Fans of comic books, 00s horror, and Guillermo del Toro will remember his attempt to launch a mainstream franchise with "Hellboy" in 2004, a lively mix of pulp genre excitement, humor, and classic effects infused with del Torovian occult vibes. The key to the success of the first film, and to a lesser extent its sequel "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," was the casting of Ron Perlman as the witty, cigar-smoking, half-demon/half-human title character, and Selma Blair as his intriguing pale sidekick/love interest Liz. However, the 2019 reboot, featuring David Harbour as the formidable Right Hand of Doom, failed to impress at the box office, making the decision for a lower-budgeted follow-up somewhat puzzling. Just as Hellboy can detect evil in the forest while others only smell pine, there seems to be a hint of financial manipulation surrounding this endeavor.
In the latest installment, Jack Kesy takes on the role of the heavily made-up character, appearing less convincing than his predecessors, especially when smoking. The story unfolds in the 1950s, with Hellboy collaborating with the enthusiastic agent Bobbie Jo Song from the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, a sharp contrast to Hellboy's cynical nature. An escapee in the form of a CGI spider leads them to a mysterious location in the Appalachia forests, where they encounter hillbilly witches and portals to the underworld while searching for a phone. Local resident Tom Ferrell (played by Jefferson White), a war veteran returning to find his parents apparently deceased, seeks the help of Hellboy and Bobbie Jo to rescue his former love interest Cora (portrayed by Hannah Margetson), who has fallen under the spell of the local sorceress Effie (played by Leah McNamara, who seems to be enjoying her exaggerated performance). Adding to the chaos is the Crooked Man (portrayed by Martin Bassindale), their adversary who, despite his stylish top hat, lacks the excitement as a villain.