Hellboy (2004)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A charismatic demon-turned-investigator must stop a resurrected sorcerer from triggering the apocalypse.
The story
In the film, a charismatic demon-turned-investigator named "Hellboy" works with the secretive Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense to suppress paranormal threats. The peace is shattered when a resurrected sorcerer seeks to make Hellboy fulfill his destiny by triggering the apocalypse. The story weaves together the history of a 1944 Nazi plot to open a portal to the 'Seven Gods of Chaos' and the modern-day efforts of the BPRD to contain the resulting supernatural fallout.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1944, a Nazi group and the sorcerer Rasputin attempt to open a portal to free the Ogdru Jahad. They are interrupted by an Allied force, and while the portal is destroyed, an infant demon with a stony hand is found and adopted by scientist Trevor "Broom" Bruttenholm. Sixty years later, the sorcerers Haupstein and Kroenen resurrect Rasputin. Hellboy, an adult now working with the BPRD, teams up with Abe Sapien and agent John Myers to investigate a creature called Samael. As the plot unfolds, Rasputin manipulates Liz Sherman, a woman with pyrokinetic abilities, to help him. The climax occurs at Rasputin's mausoleum where the heroes are separated. Hellboy eventually faces Rasputin and the Behemoth. He chooses to defy his destiny, reseals the portal, and defeats the monsters, ultimately saving Liz and the world.
- First release year
- 2004
- Runtime (minutes)
- 122
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Guillermo del Toro
- Writers
- Guillermo del Toro · screenplay; Guillermo del Toro · story; Peter Briggs · story
- Cast and characters
- Ron Perlman · Hellboy; Selma Blair · Liz Sherman; Jeffrey Tambor; Karel Roden; Rupert Evans; John Hurt; Ladislav Beran · Karl Ruprecht Kroenen; Bridget Hodson · Ilsa Haupstein; William Hoyland · Klaus Werner von Krupt; Angus MacInnes · U.S. Army Sergeant Whitman; Corey Johnson · Agent Clay
- Genres
- superhero; action; fantasy
- Themes
- destiny; choice; identity
- Tone and mood
- dark; supernatural; action-packed
- Premise and plot tags
- superhero; fantasy; horror; action
- Source material / true-story basis
- Dark Horse Comics
- Franchise connections
- Hellboy
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics and was praised for its visuals and performances.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 72 · scale: 100 · review count: 37
- Production trivia
- Some theaters refused to host the film due to the word 'hell' in the title.; In Malaysia, the film was retitled 'Super Sapiens'.; The film was shot for 130 days in 2003.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…