The Violent Man

Lore & Background

The Crooked Man is a supernatural entity who haunts the Appalachian Mountains. He makes pacts with humans, such as the one he made with Tom Ferrell when Tom was a child. Tom used a black cat carcass to make a pact with the Crooked Man: whatever bone Tom held once the entity arrived would become his lucky bone. However, Tom was terrified by the sight of the Crooked Man and discarded the lucky bone, but it would always return and kept him safe from harm. Tom realized his actions enabled the Crooked Man to cross over to Earth, and he vowed to confront and destroy him. The Crooked Man draws power from the town's mines and from captive souls, which Bobbie Jo Song was able to dispel with magic, weakening the demon and enabling his defeat.

In Their Own Story

When Hellboy and rookie B.P.R.D. agent Bobbie Jo Song are stranded in the Appalachian Mountains in 1959, they meet Tom Ferrell, a war veteran who has returned to atone for past sins. Tom tells them he once met Effie Kolb, who told him the story of 'The Crooked Man'. At Effie's suggestion, Tom used a black cat carcass to make a pact with the Crooked Man, but was so terrified by the sight of the demon that he discarded the lucky bone. The bone always returned and kept him safe, but Tom realized his actions allowed the Crooked Man to cross over to Earth. Later, the Crooked Man confronts the survivors in a church, tempting Tom to return his lucky bone. Hellboy stops him, and after a battle, Hellboy and Tom chase the Crooked Man to an abandoned mansion, where they are assaulted with traumatic visions. Bobbie Jo enters a tunnel system through a hatch in the church floor and dispels the captive souls feeding the Crooked Man with magic, freeing Hellboy and Tom from the visions and enabling them to vanquish the demon.

Reader's Guide

The Crooked Man is a demonic entity who makes pacts with humans, granting them protection in exchange for their souls. He is served by a horde of demonic servants, including a demonic snake that can kill with its bites and show visions of Hellboy's mother Sara. The Crooked Man can assault victims with traumatic visions and draws power from the town's mines and from captive souls. He is vulnerable when the souls feeding him are dispelled, as Bobbie Jo Song did with magic. The Crooked Man is ultimately vanquished when Hellboy and Tom Ferrell, freed from his visions, destroy him. The film's director Brian Taylor confirmed that the characters of both Hellboy and the Crooked Man were created and shot practically, with no CGI enhancements.

Did You Know?

• The Crooked Man was created and shot practically, with no CGI enhancements, according to director Brian Taylor.
• Tom Ferrell made a pact with the Crooked Man as a child using a black cat carcass.
• The Crooked Man draws power from the town's mines and from captive souls.
• Bobbie Jo Song dispelled the captive souls feeding the Crooked Man with magic, enabling his defeat.
• The Crooked Man is based on the 2008 comic miniseries of the same name written by Mike Mignola.