Hellboy is a 2004 American superhero film based on the Dark Horse Comics character, created by Mike Mignola. Written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, it is the first live-action film in the Hellboy franchise. Ron Perlman stars as the titular character, alongside Selma Blair, Jeffrey Tambor, Karel Roden, Rupert Evans, and John Hurt. The film draws inspiration from the debut comic Hellboy: Seed of Destruction. In the film, a charismatic demon-turned-investigator named "Hellboy" works with the secretive Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense to suppress paranormal threats, when a resurrected sorcerer seeks to make Hellboy fulfill his destiny by triggering the apocalypse. Hellboy had its premiere at the Mann Village Theater in Los Angeles on March 30, 2004, and was released in the United States on April 2. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $99.8 million against a production budget between $60–66 million. The film was followed by a sequel, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, in 2008, and two reboots.
Plot In 1944 during World War II, Grigori Rasputin, his disciples Ilsa von Haupstein and Obersturmbannführer Karl Ruprecht Kroenen, and a group of Nazis build a dimensional portal to free demonic entities called Ogdru Jahad: The Seven Gods of Chaos to help them win the war. However, young scientist Trevor "Broom" Bruttenholm and an Allied strike force interrupt them and destroy the portal, which pulls in Rasputin while Haupstein and Kroenen escape. The Allied team soon discovers an infant demon with a stony right hand had come through the portal and dub him "Hellboy", who Broom adopts as his son. Sixty years later, the eternally youthful Haupstein and Kroenen resurrect Rasputin. Meanwhile, FBI agent John Myers is transferred to the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD) at Broom's request and assigned to assist the adult Hellboy and an amphibious psychic humanoid named Abraham "Abe" Sapien before the BPRD are sent to investigate an incident at a museum, where Hellboy battles a creature called Samael. After defeating it, Hellboy visits former BPRD member Liz Sherman at a mental hospital, which she committed herself to due to her unstable pyrokinetic abilities. Concurrently, Abe learns that Samael was resurrected by Rasputin, who imbued it with the power to lay eggs that allow it to reincarnate and split its essence every time it dies. Concluding Samael made a nest in the sewer where Hellboy defeated it, Hellboy, Abe, and several FBI agents work to destroy them. However, Hellboy breaks off to pursue Kroenen, Abe is injured after locating the nest, and Kroenen kills most of the agents before shutting down his cyborg body to trick the BPRD into recovering him. As Hellboy is reprimanded by FBI director Tom Manning, Rasputin secretly manipulates Liz into returning to the BRPD. Discovering Myers taking Liz out for coffee, a jealous Hellboy covertly follows them, leaving the BPRD defenseless. Kroenen reanimates himself, allowing Rasputin to infiltrate the base and confront Broom. Rasputin reveals he intends to use Hellboy to destroy the world, but Broom asserts Hellboy will always be his son. Respecting Broom for raising Hellboy, Rasputin orders Kroenen to kill Broom quickly. Manning takes over the BPRD and leads a group in locating Rasputin's mausoleum, but everyone gets separated. As Hellboy and Manning locate and kill Kroenen, Liz and Myers find Samael's new nest. Hellboy reunites with them, but is overwhelmed by the creatures until Liz incinerates them and the nest, unwittingly allowing Rasputin and Haupstein to capture her, Hellboy, and Myers. Rasputin absorbs Liz's soul to force Hellboy to reopen the portal and release the Ogdru Jahad in exchange for returning it. Myers frees himself, subdues Haupstein, and reminds Hellboy that he can defy his destiny. Remembering his true self and what Broom brought him up to be, Hellboy reseals the Ogdru Jahad and mortally wounds Rasputin. Nonetheless, Rasputin expels a spawn of the Ogdru Jahad called the Behemoth, which kills him and Haupstein. Undeterred, Hellboy allows the monster to eat him and detonates a grenade belt inside it, killing it. Afterward, he revives Liz and shares a kiss with her.
Cast
In addition, Ladislav Beran plays Karl Ruprecht Kroenen, Bridget Hodson appears as Ilsa Haupstein, William Hoyland as Klaus Werner von Krupt, Angus MacInnes as U.S. Army Sergeant Whitman and Corey Johnson (credited as John William Johnson) as Agent Clay.
Production
Development
Initially, Batman: The Animated Series director Kevin Altieri was pursuing an animated adaptation of Hellboy and had meetings with Mike Mignola and Dark Horse Comics that ultimately didn't lead to anything, but after failing to gain any traction instead opted to shift focus to an adaptation of Gen¹³. Guillermo del Toro and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola envisioned the film as a Ray Harryhausen film. The film was shopped and rejected by various studios for years due to studios disliking the title, script and the fact that Ron Perlman was cast as Hellboy. Harryhausen was invited by Del Toro to teach the film's animators what made his effects techniques unique but declined, feeling that modern films were too violent.
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