After the 2019 Hellboy reboot flamed out at the box office, leaving fans and critics alike disappointed, it was clear that the franchise had to return to its stripped-down gothic origins.
Written by Mike Mignola, creator of the comic series, Hellboy: The Crooked Man should be everything fans have longed for: an unapologetically R-rated folk horror which pits the unlikely hero against a coven of witches in rural 1950s Appalachia. Stepping into the shoes previously worn by Ron Perlman and David Harbour, star Jack Kesy admits he knew very little about Hellboy before taking on the role, but he was intrigued by the “human” approach to making a comic book movie.
He told Zavvi: “I’m not a big fan of comic book stories in general, but that’s because I prefer grounded stories. I want to see these great characters like Batman or Spider-Man in more stripped-down films where we get to know their human side a lot better, forcing them to interact with real people more than they normally would.”
Considering this is a supernatural tale involving witches and demons, you’d be forgiven for assuming that what Kesy wants to see in his comic book movies would be nowhere to be found here. However, shortly after being cast, he began speaking with fans about the character and discovered that he had exactly what was needed to add a recognisably human element to an over-the-top spooky story.
“One person wrote to me and said they were excited to see me take this on because they knew I was a working-class guy”, he continued. “I’m a kid from the streets, not a Yale graduate; I’ve had jobs working on garbage trucks and fitting sheetrock and rebar, a roll-your-sleeves up kind of guy.
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“That’s exactly what Hellboy is, even though he’s half-human, half-demon. The fans see him as a working man, a plumber-slash-investigator, first and foremost, and they were excited to see someone who could do justice to that aspect of his character onscreen.”
Mignola took inspiration from his own father in creating Hellboy, but director Brian Taylor found Kesy to be his real living embodiment shortly after they first met. This is something the actor chalks up to their shared distrust of authority.
“Brian has always said I’m Hellboy without the horns! I didn’t know what to expect when I read the script, as I only had the previous films for context, but I knew immediately I was going to have a lot of fun with him.
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“I found myself relating to him on an emotional and intellectual level, understanding his jadedness and hardened persona, and his need to communicate via wisecracks. It wasn’t a big stretch to become him – outside of needing to fit into that rubber suit.”
Despite early reports to the contrary, Hellboy is brought to life entirely practically, which was a learning curve for Kesy, who had never needed to use extensive makeup and prosthetics for a role before.
“The first time we tried everything on, I was taken to a little factory near West Ham. Those guys are geniuses, they’re so patient and professional through the process, but that first time it took six hours to get into the costume.
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“Over the course of production we got it down to four hours, always starting off with the facial prosthetics before putting the suit on. It’s nothing that’s never been done before, but it was an entirely new experience for me, and I can’t pretend it didn’t test my patience.
“The first week or two was a lot, as I was working six days a week, always the first one to arrive and the last to leave. It was intense, but it was a spiritual experience.”
As the film starts rolling out worldwide, Kesy has started preparing himself for a possible backlash based on how the 2019 film was received.
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“I thought David Harbour got beat up for no reason. They tried to do an interesting thing with him and reincarnate a different look, and although a lot of the stuff in that movie didn’t make any sense, it wasn’t so much his fault; I still appreciated how they tried to swing for the fences with it.
“But I’m ready to go to hell for life fighting for this one. We all showed up and gave 110%, I’m ready to go out on my shield like the boxers say in the ring…”
Fortunately for Kesy, that seems unlikely, as early fan reactions are incredibly enthusiastic about the stripped-back horror approach. They should be warned, however, that a sequel remains unlikely.
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“I think this will be a one-and-done, although I’m definitely up for making more. It was a learning curve for everybody who stepped onto that set, especially because visual effects were limited, and we all had to learn to do a lot of things hands-on we wouldn’t if this were made on a larger scale.
“I’ve got a couple of other projects that I’m building from the ground up, screenplays that I’ve written, and I’ve met a lot of good producers and financiers who could help make that happen. But it’s not easy to get anything made, and I’m ready to battle – everybody else is and they’re ready to make great things too, so I will be willing to go the extra mile to try bring those to life.”
Hellboy: The Crooked Man is in UK cinemas now.
