Hannah Margetson as Cora Fisher, and Martin Bassindale as the Crooked Man, among others.

“The Crooked Man is a departure from all previous Hellboy films where Mike Mignola and the creator of the comics will finally shepherd an authentic version of his stories and characters in film form,” said Millennium Media’s President Jeffrey Greenstein. “This is the first in the series of films that will captivate audiences in familiar (and new) ways. Brian Taylor is an expert across the board, and I couldn’t think of a better person to bring this story to life to show our audience this different and original Hellboy slate of films.”

Millennium Media is producing the new movie alongside Dark Horse Entertainment.

The post ‘Hellboy: The Crooked Man’ – UK Poster Calls New Movie “Fourth Installment in the Global Franchise” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Total Film has shared a brand new preview piece this week that features two new images of Jack Kesy as Hellboy, along with some fresh insights from director Brian Taylor.

For starters, The Crooked Man is diving back into the original source material.

Taylor tells the outlet, “I don’t think in terms of ‘it’s a reboot’ or trying to start a new franchise – this isn’t content, it’s a movie that needs to stand on its own. Nobody wants to see a cheap knock-off of a Guillermo del Toro $100-million movie. This is going back to the young Hellboy where he was really more of the plumber who’s going to fix your monster problem. This wandering, sarcastic, soulful, smoking guy who stumbles on supernatural hauntings and occurrences and helps out as best he can.”

“If [Hellboy creator] Mike [Mignola] feels like for the first time he sees his guy on screen, then I feel like we’ve succeeded,” Taylor adds.

Speaking of which, Mike Mignola co-wrote the new Hellboy film with Christopher Golden.

Hellboy: The Crooked Man, which doesn’t yet have a release date, is “set in the 1950s and costars Adeline Rudolph (Resident Evil) as a rookie agent of the BPRD (the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense) who teams up with Hellboy to protect the residents of Appalachia from the creepy Crooked Man, who is collecting souls for the devil.”

Brian Taylor (Crank, Gamer, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Mom and Dad) directed the movie for Millennium, based on a Hellboy mini-series from 2008. The story is said to “expand Hellboy’s world through one of the most beloved issues of the comic series.”

Jefferson White (Yellowstone) stars alongside Kesy and Rudolph as Tom Ferrel, Leah McNamara as Effie Kolb, Joseph Marcell as Reverend Watts, Hannah Margetson as Cora Fisher, and Martin Bassindale as the Crooked Man, among others.

“The Crooked Man is a departure from all previous Hellboy films where Mike Mignola and the creator of the comics will finally shepherd an authentic version of his stories and characters in film form,” said Millennium Media’s President Jeffrey Greenstein. “This is the first in the series of films that will captivate audiences in familiar (and new) ways. Brian Taylor is an expert across the board, and I couldn’t think of a better person to bring this story to life to show our audience this different and original Hellboy slate of films.”

Millennium Media is producing the new movie alongside Dark Horse Entertainment.

The post ‘Hellboy: The Crooked Man’ – Two New Images Reveal Big Red in Black & White appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The new trailer just debuted over on Variety. Watch it below.

Releasing in Fall 2024, Hellboy: The Crooked Man is rated “R” for…

“Some violent content, language and nudity.”

Jack Kesy (12 Strong) is playing the iconic comic book character this time around. Hellboy creator Mike Mignola co-wrote the new Hellboy film with Christopher Golden.

Hellboy: The Crooked Man, which doesn’t yet have a release date, is “set in the 1950s and costars Adeline Rudolph (Resident Evil) as a rookie agent of the BPRD (the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense) who teams up with Hellboy to protect the residents of Appalachia from the creepy Crooked Man, who is collecting souls for the devil.”

Brian Taylor (Crank, Gamer, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Mom and Dad) directed the movie for Millennium, based on a Hellboy mini-series from 2008. The story is said to “expand Hellboy’s world through one of the most beloved issues of the comic series.”

Jefferson White (Yellowstone) stars alongside Kesy and Rudolph as Tom Ferrel, Leah McNamara as Effie Kolb, Joseph Marcell as Reverend Watts, Hannah Margetson as Cora Fisher, and Martin Bassindale as the Crooked Man, among others.

“The Crooked Man is a departure from all previous Hellboy films where Mike Mignola and the creator of the comics will finally shepherd an authentic version of his stories and characters in film form,” said Millennium Media’s President Jeffrey Greenstein. “This is the first in the series of films that will captivate audiences in familiar (and new) ways. Brian Taylor is an expert across the board, and I couldn’t think of a better person to bring this story to life to show our audience this different and original Hellboy slate of films.”

Millennium Media is producing the new movie alongside Dark Horse Entertainment.

The post ‘Hellboy: The Crooked Man’ – New Trailer Promises This One’s Definitely a Horror Movie appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Hellboy: The Crooked Man is rated “R” for…

“Some violent content, language and nudity.”

Watch the previously released official teaser trailer below.

Jack Kesy (12 Strong) is playing the iconic comic book character this time around. Hellboy creator Mike Mignola co-wrote the new Hellboy film with Christopher Golden.

Hellboy: The Crooked Man, which doesn’t yet have a release date, is “set in the 1950s and costars Adeline Rudolph (Resident Evil) as a rookie agent of the BPRD (the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense) who teams up with Hellboy to protect the residents of Appalachia from the creepy Crooked Man, who is collecting souls for the devil.”

Brian Taylor (Crank, Gamer, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Mom and Dad) directed the movie for Millennium, based on a Hellboy mini-series from 2008. The story is said to “expand Hellboy’s world through one of the most beloved issues of the comic series.”

Jefferson White (Yellowstone) stars alongside Kesy and Rudolph as Tom Ferrel, Leah McNamara as Effie Kolb, Joseph Marcell as Reverend Watts, Hannah Margetson as Cora Fisher, and Martin Bassindale as the Crooked Man, among others.

“The Crooked Man is a departure from all previous Hellboy films where Mike Mignola and the creator of the comics will finally shepherd an authentic version of his stories and characters in film form,” said Millennium Media’s President Jeffrey Greenstein. “This is the first in the series of films that will captivate audiences in familiar (and new) ways. Brian Taylor is an expert across the board, and I couldn’t think of a better person to bring this story to life to show our audience this different and original Hellboy slate of films.”

Millennium Media is producing the new movie alongside Dark Horse Entertainment.

The post ‘Hellboy: The Crooked Man’ Rated “R” for Violence and Nudity appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Check out a fresh look at Jack Kesy as Big Red in the brand new image below.

Hellboy creator Mike Mignola co-wrote the new Hellboy film with Christopher Golden.

Hellboy: The Crooked Man, which doesn’t yet have a release date, is “set in the 1950s and costars Adeline Rudolph (Resident Evil) as a rookie agent of the BPRD (the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense) who teams up with Hellboy to protect the residents of Appalachia from the creepy Crooked Man, who is collecting souls for the devil.”

Brian Taylor (Crank, Gamer, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Mom and Dad) directed the movie for Millennium, based on a Hellboy mini-series from 2008. The story is said to “expand Hellboy’s world through one of the most beloved issues of the comic series.”

Jefferson White (Yellowstone) stars alongside Kesy and Rudolph as Tom Ferrel, Leah McNamara as Effie Kolb, Joseph Marcell as Reverend Watts, Hannah Margetson as Cora Fisher, and Martin Bassindale as the Crooked Man, among others.

Taylor previously described Hellboy: The Crooked Man as an R-rated folk horror movie.

“The Crooked Man is a departure from all previous Hellboy films where Mike Mignola and the creator of the comics will finally shepherd an authentic version of his stories and characters in film form,” said Millennium Media’s President Jeffrey Greenstein. “This is the first in the series of films that will captivate audiences in familiar (and new) ways. Brian Taylor is an expert across the board, and I couldn’t think of a better person to bring this story to life to show our audience this different and original Hellboy slate of films.”

Millennium Media is producing the new movie alongside Dark Horse Entertainment.

The post ‘Hellboy: The Crooked Man’ – Fresh Look at Jack Kesy as Your New Hellboy appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Hellboy creator Mike Mignola co-wrote the new Hellboy film with Christopher Golden.

Check out the new trailer below.

The Crooked Man is “set in the 1950s and costars Adeline Rudolph (Resident Evil) as a rookie agent of the BPRD (the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense) who teams up with Hellboy to protect the residents of Appalachia from the creepy Crooked Man, who is collecting souls for the devil.”

Brian Taylor (Crank, Gamer, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Mom and Dad) directed the movie for Millennium, based on a Hellboy mini-series from 2008. The story is said to “expand Hellboy’s world through one of the most beloved issues of the comic series.”

Jefferson White (Yellowstone) stars alongside Kesy and Rudolph as Tom Ferrel, Leah McNamara as Effie Kolb, Joseph Marcell as Reverend Watts, Hannah Margetson as Cora Fisher, and Martin Bassindale as the Crooked Man, among others.

Taylor previously described Hellboy: The Crooked Man as an R-rated folk horror movie.

“The Crooked Man is a departure from all previous Hellboy films where Mike Mignola and the creator of the comics will finally shepherd an authentic version of his stories and characters in film form,” said Millennium Media’s President Jeffrey Greenstein. “This is the first in the series of films that will captivate audiences in familiar (and new) ways. Brian Taylor is an expert across the board, and I couldn’t think of a better person to bring this story to life to show our audience this different and original Hellboy slate of films.”

Millennium Media is producing the new movie alongside Dark Horse Entertainment.

The post ‘Hellboy: The Crooked Man’ Trailer Puts New Hellboy in Folk Horror Story appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

Gretel & Hansel 4K UHD from Scream Factory

Gretel & Hansel will be released on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on May 21 via Scream Factory. The 2020 dark fantasy horror film is presented in 4K from the original master with Dolby Vision.

Oz Perkins (The Blackcoat’s Daughter, Longlegs) directs from a script by Rob Hayes, based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale. Sophia Lillis, Samuel Leakey, Charles Babalola, Jessica De Gouw, and Alice Krige star.

In Meagan Navarro’s review, she said, “The film is mesmerizing style over substance, but one that transports you if you’re open to its high-concept spell.”

Special features include: new commentaries by Perkins and horror historian Rebekah McKendry; a new interview with production designer Jeremy Reed; and four features: Storybook, Gretel, New Tale, and Witchcraft.

Dark Angel 4K UHD from Scream Factory

Dark Angel — also known as I Come in Peace — will invade 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on July 9 via Scream Factory. The 1990 sci-fi action movie has been newly scanned in 4K from the original camera negative with Dolby Vision.

Craig R. Baxley (Rose Red, Storm of the Century) directs from a script by David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Spider-Man) and Jonathan Tydor. Dolph Lundgren, Brian Benben, Betsy Brantley and Matthias Hues star.

Special features include: Go In Pieces: Remembering Dark Angel, a new featurette with Benben, cinematographer Mark Irwin, editor Mark Helfrich, and special effects artist Gabriel Bartalos; and A Look Back at Dark Angel, featuring Baxley, Lundgren, and Benben.

Hellboy Statue from Dark Horse

Dark Horse is commemorating the 30th anniversary of Mike Mignola’s Hellboy with a deluxe figure. Priced at $149.99, Big Red is expected to ship in September-November.

Sculpted by George Helmick and Mike Bonanno and painted by Hector Arce, the soft vinyl and PVC figure stands 12.5″ tall (15″ with crown) on a 6.25″ wide base.

It comes with an attachable Tam O’Clannie corpse, removable BPRD shirt, alternate head with horns and crown, alternate left hand with pistol, empty holster, holstered pistol, Excalibur sword in skull, and two skulls.

Jaws Poster from Vice Press

Jaws began principal photography 50 years ago this week, and Vice Press released a poster designed by Sam Dunn to celebrate.

The 24×36 lithograph print is a hand-numbered edition of 200. Priced at $52, it’s expected to ship in June.

Love Lies Bleeding Vinyl Soundtrack from A24

A24 is pressing Love Lies Bleeding’s soundtrack on vinyl. Priced at $40, the score is composed by Clint Mansell (Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream).

It also features select songs from the film by Harald Grosskopf, Shiho Yabuki, Nona Hendryx, Gina x Performance, Throbbing Gristle, Colourbox, and Martin Rev.

Expected to ship in July, the 2xLP album is pressed on black vinyl. It’s housed in a gatefold jacket featuring cover art by Amanda Ba.

For more merch madness, peruse the Killer Collectibles archives. You can also visit Broke Horror Fan.

The post 5 of This Week’s Coolest Horror Collectibles Including ‘Gretel & Hansel’ on 4K Ultra HD appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Ketchup Entertainment acquired the rights last year to Millennium Media’s reboot, which will star Jack Kesy in the title role. But we’ll report more on that project in the coming months.

In the meantime, Deadline has announced today that a documentary on Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, titled Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters, is also coming soon.

Deadline reports that Nacelle (“The Toys That Made Us”) has acquired the doc, with no release date announced at this time. The documentary “tells the story of Mignola — one of the most successful independent comic book creators, who has inspired generations of writers and artists — and how he came to create a world-renowned comic book universe.

“The film includes never-before-seen interviews conducted with the creator at his studio, drawing demonstrations, behind the scenes footage from workshops and comic book conventions, and interviews with some of the most influential people in entertainment.”

Guillermo del Toro was interviewed for Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters, along with Neil Gaiman, Patton Oswalt, Ron Perlman, Doug Jones, Adam Savage, and more.

Kevin Konrad Hanna and Jim Demonakos directed the upcoming Mike Mignola documentary. Stay tuned for more information, including a trailer and release date.

The Hellboy character first appeared in 1993, and in the past three decades the character has been kept alive with countless comic books, video games, and live action feature films.

Ron Perlman and David Harbour have both played Hellboy on screen.

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Everybody loves a bad boy. There’s something appealing about a guy who disregards the rules and dreamy delinquents have been known to make even wholesome girls grow weak in the knees. Sometimes it’s the air of danger that heightens the appeal, allowing us to look past the most monstrous physiques.

The new horror comedy Lisa Frankenstein delivers a swoon worthy monster with Cole Sprouse’s Creature, a resurrected corpse who’s spent the last two centuries buried in the local Bachelor’s Cemetery. His tears may smell, and his body may be rotting, but the hunky fiend has an attractive glimmer in his sensitive eyes.

And just like Lisa (Kathryn Newton), we can’t resist this piano-playing killer and would gladly overlook a few graveyard worms for the privilege of putting him back together. He’s not the only one, though: Horror has a long history of crush-worthy monsters, horrific hunks, and beautiful beasts. Needless to say, we went beyond ’89 for this one.

Edward – Edward Scissorhands

Every little girl dreams of a handsome prince from a magical castle who will sweep her off to a winter wonderland. For horror lovers this fantasy tends to skew a little darker. Tim Burton brings this gothic vision to life with Edward Scissorhands, a suburban fairy tale starring a strangely handsome monster. When Avon saleswoman Peg (Dianne Wiest) finds a pale young man with wiry hair and scissors for hands, she brings him back to her pastel home where he falls in love with her beautiful daughter Kim (Winona Ryder).

Though initially caught off guard, Kim eventually warms to this compassionate outcast who wants nothing more than the love of a family. And Kim is not alone. Johnny Depp won over the world with his dreamy portrayal of this sensitive loner. Even better, the film led to Gen Z power couple Depp and Ryder, two of the world’s most attractive actors on the verge of super stardom. Dating Edward might lead to a few cuts now and then, but any man who can style your hair, trim your hedges, and create a fantasy snowscape has got to be worth at least a second date.

R – Warm Bodies

Zombies aren’t exactly known for being hunky – unless we’re talking about the hunks of human flesh that fall off their decomposing bones. But Jonathan Levine’s horror rom-com Warm Bodies gives us a delightfully dreamy zombie named R (Nicholas Hoult) who spends his days roaming the airport and absorbing human memories from the brains of his victims. After killing and eating a survivor of the zombie apocalypse, R develops feelings for his girlfriend Julie (Teresa Palmer). He saves her from a roaming horde of zombies and helps her return to her militarized enclave. As the two grow closer, R finds himself slowly returning to his human form. Could love be the cure for the zombie apocalypse? When the undead crush is played by future heartthrob Nicholas Hoult, that just may be the case.

Pinhead – Hellraiser

Clive Barker’s 1987 film is not only one of the most decadent and thematically rich horror films of all time, it gave rise to one of the genre’s most unique villains. This dark tale of forbidden love may center a toxic romance between Frank (Sean Chapman) and Julia (Clare Higgins), but there’s no doubt that the film’s iconic star is an entity known as Lead Cenobite or Pinhead (Doug Bradley).

Originally named the Hell Priest, this angel to some, demon to others leads a group of interdimensional beings who can be summoned by solving an intricate puzzle box. Once called, the Cenobites will drag the puzzle’s owner to another world where they will explore the outer limits of pleasure and pain. Inspired by 80s BDSM culture, Pinhead wears black leather robes sewn into his skin with intricate straps, and metal fastenings. His pale head is pierced with rows of nails that only add to the creature’s devilish allure.

With an austere voice and ominous warnings, there’s something deliciously seductive about this powerful monster who emerges from a forbidden lair to tempt us with the promise of excruciating pleasure.

Scott Howard – Teen Wolf

High school can be a tricky time for the lovelorn. Hormones are raging, peers and cruel, and it’s difficult to find acceptance in the complicated social hierarchy. And that’s if you’re NOT turning into a werewolf. Unfortunately 17-year-old loser Scott Howard (Michael J. Fox) has been noticing some bodily changes that go a bit beyond the regular realm of teenage angst. His hearing is ultra-sensitive, his nails have grown incredibly sharp, and long hair has begun to sprout all over his body.

It seems Scott has inherited the werewolf’s curse: a generational anomaly that doesn’t make him hunger for human flesh but does include superhuman abilities. Scott is terrified that his classmates will discover his secret, but a public transformation sparks Wolf Fever throughout his small town. Suddenly popular, Scott leads his basketball team to victory, wins a role in the school play, and lands a date with the most popular girl in school. But this sudden reversal of fortune leads to the age-old question: Will they accept Scott for himself or do they only have eyes for the Wolf? Played by the charming Michael J. Fox, this dreamy werewolf is one we’d want around even when the moon isn’t full.

Billy Hutcherson – Hocus Pocus

What girl doesn’t love the strong, silent type? There’s nothing more intriguing than a mysterious stranger who stands in the shadows not uttering a word. Unfortunately the reanimated corpse of Billy Butcherson (Doug Jones) has a troubling reason for his silent demeanor. Winifred Sanderson (Bette Midler), oldest of a trio of legendary witches, sewed his lips together in a fit of rage after discovering his love for her sister Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker). Adding insult to injury, she brings him back to life only to retrieve a powerful book from a group of mischievous kids. But just when it seems the Sanderson Sisters may achieve eternal life, Billy reverses course and unleashes his pent-up rage against the sinister witch.

Though initially a villain, this tall and lanky zombie becomes a protector at the very moment Dani (Thora Birch) and her brother Max (Omri Katz) need him the most. Even decapitation is not enough to keep him from fulfilling his life and afterlife-long mission to defeat Winnefred Sanderson. Designed to be a punk rock version of Ichabod Crane, this cute corpse with his tousled hair, expressive eyes, and well-defined cheekbones goes from pursuer to savior in the blink of an eye. It’s no wonder millennials have grown up smitten with the silent but swoon worthy colonial monster.

Hellboy – Hellboy

Is there anything more attractive than a red hot demon with a heart of gold? Hellboy, aka Anung Un Rama, is a demon/human hybrid summoned from hell as a baby by the Third Reich. Raised as a normal child, he now works as an investigator for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D.) But aside from his snarky sense of humor, Hellboy is anything but normal. With blazing red skin, he is a muscle-bound brute with a devilish tail and massive horns protruding from his broad forehead. He may file these unusual appendages down to look like oversized goggles, but fully grown out these demonic antlers only add to his roguish charm.

Hellboy is usually spotted wearing a long trench coat, further amplifying his devil-may-care allure. He may be hot, but what truly sets this handsome monster apart is his genuine desire to save the world. Whether you’re lusting after Ron Perlman, David Harbour, or perhaps the original comic book images, rest assured this is a crush so powerful that it might just bring about the apocalypse.

Pennywise – It and It Chapter Two

Most children of the ’80s grew up afraid of clowns after watching Tim Curry’s iconic performance in the miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s It. Ironically, their children might grow up with an attraction to clowns thanks to Bill Skarsgård. His depiction of Pennywise the Dancing Clown in Andy Muschietti’s 2017 film adaptation delivers a new and, yes, enticing stab at the shape-shifting monster.

Gone are the Bozo-esque pom-poms and the curly red wig. Skarsgård’s interpretation of the character takes inspiration from 19th century clowns. With a dirty, white tunic, puffed shoulders, and a ruffled collar, Muscietti’s films deliver a slimmer, and dare we say more attractive shape. Muschietti’s sequel It Chapter Two gives us a glimpse of the handsome Swedish actor out of makeup as well as an illustration of the sinister man roaming the streets of Derry sans costume. Whether in or out of his terrifying make-up, there’s no doubt this dreamy clown has the power to make us swoon as well as scream.

Lisa Frankenstein is only in theaters this Friday. Get Tickets Now!

The post Hot For Monsters: Horror’s Most Crush-Worthy Beasts [1989 Week] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

It’s honestly a shame. This might be the single best video game recreation of Hellboy creator Mike Mignola’s atmospheric art style. The cel-shaded graphics and heavy use of shadow make Web of Wyrd, in its best moments, look exactly like the comic. It also features the late Lance Reddick as the voice of Hellboy, and Reddick never had a poor performance in his life.

As a game, however, Web of Wyrd is a shooting gallery. It’s not offensively bad, but it isn’t particularly entertaining either. You explore a surreal dungeon, punch animated statues, gather currency and upgrades, then go back to base and do it all over again. Every enemy is either a fat sack of health or goes down in one hit, while Hellboy himself is virtually indestructible unless you’re in a boss fight. Web of Wyrd is a roguelike without a significant risk of the player’s death, which defeats most of the purpose thereof.

Hellboy, for those unfamiliar, is a renegade demon who works as a monster hunter for the American-based but independent Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. In Web of Wyrd, set in 1982, Hellboy is sent to investigate the Butterfly House, an abandoned mansion that sits atop a portal to another dimension. After he rescues another BRPD agent from the pocket dimension beneath the house, Hellboy ends up as the lead investigator into that dimension, the “Wyrd.”

At the start of each run into the Wyrd, Hellboy comes equipped with his trademark oversized pistol and his fists. As you take damage, you fill up your Payback meter, which lets you unleash a single attack with Hellboy’s Red Right Hand for massive damage.

As you investigate deeper, you can find blessings that enhance Hellboy’s abilities, weapons, and attack power. These blessings reset between runs, but each trip into the Wyrd nets you currency you can spend on permanent upgrades like special charms. If you’ve ever played a roguelike, particularly Hades, you’ll be on familiar territory with Web of Wyrd from the start.

That’s where the useful comparisons end, though. The biggest issue with Web of Wyrd is straightforward enough: it’s just not very much fun.

The combat system is built around blocks, dodges, and bringing down enemies’ guard. It requires fast reactions, quick reads, and occasional strategy, none of which is possible with this version of Hellboy. He’s just too slow to react for the kind of system that Web of Wyrd has built. It’s like entering a skateboard competition in a shopping cart.

For all that, this is rarely a difficult game, outside of a couple of bosses with particular patterns. Web of Wyrd is a roguelike, so it’s naturally repetitive, but permanent bonuses flow in at a snail’s pace, its core combat mechanics aren’t particularly fun, and nothing poses a serious threat until you reach a boss. It’s a pure slog.

That ends up relegating Hellboy Web of Wyrd to the “fanatics only” pile. If you’re desperate for some more time with Hellboy the character, he’s in fine form here, in a decently-written, well-illustrated adventure that feels like it could be a lost chapter of the comic.

If you’re looking for a beat-’em-up, though, Web of Wyrd needs to go back to the drawing board. It’s too slow and inconsistent to be any fun at all. It works, and you can probably get through it with enough effort, but all the parts of Web of Wyrd that are an actual game are too weak to deal with. Sadly, the best Hellboy video game is still, inexplicably, Injustice 2.

The post ‘Hellboy Web of Wyrd’ Review – Great Comic, Mediocre Video Game appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

What really makes Web of Wyrd stick out is its killer art style that brings to life the gorgeous comic book art by Mike Mignola. With this visual standpoint, developers Upstream Arcade have collaborated with Dark House and Mignola to craft a wholly original Hellboy story set in the world of the comics. While most fans’ first exposure to the world and character may have been the films over the years, for many this may be their first foray into the world of the comics.

As such, we’ve prepared this primer for everything you need to know…

Who is Hellboy?

Born Anung Un Rama, Hellboy is the son of a human witch and Azzeal, an Archduke of Hell. His hand was replaced as an infant with the “right hand of doom,” a massively heavy stone hand that will serve as the catalyst for the end of the world. Summoned to earth as a child in 1944 by Rasputin and the Nazis, hoping to turn the tide of the war with a demon under their control, he’s soon discovered by the Allied forces and Trevor “Broom” Bruttenholm. Upon his discovery, Bruttenholm takes him back to the United States and raises him as his own. Hellboy eventually joins the Catholic faith and the B.P.R.D to protect the world from forces of darkness that threaten our very existence with the lingering prophecy of his true purpose looming over his head.

In the new video game, Hellboy is voiced by the late Lance Reddick.

Who the hell are the B.P.R.D.?

The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. Founded in 1945 by Broom Brutenholm to combat the supernatural and occult threats from Nazi Germany, the Bureau is the world’s defense from the unknown. Over the years the B.P.R.D. has stopped numerous threats such as the Wild Hunt, the Baba Yaga, Rasputin, and other monstrosities. The group is made up of various field agents and Hellboy himself. The Bureau has also recruited people with remarkable abilities to aid in their fight such as Liz Sherman and Abe Sapien. Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. infiltrate the Butterfly House in Web of Wyrd, but soon encounter a larger threat than they ever imagined. Picture them as a cross between police officers and the Ghostbusters.

What makes the Hellboy comics different from the movie adaptations?

The Hellboy comics are an entirely different beast from the films. They revel in the darker side of storytelling and often wear their horror and gothic influences on their sleeve. Eventually the comics bring in more fantastical elements inspired by folklore throughout the world, always expanding the world these characters inhabit. Though the films are action heavy, the comics slow things down and portray Hellboy as a grizzled yet compassionate person; often taking the time to talk his way through situations and only use violence when absolutely needed. Mike Mignola’s tales provide an interesting take on the “traditional” superhero comic and allow for some wonderful storytelling. Mignola has been the main writer and artist on the Hellboy titles and he was able to give the series a satisfying closure with a long-planned ending. 

What makes ‘Web of Wyrd’ special?

Web of Wyrd is the first time in Hellboy’s history that a video game has brought Mike Mignola’s unique art style to life, giving players a chance to fully immerse themselves in this world. It also tells an original story that Dark Horse Comics and Mike Mignola helped craft, fitting it perfectly into Hellboy canon. Whether you’re a longtime fan or dipping your toes into this world for the first time, Web of Wyrd’s addictive gameplay and meaningful story are sure to keep you hooked.

Stay tuned for Bloody Disgusting’s review of Hellboy: Web of Wyrd.

The post ‘Hellboy: Web of Wyrd’ Primer – Everything You Need to Know Before You Play the New Video Game appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Ketchup Entertainment, the company that released Robert Rodriguez’s Hypnotic earlier this year, has acquired the rights to the upcoming Hellboy: The Crooked Man.

“We are very excited by this latest acquisition, this film holds a special place in the hearts of fans worldwide and we are committed to preserving and building its legacy as we bring the film to fans and new audiences,” says Ketchup Entertainment CEO Gareth West. “We are confident that our collaboration with Jeffrey Greenstein and the exceptional team at Millennium Media will enable us to achieve just that.”

“At a time when content is never more in demand, it’s exciting to partner with a group who is not only passionate about movies, but who are also stepping up to distribute the types of commercial films that we believe audiences crave. Despite all of the changes in the marketplace, it’s refreshing to start building a pipeline with Ketchup and we are excited to build upon this first film together,” adds Greenstein.

No word yet on Ketchup Entertainment’s release plans. Stay tuned.

Jack Kesy (The Strain, Deadpool 2) will be playing the next big screen incarnation of Hellboy, taking over from previous performers Ron Perlman and David Harbour.

Jefferson White (Yellowstone) will also star as Tom Ferrell and Adeline Rudolph (Resident Evil) will play Bobbie Jo Song in the upcoming reboot.

Brian Taylor (Crank, Gamer, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Mom and Dad) directed the movie for Millennium, based on a Hellboy mini-series from 2008. The story is said to “expand Hellboy’s world through one of the most beloved issues of the comic series.”

“The new film will see Hellboy and a rookie BPRD agent 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.”

Of particular note, Hellboy creator Mike Mignola wrote the script for Hellboy: The Crooked Man alongside Christopher Golden, which gives this project serious credibility.

Millennium Media is producing the new movie alongside Dark Horse Entertainment.

The post ‘Hellboy: The Crooked Man’ – Ketchup Entertainment Acquires the Upcoming Reboot Movie appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The press release explains that Mignola and Fegredo “have collaborated on some of the most iconic Hellboy Universe stories of all time, including Hellboy: Darkness Calls, Hellboy: The Wild Hunt, and Hellboy: The Storm and the Fury. Now the acclaimed duo, along with Eisner Award-winning colorist Dave Stewart and longtime Hellboy Universe letterer Clem Robins, are reuniting for a thrilling, three-part miniseries: Giant Robot Hellboy.

“Inspired by Mignola’s viral-hit pencil drawings from Mike Mignola: The Quarantine Sketchbook, Giant Robot Hellboy features a Mecha-Hellboy and Mega-Monsters. The first issue drops from Dark Horse Comics in October, just in time for Halloween, featuring a variant cover by Mignola and Stewart. Issue 2 will feature a variant cover by award-winning Shaolin Cowboy cartoonist Geof Darrow and Dave Stewart and issue 3 will feature a variant cover by Art Adams.”

In this all-new series, Hellboy is kidnapped and hooked up to a massive mecha-Hellboy for a mission on a mysterious, faraway island, but the island might just put up a fight of its own.

Mike Mignola commented, “Giant Robot Hellboy is my very obvious nod to all those Japanese giant monster movies—which I actually have no particular love for. What I DO love is listening to Geof Darrow and Art Adams TALK about those movies—so really, I guess this series was inspired by those guys. I had the idea for this one a long time ago but figured it was too silly to actually do—then the pandemic came along and I started to do all those sketches I would post online. I had never given a serious thought to what a giant robot Hellboy would look like but I knocked out a few sketches and I liked them—and so the thing started to seem like something that could actually be done. But I knew I wasn’t the artist for it and I knew both Arthur and Geof were busy with other things, so the only other artist I thought of was Duncan. I had no idea how Duncan would respond. Too silly? I didn’t know, but I figured I’d pitch it to him and if he said no that would be an end to it. The rest is history.”

“Hellboy awakes to an out-of-body experience and simultaneously has to deal with the usual fallout from mad scientists doing their thing whilst learning to walk again,” said Fegredo. “Come to think of it, that pretty much describes my return to collaborating with Mike Mignola… if you enjoyed my previous forays into grand scale storytelling, whoops, I did it again!”

“It was a thrill to be working with Duncan again,” said Mignola. “The man can draw anything which is very nice for a writer. What is special about Duncan is no matter what you ask him to draw, no matter how difficult or complicated—he will make it MORE complicated (and, of course, more difficult) . Everything ends up being so much more than you asked for and Duncan will endlessly curse HIMSELF for overdoing things—and we will all sit back (eventually) and marvel at this amazing thing he has created.”

The debut issue of Giant Robot Hellboy is on sale on October 25, 2023. For more information, follow Dark Horse Comics on social media for more news, announcements, and updates.

On a related note, a brand new Hellboy movie is on the way soon.

The post ‘Giant Robot Hellboy’ – Mecha Hellboy Battles Mega Monsters in 3-Issue Kaiju Comic Series appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Mignola said via Instagram, “I wasn’t on set for this one but they have been nice enough to send me dailies and I have to say I have loved what I’ve been seeing. If fans have been waiting for a Hellboy film that is actually an adaptation of one of my stories I think they are finally going to get one.”

The story is said to “expand Hellboy’s world through one of the most beloved issues of the comic series.”

“The new film will see Hellboy and a rookie BPRD agent 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.”

Jefferson White (“Yellowstone“) stars as Tom Ferrell and Adeline Rudolph (“Resident Evil,” “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina“) plays Bobbie Jo Song. Jack Kesy (“The Strain,” Deadpool 2) will be playing the next big screen incarnation of Hellboy, taking over from previous performers Ron Perlman and David Harbour.

Mignola co-wrote the reboot with Christopher Golden, based on a Hellboy mini-series from 2008.

Taylor previously described Hellboy: The Crooked Man as an R-rated folk horror movie.

“The Crooked Man is a departure from all previous Hellboy films where Mike Mignola and the creator of the comics will finally shepherd an authentic version of his stories and characters in film form,” said Millennium Media’s President Jeffrey Greenstein. “This is the first in the series of films that will captivate audiences in familiar (and new) ways. Brian Taylor is an expert across the board, and I couldn’t think of a better person to bring this story to life to show our audience this different and original Hellboy slate of films.”

Millennium Media is producing the new movie alongside Dark Horse Entertainment.

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A post shared by Mike Mignola (@artofmm)

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The team announced on the game’s official Twitter account, “Our hearts are with Lance’s family, friends, colleagues, and fans. Lance was a brilliant performer, generous with his time and attention — he had talent beyond compare, and we remain honored to have him as our Hellboy.”

Lance Reddick, who passed at just 60 years old, was no stranger to the world of gaming. He memorably voiced characters for video games in the Destiny and Horizon franchises.

Hellboy: Web of Wyrd is a third-person roguelite action adventure, with an original story created in collaboration with Dark Horse Comics and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. The game sends Hellboy “on a series of vastly different and wholly unique adventures,” but they’re all tied to the mysterious Butterfly House.

“Built in 1962 by occultist Pasquale Deneveaux, The Butterfly House is more than a mere residence; it’s a gateway. Its perverse angles and non-Euclidean geometries were designed with a singular foul purpose in mind: to open doorways into a terrible and fascinating dimension called The Wyrd.

“Twenty years later, an agent of the B.P.R.D. is sent on a reconnaissance mission to the mansion and promptly goes missing. It’s up to you—Hellboy (Lance Reddick)—and your team of Bureau agents to find your missing colleague and uncover the secrets of The Butterfly House.

“During the investigation, you will explore wondrous and strange planes of existence contained within The Wyrd, each one home to powerful monsters, forgotten godforms, magnificent treasures, and powerful secrets. But be warned, because ancient evil stagnates within the furthest reaches of The Wyrd… evil that is eager to be let out.”

Hellboy: Web of Wyrd will be released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. At this time, we don’t yet have a release date for the game. Stay tuned.

The post ‘Hellboy: Web of Wyrd’ – Lance Reddick Voiced Hellboy for Upcoming Video Game appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The fresh new reboot is titled Hellboy: The Crooked Man, and it’s based on a popular Hellboy mini-series from 2008. Production is starting next month in Bulgaria, we’ve learned.

Speaking with Collider this week, director Brian Taylor explains that Hellboy: The Crooked Man will most definitely be rated “R,” describing the project as a folk horror movie.

“I pitched an R-rated folk horror movie and the team here at Millennium have been nothing but supportive. It’s a great group of people, and they love horror,” Taylor teases.

The filmmaker continues, “…this original material is dark and scary and violent and adult. So in order to really embrace that, we just don’t wanna have any handcuffs on.”

Taylor goes on to explain that his movie will feature a “younger Hellboy, wandering the dark corners of the world,” a version of the character we haven’t quite seen on screen to date.

Head over to Collider to read the site’s full interview with Brian Taylor.

“The new film will see Hellboy and a rookie BPRD agent 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.”

Of particular note, Hellboy creator Mike Mignola wrote the script for Hellboy: The Crooked Man alongside Christopher Golden, which gives this project serious credibility.,

Millennium Media is producing the new movie alongside Dark Horse Entertainment.

No word yet on who will be following in the wake of Ron Perlman and David Harbour as the red right-handed Hellboy, but we’ll of course let you know as soon as we learn more.

The post ‘Hellboy: The Crooked Man’ Aims to Be a Rated “R” Folk Horror Movie appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Brian Taylor (Crank, Gamer, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Mom and Dad) has been chosen to direct the movie for Millennium, currently titled Hellboy: The Crooked Man.

As the title suggests, it’s based on a Hellboy mini-series from 2008.

Production is starting next month in Bulgaria, Deadline reports. The story is said to “expand Hellboy’s world through one of the most beloved issues of the comic series.”

“The new film will see Hellboy and a rookie BPRD agent 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.”

Of particular note, Hellboy creator Mike Mignola wrote the script for Hellboy: The Crooked Man alongside Christopher Golden, which gives this project serious credibility.

“The Crooked Man is a departure from all previous Hellboy films where Mike Mignola and the creator of the comics will finally shepherd an authentic version of his stories and characters in film form,” said Millennium Media’s President Jeffrey Greenstein. “This is the first in the series of films that will captivate audiences in familiar (and new) ways. Brian Taylor is an expert across the board, and I couldn’t think of a better person to bring this story to life to show our audience this different and original Hellboy slate of films.”

Millennium Media is producing the new movie alongside Dark Horse Entertainment.

No word yet on who will be following in the wake of Ron Perlman and David Harbour as the red right-handed Hellboy, but we’ll of course let you know as soon as we learn more.

The post ‘Hellboy: The Crooked Man’ – New Movie Officially Confirmed With Mike Mignola Writing appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Discussing Film exclusively reports this week that Millennium Media is “actively developing a new live-action Hellboy film, which has already been written with a director attached.”

According to the site’s sources, Brian Taylor (Crank, Gamer, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Mom and Dad) has been chosen to direct the upcoming movie for Millennium.

Discussing Film also reports that the project’s current working title is Hellboy: The Crooked Man, which might suggest it’s an adaptation of a comic book story from 2008.

In the 3-issue series, Hellboy confronts a minion of the devil in 1950s Appalachia.

The new movie could begin filming as soon as April in Bulgaria, the site also notes.

One thing we’ve learned about the Hellboy live action franchise over the years is that the movies are never quite profitable enough to justify the high costs of making them, with the David Harbour-led reboot crashing at the box office back in 2019. It made just $55 million worldwide on a reported $50 million production budget, ensuring its status as a flop.

But even the Guillermo del Toro movies starring Ron Perlman, though critically acclaimed, never made enough money to warrant more of them. Hellboy II: The Golden Army made $168 million worldwide on an $85 million production budget, which just wasn’t enough to allow for Del Toro to finish out the big screen trilogy he had intended on making with Perlman.

Where does the franchise go from here? Will Millennium’s upcoming movie – which hasn’t yet been confirmed by the company, we must note – be aiming for a theatrical release or perhaps a streaming premiere? And will the budget be slashed for Hellboy’s return to the screen, given the character’s not-so-stellar financial track record? We’ll report more as we learn it.

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From Sin City to Umbrella Academy, Dark Horse Comics has always lived up to its name by betting on oddball titles and unusual creators. While there’s no shortage of iconic characters that were first introduced in the pages of DHC, I’d argue that one of their most recognizable contributions to popular culture would have to be Mike Mignola’s Hellboy. A paranormal investigator that also happens to be a grumpy demon, the horned face of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense became a respected figure in the world of independent comics.

And with Blade and X-Men kicking off a comic-book movie boom back in the late 90s/early 2000s, it makes sense that Hollywood would eventually bring Hellboy to the big screen with a couple of adaptations helmed by Guillermo Del Toro. These movies aren’t exactly accurate representations of their source material, only adapting the broad strokes of Mignola’s stories as they focus on character moments and apocalyptic shenanigans, but they garnered a surprisingly large following due to Del Toro’s unique vision.

However, with the final film in the proposed trilogy becoming stuck in production hell for nearly a decade and comic-book movies turning into a more lucrative business, the studio decided that it was time to bring Hellboy back with a brand-new team. This time around, the project would be based on a script handed in by Mignola himself, with Andrew Cosby and Christopher Golden contributing to the story. The end product borrowed from a handful of pre-existing comic-book arcs involving Hellboy’s royal heritage and the return of the vampire queen Nimue, all in an attempt to please fans of the comic.

This reboot would also be a hard-R action/horror experience more in line with the original stories, so the studio hired celebrated genre filmmaker Neil Marshall to direct the picture due to his experience with hyper-violent creature features like Dog Soldiers and The Descent. Of course, this bold new vision meant that the main roles would have to be recast, so the team chose Stranger Things’ ever-lovable David Harbour as their new hero from hell. Ian McShane took over for the late John Hurt as Hellboy’s surrogate father Trevor Bruttenholm, and horror queen Milla Jovovich joined the cast as our main antagonist.

When the first trailer dropped, boosted by a stunning remix of Billy Idol’s cover of Mony Mony, the internet was abuzz with speculation. While nothing could ever top the endearing humanity behind Del Toro’s films, who could resist an R-rated adaptation that promised to bring Hellboy back to his demonic roots?

SO WHAT WENT WRONG?

Guillermo Del Toro’s Hellboy movies were never massive hits, but they both managed to at least break even. This wasn’t the case with the 2019 reboot, as the film was both a critical and box office bomb. Raking in a mere $55 million on a $50 million budget (which is actually a loss when you factor in theater cuts and marketing costs) and scoring a measly 17% on Rotten Tomatoes, this obviously wasn’t the return to form that Mignola and the studio had envisioned.

In fact, most media outlets chastised the film as a general waste of talent both in front of and behind the cameras. While comic fans appreciated the nods to Hellboy’s expanded mythology, the majority of critics accused the flick’s disjointed story of failing to reach the heights of Del Toro’s movies. Audiences also just couldn’t connect with Harbour after Perlman’s iconic portrayal of the character despite improved makeup effects and a more comics-accurate performance.

Of course, many of the film’s faults are due to a considerable amount of behind-the-scenes drama, with the script being constantly rewritten during production as well as conflicting interests. There were several spats between Marshall and the producers, with crew members being fired just to remind the director that he was simply a hired pawn and could be replaced at any moment, as well as frequent interruptions during rehearsals – not to mention plenty of post-production tinkering.

Marshall wasn’t even allowed to be involved with the film’s making-of documentary featured in the home video release, and his cut of the film was discarded in favor of the producers’ vision for the reboot. In recent interviews, Marshall has gone on record saying that he considers Hellboy the worst filmmaking experience of his career, claiming that his original goal was to use his genre experience to make a genuine horror movie, but he was instead relegated to studio lackey and not allowed to interfere with the film’s confusing script.

While most of the plot elements were lifted directly from the comics, these stories worked better as a series of short-but-sweet yarns slowly leading up to an epic finale. Putting them all together in a 2-hour movie resulted in an aimless cinematic experience with a lot of heart but no direction. Ultimately, while this Hellboy was a lot closer to the character’s origins, the flick lacked the creative spirit that made Del Toro’s take on the material so endearing.

THE SILVER LINING

As a massive fan of Mignola’s work, I’ve always been torn about Guillermo Del Toro’s Hellboy adaptations. While I think they’re some of the director’s best work, featuring incredible monster designs and genuinely likable characters, I can understand why Mignola would like to see a more faithful (and scarier) translation of his stories on the big screen. 2019’s Hellboy didn’t quite hit that sweet spot as a satisfying adaptation and entertaining standalone film, but the movie still boasts a lot of individually great elements that I think are worth talking about.

For instance, I’d argue that the reboot’s casting is better than it has any right to be. Perlman remains the definitive live-action Hellboy and Doug Jones’ Abe Sapien is sorely missed, but there’s no denying that Harbour is one of the most charismatic actors in the industry and he’s clearly giving it his all despite absurd amounts of makeup and a script that doesn’t do him any favors. Milla Jovovich as Nimue was also an inspired choice, as her badass persona makes her the perfect fit for a vampiric antagonist. Even Ian McShane is great as his usual scruffy self, though the visual effects behind his ectoplasmic form are not among the film’s highlights.

The flick’s horror elements were also a breath of fresh air when compared to other comic-book movies, with the film boasting genuinely creepy designs like those kaiju-sized demons that invade London in the final act, as well as some surprisingly gory death scenes. Most of the large-scale destruction was achieved through CGI, but Neil Marshall’s eye for convincing practical effects still shines through during a few key moments (especially when Baba Yaga and the Gruagach are involved).

And while referencing the source material doesn’t necessarily make a movie better, fans of the comics are sure to appreciate the film’s plethora of references to Hellboy’s past adventures. From his stay in Mexico to a cameo by Thomas Haden Church as Lobster friggin’ Johnson, I admire the respect for Mignola’s stories even if the end result didn’t exactly reflect the tone of his original work.

At the end of the day, Hellboy is proof that doing things by the book doesn’t guarantee a successful movie, and neither does excessive studio meddling. While I can’t quite claim that this is an unfairly maligned classic, there are enough interesting elements here to make this 2019 reboot worth revisiting.

Watching a bad movie doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad experience. Even the worst films can boast a good idea or two, and that’s why we’re trying to look on the bright side with The Silver Lining, where we shine a light on the best parts of traditionally maligned horror flicks.

The post Finding the Good in Neil Marshall’s ‘Hellboy’ Reboot [The Silver Lining] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Arriving at retailers this July is the “Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: Time Is a River” one-shot, penned by Mignola and drawn by Márk László.

When Hellboy accidentally left eclectic academic Lajos in a ghostly version of Budapest in “The Miser’s Gift,” he didn’t realize how far-reaching the consequences would be! As timelines get crossed, reality starts to crumble and Hellboy must return to the ghostly city to recover Lajos before it’s too late.

Mike Mignola and Márk László, along with colorist Dave Stewart, return with an explosive one-shot to continue the story they began in “The Miser’s Gift,” part of the “Hellboy Winter Special” from January 2020.

Credits: Mike Mignola (w/Variant), Márk László (a/Cover), Dave Stewart (c), Clem Robins (l). Release: July 20, 2022.

“Drawing my favorite comic book character getting lost in the city I live in is probably the most surreal thing that’s ever happened to me, and this story is definitely a surreal one,” Márk Lázlo tells Bloody Disgusting. “Hellboy learns that what the old crazy professor said in ‘The Miser’s Gift’ is true: Time is not built upon a rock, time is much more like a river. And as the Danube River’s great flood of 1838 repeats itself in the ghost version of Budapest, Hellboy has to fight his way through the phantoms and monsters lurking in the shadows of the sunken city to save the professor and himself. I hope readers will have at least half as much fun reading it as I had drawing it.”

Adds Dark Horse Editor Katii O’Brien: “Márk made his ‘Hellboy’ universe debut with a short set in Hungary that ran in our ‘Hellboy Winter Special’ a few years back, and while the ghosts in the story were put to rest, one of our characters got left behind in a ghostly Budapest. We couldn’t just leave him there, so Mike and Márk collaborated again to send Hellboy back for the unlucky professor before the ghostly city tries to keep him for itself.”

Here’s an exclusive look at the cover art:

The post “Hellboy” Creator Mike Mignola Returns for “Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: Time Is a River” One-Shot [Exclusive] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Then again, sequels to previous iterations of a property coming along after a reboot has been released aren’t entirely uncommon, as Ash came back in “Ash vs. Evil Dead” in the wake of the Fede Alvarez remake and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween franchises went back to the original continuities after their own remakes seemed to move us away from the past.

So could we someday see Perlman return in Hellboy 3? In his most recent comments on the matter, Perlman explains that the fans deserve it, even if he’s not exactly eager to do it.

Perlman tells The Independent, “Am I eager to do Hellboy 3? No, I’m 71 fucking years old. We owe this to the fans, and we should give it to them because it would be an epic conclusion.”

“So Guillermo, if you’re reading, I’m not done pounding you to get this fucking thing done,” Perlman adds, making a plea to Guillermo del Toro in an effort to make it happen.

The Hellboy franchise returned to theaters back in 2019 with a reboot starring David Harbour (“Stranger Things”) as the title character, but that film failed to light up the box office. It pulled in just $55 million worldwide on a $50 million production budget, ensuring that Harbour’s portrayal of Hellboy would be a one-and-done experience. But that doesn’t mean we’ll never see a return to Guillermo del Toro’s vision of Hellboy, which fared much better at the box office – even if 2008’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army wasn’t a big enough hit to justify another sequel.

In the wake of 2019’s Hellboy, it would seem that fan interest in a del Toro-directed Hellboy 3 is at an all-time high, so never say never. Anything is possible in the world of Hollywood.

David Harbour as ‘Hellboy’

The post ‘Hellboy 3’? Ron Perlman Feels the Fans Deserve the Final Guillermo del Toro ‘Hellboy’ Movie appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Bloody Disgusting can exclusively report that Dark Horse Comics will debut Hellboy: The Silver Lantern Club on October 27, an all-new 5-issue comic book series by legendary Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and bestselling iZombie co-creator Chris Roberson, featuring art by Christopher Mitten and Ben Stenbeck, with colors by Michelle Madsen.

“Each stand-alone issue of the series focuses on a different Victorian occult investigator who battled evil years before Hellboy was on the scene,” Dark Horse has told us today.

“Over the years readers have gotten to know a few of the people who investigated the occult and supernatural long before Hellboy and the B.P.R.D., like the Witchfinder himself Sir Edward Grey and the globetrotting Sarah Jewell,” said Chris Roberson. “But Sir Edward and Sarah were just two members of the Silver Lantern Club, a group of occult investigators who met regularly in a London tavern to swap stories over drinks. In Hellboy: The Silver Lantern Club Hellboy and Professor Bruttenholm take a break from an ongoing investigation to meet up with the professor’s Uncle Simon at that same tavern, who was a member of the club himself, to hear stories of the glory days.”

“In the debut issue, Hellboy learns about the mysteries of an exorcism gone wrong and more when his occult investigator relative reveals secretive and perilous adventures of one of the Hellboy Universe’s most mysterious societies. Silver Lantern Club member Simon Bruttenholm relates a tale from the dawn of radio, in which Sir Edward Grey and Sarah Jewel go toe to toe with . . . technology?”

“Each issue will follow Hellboy and Trevor Bruttenholm, drawn by Stenbeck, as they hear a new occult adventure from the Silver Lantern Club’s history, drawn by Mitten.”

This “new tale of strange spiritual happenings” will debut from Dark Horse Comics with Issue #1 on October 27, 2021, a full colored 32 page comic. Mignola, Mitten, and award-winning colorist Dave Stewart provide the cover for the debut issue, which you’ll find below.

The post ‘Hellboy: The Silver Lantern Club’: Mike Mignola Co-Writing Brand New Mini-Series This Halloween! [Exclusive] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“We’ve spent the past thirty-five years developing a long list of original, fan-favorite IP with many of the best partners in digital entertainment,” said Dark Horse Comics founder and president Mike Richardson in a press release. “Now is the perfect time to expand our vision into gaming. Dark Horse Games gives us exciting new ways to engage with fans of all kinds on a multitude of platforms.”

Dark Horse Games appears to aim to develop games in-house, as well as partner up with “some of the world’s top gaming studios” to create “AAA licensed titles based on Dark Horse Comics’ vast library,” across multiple platforms, including consoles, PC, and mobile.

According to the press release, the in-house games will focus on older and less established Dark Horse Comics titles as potential video game properties. There are also plans to produce and release multimedia projects alongside in-house games. As a result, Dark Horse Games is already in talks with “the world’s top game co-development studios and content production studios,” with the first in-house project already in production.

The post Dark Horse Comics Creates Games Division For Potential ‘Hellboy’, ‘300’ Games appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

It’s appropriately titled Drawing Monsters, and THR reports that the doc will see Mignola “unveil the secrets behind his horror-filled career in a feature-length documentary.”

Interview subjects include Mignola himself as well as Neil Gaiman, Doug Jones, Adam Savage, and more. Kevin Hanna and Jim Demonakos are directing the doc together.

The Kickstarter campaign explains, “Hellboy has appeared in countless graphic novels and comic books, prose novels and short story collections, acclaimed role playing games and video games, three live action films and two animated features, and has inspired toys and collectibles. Now it’s time for award-winning Hellboy creator Mike Mignola to get his turn in the spotlight in the all new documentary Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters, the definitive story of one of the most influential and important comic book creators of all time. 

“Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters is a feature-length film that tells the story of how Mike Mignola came to create a world-renowned comic book universe. The film includes never-before-seen interviews conducted with the legendary creator at his studio, drawing demonstrations, behind the scenes footage from workshops and comic book conventions, and interviews with some of the most influential people in entertainment. 

“As one of the most successful independent comic book creators, Mignola has inspired generations of writers and artists. This film provides an in-depth look at his legacy, from the beginning of his career to his success with Hellboy. We are already well in to production and are here on Kickstarter asking for YOUR help to finish this film!”

Head over to Kickstarter to learn more and help make sure the documentary gets finished!

The post ‘Drawing Monsters’: ‘Hellboy’ Creator Mike Mignola is Getting His Own Documentary [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

That observation from Samuel L. Jackson’s character Russell Franklin from the film Deep Blue Sea may not be scientifically correct, but he is right about one thing: the cold is scary.

While film, literature, and television have captured the chill of chilly weather, in classics such as The Shining and The Thing, and the recent tv series The Terror, the comics medium is uniquely suited to portraying the creeping horror of winter. Open panels highlighting the emptiness of a snowy valley and images of figures blurred in a blizzard force us to sit and stare at the unrelenting freeze.

Here are eight of the best comics to use wintery backgrounds to tell their tales of terror.

“Snow,” Creepy #75, 1975 – The frightening thing about snow is the way it encloses the world, piling upon the landscape and burying every person, plant, and animal it lands upon. Writer Bruce Bazaire emphasizes this claustrophobia for his tale “Snow,” published in the anthology magazine Creepy. The story follows a fairly straightforward post-apocalyptic narrative, involving a man returning to his nephew in an empty apartment after scavenging for food. But artists Rich Buckler and Wally Wood infuse the story with dramatic energy, rendering everyone with athletic flair and laying out panels in surprising arrangements.

Nothing captures the shivering dread driving the tale like the juxtaposition between an opening splash page, with the startled man staring at the apartment building in the distance, and a page with 12 tight panels, showing the boy singing inside his room. Those two pages lay out the characters’ predicament, caught between the suffocating enclosure of the house and the nothingness of a snowy glade.

“Revenge,” Monthly Halloween, 1993 – The Tomie tales from Japanese cartoonist Junji Ito follow a standard structure. Men encounter the mysterious woman Tomie, one or more of them fall in love with her, and then she uses her abilities to drive them to madness. In the hands of anyone less than the master of horror manga, these stories would become boring, rote. But Ito manages to make the tales feel unnerving every time.

That’s doubly true of “Revenge,” in which Tomie needs to do little more than let herself be discovered by explorers traveling through the mountains. Before finding Tomie’s body trapped in the ice, the troupe all express unquestioning devotion to their leader. But after she’s retrieved, her mere presence creates dissension in the ranks, building to the story’s twist, which lets dark blood spill on the empty white landscape.

“The Vampire’s Kiss,” Peter Parker: Spider-Man #77-78, Feb – March 1997 – While Spider-Man has his share of scary enemies, few borrow from horror tropes like Morbius, the Living Vampire. Despite the various indignities heaped on the character – including Comics Code Authority rules restricting him from being undead, a cartoon version with goofy suckers on his hands instead of fangs, and an upcoming film adaptation starring Jared Leto – Morbius remains an intimidating figure, especially in this two-part arc from writer Howard Mackie and a team of artists, including Claudio Catillini and John Romita Jr.

Throughout the story, Morbius stalks the snowy campus of Empire State University, searching not for victims but for a scientist who may be able to cure his condition. When Spidey refuses to believe the vampire’s altruistic intentions and attacks, Morbius must bite the wall-crawler to escape. With Spider-Man taken down, his wife Mary Jane becomes the hero. It’s up to MJ to transport her dazed husband across town and back home, staring down thugs on the subway and standing up to Morbius himself. The artists, Romita in particular, draw the villain as a foreboding black shape against the white sky, letting the contrast increase the threat.

“Slayride,” Detective Comics #826 (December 2006) – For many superhero fans, the Batman: The Animated Series episode “Christmas With the Joker” is a Christmas staple. So there was more than a little excitement when Paul Dini, who co-developed the series, wrote a new Christmas story for Detective Comics. “Slayride” offers a more terrifying take on the idea of Joker running amuck at Christmas time, this time with Robin as his captive as he runs down Christmas shoppers with his car.

It’s a terrifically tense story, highlighted by the expressions penciler Don Kramer and inker Wayne Faucher give the main characters. The bound and gagged Robin tries in vain to stop Joker, while the Clown Prince of Crime goes through a full range of emotions as he tries to spend Christmas in his own wretched way.

30 Days of Night (2002) – 30 Days of Night has such a perfect premise that it’s hard to believe no one had come up with it before writer Steve Niles, artist Ben Templesmith, and letterer/designer Robbie Robbins. Set in the Alaskan town of Barrow, 30 Days of Night follows husband and wife police officers Eben and Stella Olemaun as they deal with an onslaught of vampires there to feast on the residents during a month without sunrise.

Templesmith’s moody art captures the disorienting gloom of living through a non-stop snowy evening, rendering the figures as indistinct sketches and washing it all in blues and greys. But Niles’s script remains sharp throughout, fully developing the Olemauns as compelling leads and working some interesting twists into the story’s delicious premise. No comic better captures the chilling effect of winter. 

“Sparrow” Locke and Key: Key’s to the Kingdom #1 (August 2010) – The fourth volume of Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s series offers plenty of snowy terror, as the Locke children – Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode – discover magical keys in their family house, where they’ve retreated to after an attack that left their father dead and their mother wounded. But the standout tale is the first, a tribute to Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Waterson.

“Sparrow” initially seems like a childlike romp, as Rodriguez borrows Waterson’s whimsical style to describe young Bode’s transformation into a small sparrow, flying with his flock over the snowy woods. But things take a decidedly darker turn when the evil Dodge takes the form of a wolf who attacks Tyler and Kinsey. More than any other entry on this list, “Sparrow” captures both the beauty and the danger of winter.

Revival (2012-2017) – By the time Revival #1 hit comic shop stands in 2012, zombies had already overrun the culture. But creators Tim Seeley and Mike Norton prove there’s plenty of life left in stories about returned dead. When people start coming back to life in Revival, they aren’t brain-eating ghouls; rather, they’re normal people, wanting to pick up where they left off – if only they could get over their wounds, their unraveling mental states, and the sudden appearance of ghost-like creeps in the woods.

The creators wisely don’t let the premise do all the work of the 47-issue series, and instead focus on a mystery investigated by Detective Dana Cypress and her recently revived sister Em. Seeley’s smart dialogue and strong character work keep readers invested, while Norton’s clean storytelling and expressive figures make compelling human protagonists for this terrifying tale.

“The Longest Night” Hellboy Winter Special 2019 – More than most series, Hellboy offers plenty of wintertime mayhem, thanks to its regular release of winter specials. But my favorite story might be “The Longest Night,” from the 2019 special. Written by Chris Roberson, illustrated by Leila del Duca, and colored by Michelle Madsen, “The Longest Night” borrows from the Agatha Christie mystery model, in which a group of travelers waits out a blizzard before they can alert authorities about the dead body in their midst.

The story mostly stays in the warmth of the cabin, where the artists use of yellow tones and thick linework creates a sense of safety, making its occasional cuts to the blizzard all the more terrifying. The contrast allows occultist Sarah Jewell to layout her case to the crowd, building tension for the story’s monstrous climax.

The post Slashing Through the Snow: Eight Snowbound Horror Comics to Read This Winter appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In this four-issue series from Dark Horse Comics, Hellboy and Professor Bruttenholm are stranded on a strange island after a mishap on their way to a South American dig site. They soon find themselves confronted by all manner of monsters, and even when the stranger who rescues them turns out to be one of Hellboy’s heroes, they aren’t as safe as they think…

The four issue mini-series features covers by Folklords artist Matt Smith. Mignola and award-winning colorist Dave Stewart provide the variant cover for the debut issue, with subsequent issues featuring variant covers by Rachele Aragno (#2), Wylie Beckert (#3) and Anthony Carpenter (#4).

“Young Hellboy is another look into our red-skinned paranormal investigator’s childhood,” said Sniegoski. “The events in the series take place in May of 1947, before the events depicted in Hellboy: The Midnight Circus. Lighter in tone, Young Hellboy: The Hidden Land is an exhilarating adventure that embraces the thrills and chills of the pulp adventure stories of the 1930s. Mysterious islands, vampire queens, dinosaurs, giant ape gods, and a new and exciting addition to the Hellboy Universe—Scarlett Santiago, the Sky Devil. I’ve always been fascinated by the glimpses into Hellboy’s childhood that Mike has given us, and to be asked to contribute to these stories, along with Mike, Craig, and Dave, is a dream come true.”

“This may sound like a cliché, but as a fan of Hellboy since he arrived in Mike’s very first issue, it’s been an absolute thrill to work on this project with Mike and Tom and Dave,” said artist Craig Rousseau. “Getting to play in this universe with a story so full of over-the-top action, adventure, and fun has been an absolute blast and a career highlight.”

Young Hellboy will be unleashed in comic stores on February 17, 2021.

The post Mike Mignola and Dark Horse Comics Announce Fresh New Series ‘Young Hellboy: The Hidden Land’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The past several days, Mignola has sketched everyone from Mr. Peanut to Astro Boy and even Spongebob Squarepants, all in the style that Hellboy made us fall in love with.

You can check out several of his brand spankin’ new sketches below, which also put Mignola’s own spin on Morbius the Living Vampire, Tony the Tiger, Skeletor, Godzilla and more!

Head over to eBay to see which of Mignola’s sketches are currently up for auction.

pic.twitter.com/8rTqW3J3y5

— Mike Mignola (@artofmmignola) April 7, 2020

pic.twitter.com/4X7mCkdnAl

— Mike Mignola (@artofmmignola) April 6, 2020

Not a character from my childhood (I’m too old) but somebody suggested him yesterday so thought I’d give him a shot.
I spent a ridiculous amount of time on this one. pic.twitter.com/HBDq5dpNE4

— Mike Mignola (@artofmmignola) April 5, 2020

pic.twitter.com/4obDLUm2JJ

— Mike Mignola (@artofmmignola) April 2, 2020

GODZILLA pic.twitter.com/cYCuSc6JMs

— Mike Mignola (@artofmmignola) March 31, 2020

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— Mike Mignola (@artofmmignola) April 8, 2020

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— Mike Mignola (@artofmmignola) April 9, 2020

pic.twitter.com/QoQEu6Qzo3

— Mike Mignola (@artofmmignola) April 9, 2020

Tony
(Apparently escaped from the Island of Dr. Moreau to become a lovable cereal icon) pic.twitter.com/QXeZECSAjx

— Mike Mignola (@artofmmignola) April 10, 2020

Trio of cereal goblins pic.twitter.com/mk7LAeY98Z

— Mike Mignola (@artofmmignola) April 10, 2020

Okay, here’s a new one– pic.twitter.com/lvR31Cm3eZ

— Mike Mignola (@artofmmignola) April 14, 2020

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— Mike Mignola (@artofmmignola) April 15, 2020

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— Mike Mignola (@artofmmignola) April 16, 2020

Here’s one you probably didn’t see coming. I know I didn’t– pic.twitter.com/hbdMvgc5LG

— Mike Mignola (@artofmmignola) April 19, 2020

Turns out Squidward is just Squidly Diddly with a different shirt and (hideously) a nose. pic.twitter.com/SFUMDzIuUC

— Mike Mignola (@artofmmignola) April 19, 2020

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— Mike Mignola (@artofmmignola) April 20, 2020

The post ‘Hellboy’ Creator Mike Mignola Has Been Drawing Other Iconic Pop Culture Characters for a Good Cause appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

2019 delivered a surplus of top-notch horror releases with all the bleak subject matter, memorable jolts and gory kills a genre fan could ask for. Yet some of the year’s scariest moments were located in completely unexpected places – like upbeat superhero romps, brightly coloured animations and breezy hangout comedies. Indeed, the last 12 months have been so densely packed with disturbing moments cropping up in non-horror films, that we decided to compile a list. 

Now, bear in mind these sequences might not get under your skin in the same way as Midsommar or It Chapter 2 (some of them won’t phase you in the slightest if you’re over the age of 10) but they did manage to surprise us by coming totally out of nowhere. And that deserves some recognition. 

Also, before you ask: No, the Cats trailer does not make an appearance. Tempting though it was. 

Shazam! – ‘’Outlook, not so Good’’ 

David F. Sandberg obviously believes that contemporary kids movies don’t have nearly enough grisly decapitations in them. Why else would he go out of his way to include this startling boardroom massacre in the otherwise good-natured Shazam? 

Having just made a covenant with the seven deadly sins (visualised in the DCEU as Harryhausen-esque creatures), the first order of business for Thaddeus Sivana is to pay his disapproving father a special Christmas visit, so that he can exact retribution for years of childhood neglect. Naturally this translates to him interrupting an exec meeting, making boastful threats, and then summoning his newfound demonic pals to wreak havoc on his behalf. The ensuing bloodshed is relatively explicit for a PG-13, hearkening back to the distressing material you used to get in squeaky clean classics like Who Framed Roger Rabbit or Raiders of the Lost Ark.

If you go through it frame-by-frame, you can even see a headless corpse being flung out a window at one point. Wholesome family fun! 

Dumbo – Welcome to Nightmare Island 

Tim Burton might have mercifully reigned in the unadulterated terror of the infamous Pink Elephants number for his live-action Dumbo remake, but that doesn’t mean he skimped on the frights altogether. On the contrary, the ‘’Nightmare Island’’ portion of the film is pretty disquieting even by Disney’s standards.

A house-of-horrors that seeks to pass-off mistreated zoo exhibits as mythical beasts, there’s a pleasingly old-school vibe to this creepy setting, what with the chiaroscuro lighting, ghostly Danny Elfman music and gothic iconography. Special mention should go to production designer Rick Heinrichs (Sleepy Hollow) for creating such a classically spooky environment: one that boasts medieval torture devices, gloomy flora and a volcanic rock formation in the shape of a menacing skull. It looks wonderful! In fact, were it not for the deplorable animal welfare conditions, this would probably make for a pretty fun attraction at the Magic Kingdom. 

Jurassic World: Battle at Big Rock – Allosaurus Assault 

Say what you want about Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, but its cliffhanger ending did establish an intriguing direction for the rest of the series to follow, one in which prehistoric monsters are liberated from their enclosures and set loose upon the United States. The ending supplied us with a brief taste of how that premise would eventually pan out, but this year we were given a far juicer appetizer in the form of direct-to-YouTube short Battle at Big Rock. 

The majority of the action here concerns a close-knit family under siege from a hungry allosaurus that is trying to tear its way into their upturned RV. In terms of sheer intensity, it honestly outclasses many of the set-pieces we’ve seen in recent Jurassic movies, easily standing shoulder-to-shoulder with The Lost World’s long grass hunt or the otherworldly Pteranodon attack in JP3. The key element that makes it feel so perilous is the ground-level camera work, which frames everything from a human perspective and lends the carnivore a formidable sense of scale.

On that note, Larry Fong’s cinematography is definitely Big Rock’s greatest asset, producing amazing shots that help make the dinosaur feel properly intimidating (such as when the focus shifts from a character in the foreground, to a fearsome row of teeth in the background). Let’s just hope this is indicative of what’s in store for Jurassic World 3. 

Terminator: Dark Fate – You’re Dead Already 

Whilst the follow-ups became increasingly bombastic, many forget that the original Terminator had its feet planted firmly in the horror genre. It was therefore encouraging to see the franchise’s newest installment, Dark Fate, pay homage to that fact with its foreboding prologue.

Reminding us just how terrible the apocalyptic future ought to be, it kicks off with footage of Sarah Conner raving about judgement day, before cutting to a static shot of waves lapping against the beach. As the sands are gradually pulled back, we realise that they are concealing the last vestiges of human resistance in this forthcoming war – with buried skulls, spinal cords and rib cages all being uncovered by the tide. It’s a supremely haunting image and, when combined with Sarah’s grim prophecy, it makes for an effective-as-hell reintroduction to this iconic world. 

Toy Story 4 – Dead Silence 

Whoever had the idea to insert malevolent ventriloquist dummies into Toy Story 4 deserves all the Oscars. Like every last one of them. Because the inclusion of these hair-raising villains was an absolute stroke of genius, totally in keeping with the rules of Pixar’s universe, to the point where you find yourself wondering why no one else had ever thought of it before.

More so than any other entry on this list, the appearance of these freaky dolls caught us completely off guard. After all, who really expected to see something this alarming in a Toy Story sequel? Everything about the dummies is disconcerting, from their lifeless eyes, to their unnatural movements, to the way that their mouths are permanently agape, right through to the 360° head spins they do when patrolling the antique store. Seriously these guys put Annabelle to shame! 

Hellboy – Meet Baba Yaga 

Although the cards were admittedly stacked against 2019’s Hellboy from the very start – by virtue of it not being the conclusion to Guillermo Del Toro’s would-be trilogy – it was nevertheless a huge disappointment for fans. Indeed, whatever potential the reboot might have possessed was ultimately squandered on a choppy-edited mess that was plagued with production troubles, iffy VFX, and borderline incoherent storytelling. Still, there was at least one scene where all the ingredients came together in a wholly satisfying way, that being when Big Red came face-to-face with the legendary Baba Yaga. 

Here, director Neil Marshall put the convoluted plot and OTT action on the backburner so that he could finally indulge in his horror roots, and the end result was, far and away, the peak of this comic-book adaptation. There’s a terrific sense of atmosphere, as a deliciously dark subplot unravels about the witch feasting on human infants, and we are treated to some truly macabre imagery (few blockbusters have the cojones to show dead children swinging from meat hooks). Plus, we also get to marvel at top-notch contortionism from performer Troy James, whose work is complemented by expressive makeup effects that bring the folkloric hag to life. From the hairy-tongue, to the Cheshire cat grin, skeletal frame and off-centred eyes, every grotesque detail of the prosthetic is absolutely spot-on. If only the rest of Hellboy was able to live up to this incredible standard. 

Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood – Touring Spahn Ranch 

Quentin Tarantino flicks are typically constructed around a series of drawn out, suspense-filled dialogue exchanges. You know, those taut conversations that only he is capable of writing, wherein characters are either openly or covertly at each other’s throats. But as many people have already pointed out, his latest offering is uncharacteristically laid-back, mainly comprised of people shooting the breeze against the idyllic backdrop of 60s L.A. In fact, narrative jeopardy doesn’t really kick in until the halfway mark, when the fictional lives of our protagonists begin to intersect with the true story of the Manson family. 

The first time this happens – with Cliff stumbling upon Spahn Movie Ranch, the real-life headquarters of the notorious cult – makes for a distinctly nerve-wracking experience, and what’s so brilliant about it is that Tarantino leaves us to simmer in the raw tension of the moment. Without the comfort of the auteur’s trademark flourishes (like a pop-infused soundtrack or witty banter), we’re on tenterhooks throughout, as Cliff scours the ranch for its original owner, all whilst under the watchful eyes of the furtive commune.

Granted, nothing actually happens to him in the end but the unbearable sense of dread presiding over the sequence keeps you on edge and it’s enough to make you wonder what Tarantino would be capable of if he ever did decide to make a full-blown horror film. 

Joker – ‘’You’re Awful Murray’’ 

Another pressure cooker situation here, but unlike the ranch bit in OUATIH this one isn’t so neatly diffused. Throughout Joker we have witnessed misfortune after misfortune befall the pitiful Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) and it’s at this juncture that he finally reaches his breaking point, launching into a frenzied rant on live TV. Mouthing off about the hypocrisy of civilised society and the upper classes, it’s evident that he’s lost all his inhibitions and isn’t going to hold back anymore. 

However, it’s not until the vitriol is redirected at his former idol Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro) that things get legitimately scary. Tired of all the lies and insincerity, Arthur calls out the late-night host for trying to humiliate him under the pretense of inviting him onto the show. It’s a nail biting tête-à-tête, one that is anchored by Phoenix’s utterly bloodcurdling performance (note how his voice starts to break when he really starts to lose it) and Hildur Guðnadóttir’s propulsive score, which almost seems to be counting down to the inevitably violent conclusion.

The aftermath of the confrontation is especially chilling, as we look upon the horror through studio cameras, in a way that uncomfortably recalls the kind of televised atrocities that we see so often on the news. 

The post Harrison Abbott Looks at Some of the Scariest Moments in the Non-Horror Movies of 2019 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

But like all superheroes, Santa has a dark side, and plenty of different pieces of holiday media have imagined what would happen if Saint Nick went too far. While classics like Christmas Evil and Silent Night Deadly Night are well-known to horror fans, comic books have also had their own fun making the holiday hero into a scary super-villain. 

Christmas Crisis on Infinite DC Earths

Apropos of a company full of shiny icons, Santa tends to be his usual jolly self when he shows up in the DC Comics universe, using his Yuletide magic to help the Justice League wrap up escaped criminals or even bring presents to Darkseid’s hellish home planet Apokolips. 

But when Santa goes dark for DC, he goes really, really dark.

In fact. DC published what might be the most famous evil Santa story, The Lobo Paramilitary Christmas Special (1991), written by Keith Giffen and Alan Grant with art by Simon Bisely and Lovern Kindzierski. A parody of the extreme anti-heroes that dominated comics in the late-80s and early 90s, Lobo seems like the real monster of this story, especially when he mercilessly slaughters the elves and ends the story dropping bombs from Santa’s sleigh.

But Santa’s no innocent victim here. Dubbed Kris “Crusher” Kringle by the elves he works to death, Santa lives like a third-world dictator, sitting high in his lavish mansion while his servants live in fear and poverty. As imposing as Bisely makes Lobo, with wild red eyes looking out over a bloody grin, he makes Santa equally unsettling, with a grotesque stomach and a perpetual sneer under his white beard. It’s no surprise that this monstrous Kringle holds his own against Lobo — for a few pages anyway, until the Main Man lobs off Santa’s head with a machete.

Although less graphic, the December 1998 issue of Hitman matches the Paramilitary Special for its irreverent Christmas carnage. Like Lobo, Tommy Monaghan is a super-powered killer for hire who agrees to target Santa. However, this Santa isn’t the real thing — rather, he’s a Christmas-hating janitor who gets powers (how else?) after falling into a vat of toxic waste. The janitor uses his new flesh-melting abilities to exact Grinch-worthy revenge, wearing a Santa suit and killing holiday revelers until Tommy shows up to put him down. 

Like most comics written by Garth Ennis, there’s a bit of sweetness under all this mayhem, as Tommy uses his earnings to buy presents for friends. The cartoony art by penciller John McRae and inker Steve Pugh, alongside Carla Feeny’s vibrant colors, keep things pretty merry too, despite its gooey Santa monster. 

When writer Andy Diggle took over the Vertigo series Hellblazer from Ennis, he kept the original scribe’s dark sense of humor, as demonstrated by his Christmas issue. In Hellblazer #247 (2008) the cynical British mage John Constantine strengthens his magical powers by uncovering a sacred talisman — the bones of Agios Nikolaus, aka Saint Nicholas aka Santa Claus. Not content to simply use the skeleton in a ritual, Constantine grinds up St. Nick’s remains and snorts the white powder, all captured by in smirking splash page by artist Leonardo Manco.

Merry Marvel Christmas Tales

While Marvel also prefers stories about a kind and jolly Santa, they do let their version of the big red guy go bad a little more often than the Distinguished Competition. That said, Marvel’s bad Santa is still pretty light-hearted, the victim of mind-control or mistaken identity more than a full-on heel-turn. 

In fact, Marvel’s Santa rarely gets darker than he does in 1986’s Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-man #112, written by Peter David and drawn by Mark Beachum and Pat Redding. Despite the cover’s Terminator homage, featuring a pistol-packing Santa in dark shades, most of the issue is devoted to the soapy-troubles of Peter Parker’s young adulthood. When the evil Santa does appear, he’s just a mall Santa who burgles the homes of the children who visit him. Somehow, this imposter Santa escapes hapless Spidey, but he’s soon stopped by the real thing, who mutters to himself, “Last year it was slasher films. Now it’s this. I’m not laughing.”

Outside of that, Marvel Santa only gets scary for a short period of time. When a stop in Latveria leaves Santa stranded, the country’s dictator Victor Von Doom takes his place to prove his present-delivering superiority (What the-? #12, 1987). Likewise, it’s Santa’s poor financial decisions that lead to his brand being purchased by the terrorist organization Hydra in the Howard the Duck Holiday Special (1997), not a turn to the dark-side.

But there is one thing that can make even Marvel’s Man of Merriment go bad. In the 2009 Marvel Holiday Spectacular, Santa finds himself unable to complete his usual rounds. The Illuminati, the secret team of super-geniuses like Doctor Strange and Iron Man, make the decidedly un-genius decision to give Santa the one object powerful enough to deliver presents to all the world’s children in one night: the infinity gauntlet. Overwhelmed by the gauntlet’s power, Santa becomes perfectly unbalanced and turns on the heroes. But despite sexist taunts like “Come and take it, you little girls!”, the heroes prevent Santa from becoming another Thanos, and send him on his way with Stark Industries reindeer.  

Independent Clauses

Perhaps unsurprisingly, independent creators can get a little more outlandish in their scary Santa portrayals. And perhaps even less surprisingly, a lot of these portrayals don’t go much further than “Santa, but mean.” The 1996 Rob Leifeld one-off Santa the Barbarian plays out exactly like you would expect — a lot of Santa murdering folks while making bad puns like “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a big knife.” Although they would go on to much better work, Battle Pope #11 (2006) from a young Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore features a brawl between a bitter Santa and a resentful Jesus, before the two bury the hatchet and become drinking buds. 

Fortunately, there are some far more interesting evil Santa takes out there, such as a short story from 2017’s Hellboy Winter Special by Mike Mignola, Chris Roberson, and Paul Grist. “God Rest Ye Merry” doesn’t do a mythological deep dive that one might expect from Hellboy comic, but Mignola and Roberson provide a fun adventure in which the 1960s version of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense investigates a cursed talisman that falls into the possession of a sidewalk Santa, forcing Hellboy to slug it out with a mutated monster in a jolly red cap. Grist’s crisp illustrations, accentuated by Bill Crabtree’s muted colors, deliver a fun adventure that fits nicely within the Hellboy universe. 

A far scarier Santa imposter figures heavily into the 2013 neo-noir Happy! by Grant Morrison and Darick Robertson. The series’ covers alone reveal Happy!’s Santa to be the most disturbing in recent memory, with issue #2 featuring an emaciated man in a Santa suit looking back at the reader with a wild look on his face, as a single child’s eye peers out from the sack on his back. That’s a pretty good indication of what one gets in this story of a disgraced cop teaming with an imaginary blue donkey to stop Santa from kidnapping children and using them for pornography. That’s a pretty nasty premise, and as gruesome as the story gets, Happy! does have a lot more on its mind than mere shock value. But that doesn’t prevent this Santa from being one of comics’ most wicked villains. 

As if to balance things out, Morrison offers a far more heroic Santa in Klaus, the 2015-2016 seven-part story of a Nordic trapper who becomes the magical gift-giver. Unlike Leifeld’s take, this Klaus is an actual barbarian, whose red cape and imposing figure recalls Thor more than he does a rotund Tim Allen. Combining Norse and Siberian mythology with the standard Santa Claus story, Klaus follows the titular character’s fight to free the town of Grimsvig from the reign of Lord Magus. In addition to attacking Magus’s men with his broadsword and his pet wolf Lili, Klaus sparks resistance by encouraging citizens to celebrate Yuletide and by delivering toys to Grimsvig’s children.

Despite this more grounded premise, Klaus gets increasingly magical in its later issues and in its three follow-up one-shots. More and more elements of Santa lore figure into the story, including a climactic battle against the Krampus, an adventure alongside a 21st century father turned into a snow man, and even a passing reference to a movie MST3K made into a holiday staple, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. Klaus even eventually fights a bounty hunter with more than a passing resemblance to Lobo, establishing himself as, if not the scariest Santa, then at least the most intimidating. 

Given all the terror Santa delivers to comic book children, that’s saying a lot!

The post Remember When Santa Wore the Infinity Gauntlet? We Look at the Scariest Santas in Comic Books! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

This December, the Eisner Award-winning creative team of Hellboy: Krampusnacht is reuniting for an all-new one-shot, Hellboy & The B.P.R.D.: The Seven Wives Club!

Written by legendary Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and illustrated by acclaimed artist Adam Hughes, this ghostly yarn features Hellboy coming to the aid of a young girl whose ghost hunt in Savannah, GA goes terribly wrong. Things go from bad to worse, as they often do, when a visit to an abandoned medical school reveals sinister layers to a grisly long-ago murder.

“The Victorians used to read and tell ghost stories during the Christmas season,” said Mignola. “We might not be reading by candlelight these days, but I do like a good ghost story during the holiday season, especially when there are stolen cadavers, vengeful spirits, and art by Adam Hughes.”

“I’m dead thrilled to be collaborating with Mike again and flabbergasted as always that anyone wants to work with me twice,” said Adam Hughes. “This one’s so spooky, I’m only drawing it during the daytime.”

Adam Hughes will provide both the main cover and a variant cover, and Mike Mignola will also provide a variant cover. You can check out the one-shot’s cover art below.

Dark Horse Comics will publish The Seven Wives Club on December 11, 2019.

The post ‘Hellboy & The B.P.R.D.: The Seven Wives Club’ Will Tell a Spooky Ghost Story This Christmas appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Additionally, two brand new bonus features will be packaged with the release.

The full list of bonus features, via Blu-ray.com, includes:

• BRAND NEW 4K REMASTERS OF THE DIRECTOR’S CUT AND THEATRICAL VERSION OF THE FILM
• EXCLUSIVE DOLBY ATMOS TRACK FOR BOTH VERSIONS
• NEW: Introduction by Guillermo del Toro
• NEW: “To Hell and Back” Retrospective Featurette
• Three Audio Commentaries Featuring Director Guillermo del Toro, Creator Mike Mignola and the Cast
• “The Seeds of Creation” Documentary
• Theatrical Trailers
• Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary
• Makeup and Lighting Tests with Commentary
• VFX How To’s
• A Quick Guide to Understanding Comics with Scott McCloud
• “Right Hand of Doom” Set Visits and Factoids
• Q&A Archive: Comic-Con 2002
• Mike Mignola Pre-Production Art
• Animatics
• Board-A-Matics
• Multi-Angle Storyboard Comparisons
• TV Spots
• Photo Galleries
• AND MORE

You can check out the cover art below and expect this one on October 15th.

Released in 2004, del Toro’s film was based on Mike Mignola’s same-named comic series. Born in the flames of hell and brought to Earth as an infant to perpetrate evil, Hellboy (Ron Perlman) was rescued from sinister forces by the benevolent Dr. Broom (John Hurt), who raised him to be a hero. In Dr. Broom’s secret Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, Hellboy creates an unlikely family consisting of the telepathic “Mer-Man” Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), the woman he loves who can control fire. Hidden from the very society that they protect, they stand as the key line of defense against an evil madman who seeks to reclaim Hellboy to the dark side and use his powers to destroy mankind.

The post Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Hellboy’ Heads to 4K Ultra HD With New Retrospective appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The iteration of Hellboy that exists in the world of Mike Mignola‘s comic books is of course separate from both the del Toro universe and Marshall’s film, and Mignola plans to keep it that way. Speaking with Screen Rant this week, Mignola explained the simple reason why he was never into the idea of turning del Toro’s scrapped Hellboy 3 into a comic book series.

“I think del Toro mentioned it to me once, and I said no,” Mignola told the site. “I think, let the comics be the comics. Comics are confusing enough for people. Let’s not have two different versions of the Hellboy comic out there.”

He added, “My vote would be (to say) no.”

Both comic franchises and movie franchises have indeed become confusing and messy, with multiple different iterations and continuities existing at the same time, so it’s sort of refreshing to hear that Mignola wants there to only ever be one version of Hellboy in the world of comics. An admirable stance, even if we’d love to at least be able to *read* del Toro’s Hellboy 3.

The post Mike Mignola Explains Why Guillermo del Toro’s Scrapped ‘Hellboy 3’ Was Never Made into a Comic Book appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

You’ll be able to take home Hellboy and delve into his world with exclusive special features, including a three-part documentary, never-before-seen deleted scenes, and more.

Today we’re exclusively sharing a sneak peek at that documentary in the form of a clip, wherein David Harbour talks about the transformation from Chief Hopper to Hellboy. The clip also features behind the scenes footage from Harbour’s training sessions. Check it out below!

4K UHD / BLU-RAY / DIGITAL SPECIAL FEATURES:

• “Tales of the Wild Hunt: Hellboy Reborn” (3-Part Documentary)
• Deleted Scenes
• Previsualizations

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Deleted Scenes
• Previsualizations

In this year’s rated “R” reboot, Hellboy is back, and he’s on fire. From the pages of Mike Mignola’s seminal work, this action-packed story sees the legendary half-demon superhero (David Harbour) called to the English countryside to battle a trio of rampaging giants. There he discovers The Blood Queen, Nimue (Milla Jovovich), a resurrected ancient sorceress thirsting to avenge a past betrayal. Suddenly caught in a clash between the supernatural and the human, Hellboy is now hell-bent on stopping Nimue without triggering the end of the world.

The post [Video] Blu-ray Clip Highlights David Harbour’s Transformation from Chief Hopper to ‘Hellboy’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Renner has no regrets, looking back, as he still feels he just wasn’t right for the role.

“I was just reading the script and [thinking] like, ‘I don’t get this…’ I just couldn’t connect to it,” Renner told the podcast, brought to our attention by EW. “I said, ‘I can’t find a way in [to this character], I don’t know what I’d be doing,’ so I had to say no.”

Renner continued, “There’s zero regrets. Zero. Most of the time it’s like, ‘Oh, I’m glad I didn’t do it,’ and it made sense to me. Not just Hellboy or whatever it was, and I’m not saying that it’s a good or bad movie, it’s not about that… I just wouldn’t have fit there.”

Note: it had initially been misunderstood that Renner was up for the role of Hellboy himself, but Guillermo del Toro took to Twitter to clarify that it was actually the role of Agent Myers.

The post Jeremy Renner Reveals That He Turned Down a Major Role in Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Hellboy’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Needless to say, nobody involved is eager to make a sequel. Not now and likely not ever.

“I don’t think there’ll be much of a light,” star David Harbour just told ComicBook.com, stating the obvious. “There’s a lot of people who reach out to me who really loved it and really enjoyed the new take, and were just happy to see him back on the screen, but I know in the culture at large, I don’t think it was very well received.”

Harbour continued, “I don’t think it made a lot of money. I don’t really keep up with those things too much to be honest, but I don’t think the perception was that it was a hit, and so in that way, I don’t know that the risk is worth it. I think the idea is to move on. The producers spoke to me just saying ‘Great job,’ they really liked what I did, but I haven’t heard anything about a sequel, and I’m not hanging my hat on anything like that.”

Maybe now Guillermo del Toro will be handed back the reigns to end his planned trilogy proper, with Ron Perlman back as Big Red? One thing we’ve learned is to *never* say never!

Hellboy hits DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD on July 23rd.

The post Not to Shock Anyone, But David Harbour Says ‘Hellboy’ Sequels Are Very, Very Unlikely appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

I mention this because we’ve learned this morning that Marshall’s Hellboy will indeed be heading home in July, coming to Digital July 9 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD July 23!

Special features will include deleted scenes and previsualizations, as well as the three-part documentary “Tales of the Wild Hunt: Hellboy Reborn“.

Head over to ComicBook.com to see Best Buy, Walmart and Target’s exclusive releases!

In this year’s film, Hellboy is back, and he’s on fire. From the pages of Mike Mignola’s seminal work, this action-packed story sees the legendary half-demon superhero (David Harbour) called to the English countryside to battle a trio of rampaging giants. There he discovers The Blood Queen, Nimue (Milla Jovovich), a resurrected ancient sorceress thirsting to avenge a past betrayal. Suddenly caught in a clash between the supernatural and the human, Hellboy is now hell-bent on stopping Nimue without triggering the end of the world.

The post Neil Marshall’s ‘Hellboy’ Brings the Rated R Monster Mayhem Home in July! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Personally speaking, I agree with Jovovich on that assessment, as I found Marshall’s rated “R” take on Hellboy to be a gory good time – despite the problems it definitely does have. As I noted on Twitter after seeing it, it’s like watching Meatloaf’s coolest album covers come to life, with some Sam Raimi peppered on top, and that’s the kind of recipe I can appreciate.

If you’re interested, you can read my full Hellboy review right here.

So what are Hellboy star David Harbour‘s honest thoughts on the movie? Speaking with Digital Spy, Harbour admits it’s not a perfect movie, but he also feels it was unfairly trashed.

“We did our best, but there’s so many voices that go into these things and they’re not always going to work out. I did what I could do and I feel proud of what I did, but ultimately I’m not in control of a lot of those things,” Harbour told the site.

He continued, “The problem that I have with comic book movies nowadays is that I think, and it’s a result of the power of Marvel stuff, it’s like chocolate, it’s a flavor. So everybody goes chocolate is delicious and these guys make the best chocolate. So as you judge the movies, it’s like, ‘Well it’s not as chocolatey as this, this does not taste like chocolate at all.’ And I sort of want a world where there’s more flavors than just comparisons to chocolate. So in that way when Hellboy is viewed on the chocolate spectrum, it does very poorly.”

“That being said, it also has major problems,” Harbour admitted. “I think as a rental or as a movie that you see on an airplane, I think you’d be like, ‘Oh that was fun’ because it’s a fun movie, and I think it was unfairly bludgeoned as a result of these comparisons.”

What Harbour is essentially saying here is that Hellboy doesn’t stack up to Marvel’s superhero movies, to be sure, but that it shouldn’t have to in order to be enjoyed. And he brings up a great point there, as the seriousness of the MCU’s output has raised the quality bar to such an extent that every single comic book movie is compared to Marvel’s best efforts. But Hellboy was never even trying to compete with Marvel (or del Toro’s movies), instead choosing to deliver a wild, bloody, over the top monster movie – and that’s precisely what it brings to the table.

Unfairly maligned? A future cult favorite? Yeah. I think Jovovich and Harbour are spot on here.

The post David Harbour Says ‘Hellboy’ Had Its Problems But Was “Unfairly Bludgeoned” for This Reason appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

I find it interesting that nobody is talking about Paramount Pictures’ new adaptation of Stephen King‘s classic Pet Sematary (read our review). The Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer-directed remake has just surpassed $100M globally on its $20M budget. As I noted various times, the film needed to top $70M worldwide in order to be considered a success.  If Paramount were to make another film, the producers have expressed a desire to explore a prequel, rather than a sequel.

Then there’s New Line Cinema’s The Curse of La Llorona, the latest film in the Conjuring Universe that opened incredibly strong last weekend. Unfortunately, it was pitted against Thanos and took a hit, but still managed to surpass $75M (on its way to 86.9M) worldwide in just its second week. Directed by first-timer Michael Chaves, the story of The Weeping Woman was made for only $9M making this a monstrous hit. There is no world in which we won’t see a sequel in the future. The biggest question will be as to if New Line will market the next one as a Conjuring film, unlike its predecessor.

Then there’s Jordan Peele‘s social slasher Us (read our review), which is sitting just $500,000 shy of an insane $250M global take on just a $20M budget. The film doesn’t beg for a sequel, but if Peele wanted one, there’s no world in which Universal or Blumhouse say no.

Lastly, let’s say a prayer for Hellboy (read our review), which only added $355,000 this past weekend and is flaming out at $21.5M domestically. A previous article on Deadline reported the international numbers opening in the $10M range, so a $40M total is likely. On a $50-$60M budget, this is a huge, huge, huge flop, unless Lionsgate and Millenium were to have sold international territories for tens of millions of dollars. The loss on this one looks to have exceeded $50M. Ouch.

The year is just getting started so it’ll be fun to see just how big horror can get by the time It: Chapter 2 hits theaters this coming September.

The post [Box Office] ‘The Curse of La Llorona’, ‘Pet Sematary’, and ‘Us’ Hitting Landmark Numbers appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The Nun worked its way to $365M worldwide, while Annabelle: Creation and the official Conjuring sequel broke $300M. While La Llorona probably won’t have the same impact, it’s still a massive success from the Conjuring team who are heading into the summer with Annabelle Comes Home (June 28th) and Chaves set to get behind the camera for the highly anticipated third Conjuring. There is no end in sight for the Conjuring Universe.

Lionsgate’s R-rated Hellboy (read our review) reboot is already flaming out in just its second week. The Neil Marshall-directed flop adding another estimated $3.88M for a $19.67M domestic total. Much of the international numbers are being kept under wraps, but Deadline quietly reported $10M last weekend, which would put this in the $30M global gross range on a tough-to-overcome $50M-$60M reported budget. At this rate, this will go down as one of the year’s biggest disappointments.

I like pointing out that the Pet Sematary (read our review) remake is quietly a hit, especially since so many sites wrote it off. The modern take on Stephen King‘s novel is already way into the profit zone with $92M worldwide. With $100M incoming, there’s no reason to think Paramount won’t pull the trigger on another. If they do, the producers have expressed a desire to explore a prequel, rather than a sequel.

A quick update on Jordan Peele‘s social slasher Us (read our review), which is now nearing the $250M global mark on just a $20M budget. The film doesn’t beg for a sequel, but if Peele wanted one, there’s no world in which Universal or Blumhouse say no.

Horror continues to be hotand it’s just April.

International numbers could trickle in throughout the day. We’ll try and keep this updated.

The post James Wan Wins the Box Office (Again) with $26.5M for ‘The Curse of La Llorona’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The figure stands just over one-foot tall, with over 20 points of articulation, featuring detailed skin texture, tendons and seamless elbow joints, plus built-in joints in neck and tail. It also comes with multiple interchangeable hands, along with a removable coat, BPRD t-shirt and the Excalibur sword and crown of flames… among many other accesories.

Here’s the full overview via Hot Toys:

Skillfully crafted based on the appearance of Hellboy from the new movie, the highly-accurate collectible figure features a newly developed head sculpt with two styles of interchangeable horns translating all the intricate details, a specially painted body showing detailed skin texture with enhanced articulations, perfectly tailored outfit, an array of weapons and accessories including the iconic Excalibur sword, pistols, sword of fire and lighting effect accessory for alternative display styles, a movie-themed figure stand with burning flame diorama accessories and character backdrop.

For more info, head over to ToyArk.

The post David Harbour’s ‘Hellboy’ Gets the Hot Toys 1/6 Scale Treatment appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Prior to the mid-credits scene, which gives us a bit more of Thomas Haden Church’s Lobster Johnson, Neil Marshall’s Hellboy is capped off with a sequence that teases a potential sequel. Oddly enough, much of the footage from that final sequence was included in the trailers, but those marketing materials did not spoil the last little moment that brings the film to a close.

Six months after the final battle, which sees Hellboy, Alice Monaghan and Ben Daimio uniting to fend off the “Blood Queen” Nimue and save the world, the trio raids the Oannes Society and slays everyone in sight. In the bowels of the lab, they discover the reason they’re there: a tank housing a fellow by the name of Abe Sapien, whose hand is glimpsed before the credits roll.

The promise of that little tease is that Abe Sapien will be joining the B.P.R.D. in Hellboy 2, a film that likely won’t actually be happening. While we’re still waiting to see if the international numbers are any better, the rated “R” reboot of Hellboy has to date made just $12 million at the domestic box office, a tiny portion of its $50 million production budget.

And that’s not even counting the additional money spent on marketing. Yikes.

Abe Sapien was of course played by Doug Jones in Guillermo del Toro’s two Hellboy movies, and Jones had recently noted that he turned down a cameo appearance in Marshall’s reboot due to scheduling issues. We can’t help but wonder if perhaps Marshall was hoping to get Jones to reprise the role of Abe Sapien in the final moments of his movie, but that’s purely speculation on our part. Jones had told THR: “There was a chance that a cameo might have happened, but not as things progressed. Reboot means recasting, and I’m told this first reboot does not have anybody in it from the original film. I received an offer to do a cameo, but I was deeply immersed in Star Trek: Discovery when that offer came in, so I couldn’t do it.”

In any event, the tease in the final moments of Marshall’s film sticks pretty true to Mike Mignola’s comic books, where Abe Sapien was indeed housed (and born, quite literally) at the Oannes Society headquarters. Long story short, a man named Langdon Everett Caul is turned into a body-horror nightmare by a jellyfish-like deity that the Society performed a ritual on – as Wikipedia notes, the Oannes Society is “an occult organization who believed in life and all knowledge having come from the sea” – eventually becoming the creature known as Abe.

In the comics, Sapien is abandoned in the lab and eventually discovered in 1978, ultimately taken in and made part of the B.P.R.D team. Marshall’s mythology rewrites Mignola’s lore a tad bit, with Hellboy, Alice and Ben rescuing Abe Sapien in the present day. Unfortunately, we may never know what’s next for Abe, at least not in this particular take on the mythology.

As for Del Toro’s mythology, Abe is already a member of the B.P.R.D. when we first meet him.

Doug Jones had recently told Screen Rant, “I’m told that Abe Sapien doesn’t really show up in this first reboot movie, so for a minute here I’m kind of – I’m OK with the fact that I don’t have to watch somebody else do that role just yet. If and when Abe Sapien does enter the storyline in subsequent movies, I honestly would not have any advice for anyone besides have patience with the make-up, but otherwise make the character your own. And, also, anytime you take on a comic book character you must know your source material. The fans depend on it.”

If Del Toro was given the opportunity to make his planned third installment, Jones would’ve reprised the role of Abe Sapien, but alas, his trilogy seems destined to remain incomplete. On a related note, Hellboy writer Peter Briggs shared details on a planned Abe Sapien solo film a couple years back, which would’ve starred Jones but was killed off by this year’s reboot.

It may be a long time – if ever – before we see Abe Sapien back on the big screen, but hey, at least we’ve got The Shape of Water. With a little imagination, it’s totally Abe’s origin story!

The post [Spoilers] It May Never Happen, But Let’s Talk About That Fun ‘Hellboy’ Sequel Tease appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Milla Jovovich plays the villain Nimue (aka the Blood Queen) in the film, and taking to Instagram over the weekend, the actress responded to the harshest of Hellboy criticisms.

Jovovich wrote:

“It’s always stressful on opening weekend and @hellboymovie is no different. You work super hard to make something fun and entertaining and have to absorb the negative reviews by movie critics, but hey! THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY. All I’m gonna say before going to bed is this: All my raddest films have been slammed by critics. It’s fucking hilarious. Dazed and Confused? Seriously? Classic movie. The Fifth Element! You would have thought that was the worst movie ever made if you read the reviews in like ‘98. Zoolander? Slammed. Joan of Arc? Disaster. Resident Evil? Let’s not even go there. Anyway, every one of those films is now a cult classic. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. And this will be too. Mark my words.”

“Why? 1. Because of the amazing actors. David Harbour. Ian Mcshane. Daniel Dae Kim. Sasha Lane. They are all so damn wonderful and talented, the movie is worth seeing just because they’re in it, especially one that’s so much fun to experience as this is. 2. @mikemignola who created the #Hellboy comics helped write the script and was on set every single day to make this film as close to his vision as possible. 3. It was directed by one of the greats. #NeilMarshall who brought us “The Descent”. One of the greatest horror movies ever. Trust me, you’re gonna have a blast watching the new @hellboymovie. I mean, one critic said “it’s a loud, gory mess only a teenager would love.”HELL yea Hellboy! Let’s have some fun! And with that, I wish you all a good night! Xo m”

Like many recent movies, there’s quite a disparity between the “Tomatometer” and the “Audience Score” percentages for Hellboy on Rotten Tomatoes, with the former coming in “rotten” at just 15% and the latter holding relatively strong at 63%. Hellboy ’19 is no doubt made with a pretty specific crowd in mind, and it seems that at least that crowd is digging it.

Do you agree with Jovovich? Will Marshall’s Hellboy someday find its audience, the way many of her past films eventually did? Personally speaking, I think she’s pretty spot on here…

 

View this post on Instagram

 

It’s always stressful on opening weekend and @hellboymovie is no different. You work super hard to make something fun and entertaining and have to absorb the negative reviews by movie critics, but hey! THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY. All I’m gonna say before going to bed is this: All my raddest films have been slammed by critics. It’s fucking hilarious. Dazed and Confused? Seriously? Classic movie. The Fifth Element! You would have thought that was the worst movie ever made if you read the reviews in like ‘98. Zoolander? Slammed. Joan of Arc? Disaster. Resident Evil? Let’s not even go there. Anyway, every one of those films is now a cult classic. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. And this will be too. Mark my words. Why? 1. Because of the amazing actors. David Harbour. Ian Mcshane. Daniel Dae Kim. Sasha Lane. They are all so damn wonderful and talented, the movie is worth seeing just because they’re in it, especially one that’s so much fun to experience as this is. 2. @mikemignola who created the #Hellboy comics helped write the script and was on set every single day to make this film as close to his vision as possible. 3. It was directed by one of the greats. #NeilMarshall who brought us “The Descent”. One of the greatest horror movies ever. Trust me, you’re gonna have a blast watching the new @hellboymovie. I mean, one critic said “it’s a loud, gory mess only a teenager would love.”HELL yea Hellboy! Let’s have some fun! And with that, I wish you all a good night! Xo m

A post shared by Milla Jovovich (@millajovovich) on Apr 12, 2019 at 9:38pm PDT

The post Milla Jovovich Responds to ‘Hellboy’ Criticisms; “All My Raddest Films Have Been Slammed By Critics” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Looking at these figures, you can see why Lionsgate and Millenium thought maybe they could revive the franchise with a more modest budget, even if $50M is still pretty high (although, it’s nothing compared to The Meg‘s $150M). If the Neil Marshall-directed Hellboy (read our review) could hit similar numbers, they’d be in good shape. On paper, it’s not that crazy, although it’s well known that Universal has a really strong international distribution arm. With that said, Lionsgate is known for preselling their films internationally to recoup much of their budget. All of these factors make it hard to know just how badly Lionsgate took a hit with Hellboy.

No matter, Shazam! won the box office once again as the R-rated Hellboy reboot opened to an exceptionally weak $12M here in the States. This is remarkably low considering Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy opened to $23M and The Golden Army to $35M.  Being that the reported budget is $50M, we can guesstimate that this film needs, at the very least, $150M globally to break even. Can China come through and save the day? We’ll continue to update as numbers are reported.

ALSO READ: Who Plays the Nightmarish Baba Yaga in Hellboy? Twisty Troy, Star of “Channel Zero: The Dream Door”!

As for Paramount Pictures’ new adaptation of Stephen King‘s classic Pet Sematary (read our review), the Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer-directed remake dropped 59% and added $10M for a $41M domestic total. With fresh international numbers added, it currently sits at an impressive $76.8M worldwide.

As I noted last week, the film needed to top $70M globally in order to be considered a success.  If Paramount were to make another film, the producers have expressed a desire to explore a prequel, rather than a sequel.

Pet Sematary follows Dr. Louis Creed (Jason Clarke), who, after relocating with his wife Rachel (Amy Seimetz) and their two young children (Jeté Laurence, Hugo and Lucas Lavoie) from Boston to rural Maine, discovers a mysterious burial ground hidden deep in the woods near the family’s new home. When tragedy strikes, Louis turns to his unusual neighbor, Jud Crandall (John Lithgow), setting off a perilous chain reaction that unleashes an unfathomable evil with horrific consequences.

[Spoilers] ‘Pet Sematary’ versus ‘Pet Sematary’: From Book to Screen

The post [Box Office] ‘Shazam!’ Slays Neil Marshall’s ‘Hellboy’ Reboot; ‘Pet Sematary’ Tops $75 Million appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“Any scene that features the seriously creepy Baba Yaga is an amazing highlight that I can’t stress enough, particularly one that sees Hellboy inside her home. This character is so fantastically designed and performed, her home so unnerving, that she deserves an entire movie of her own. Troy James once again creates a memorable horror character in his unique twisty way.”

Yes, the Baba Yaga was played by “Twisty Troy” James, who has fast become of the top creature performers in the entertainment business. A real-life contortionist, James is able to bend, twist and move his body in highly unnatural (and very unnerving) ways and naturally, horror filmmakers have been mining his incredible abilities by making him their monsters.

Most notably, Twisty Troy played Pretzel Jack in “Channel Zero: The Dream Door,” one of the most memorable new horror villains to come along in recent years. James also made a memorable appearance as “Sleepwalker” in the 2016 horror film The Void, and more recently he played the DC Comics character Peter Merkel aka Rag Doll for The CW’s “The Flash.”

Up next, he’s playing a body-horror nightmare in Jen & Sylvia Soska’s Rabid.

I have to agree with Meagan that Twisty Troy is a total scene-stealer as the Baba Yaga, an evil witch who lost her eye in a battle with Hellboy prior to the events of Marshall’s film. Banished to another dimension by Big Red, the Baba Yaga lives in a creepy house that stands atop a set of chicken legs – and yes, Marshall absolutely worked that incredibly bizarre imagery into the film, making for one of its most awe-inspiring moments – and she herself stands on wooden peg legs and scurries around the place like the creepiest spider you’ve ever seen.

Oh and yes, she totally eats children. The movie isn’t afraid to show that.

It’s Twisty Troy’s performance that really does proper justice to the Baba Yaga, but Academy Award-winner Joel Harlow‘s makeup work on the character is equally impressive. And though the film is chock full of CGI throughout – some of it good, some admittedly pretty bad – the 100% practical approach to Baba Yaga makes her a standout highlight of the whole thing.

She’s a character only Twisty Troy could possibly play, and without Troy’s abilities at the team’s disposal, she likely would’ve been brought to the screen with a whole lot of CGI. Like Javier Botet, James allows for filmmakers to practically bring otherworldly, unnatural-moving creatures to life, and that makes him indispensable within the horror genre.

Check out some behind the scenes shots of Twisty Troy freaking everyone out on set below, along with a short featurette video about Joel Harlow’s practical effects on the new Hellboy.

The post Who Plays the Nightmarish Baba Yaga in ‘Hellboy’? Twisty Troy, Star of “Channel Zero: The Dream Door”! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.