Hellboy

Play trailer

Hellboy

PG-13

Released Mar 30, 2004

2h 5m

Fantasy

Sci-Fi

Action

Horror

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

81%

Tomatometer

204 Reviews

66%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

At the end of World War II, the Nazis attempt to open a portal to a paranormal dimension in order to defeat the Allies, but are only able to summon a baby demon who is rescued by Allied forces and dubbed "Hellboy" (Ron Perlman). Sixty years later, Hellboy serves as an agent in the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, where he, aided by Abe Sapien (Doug Jones), a merman with psychic powers, and Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), a woman with pyrokinesis, protects America against dark forces.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

With wit, humor and Guillermo del Toro's fantastic visuals, the entertaining Hellboy transcends the derivative nature of the genre.

Read Critics Reviews

Namrata Joshi

Outlook

The film may not be thrill-a-minute entertainment like Superman, Spiderman or Batman. But this is precisely what makes it tick.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 7, 2019

Full Review

Bruce Diones

The New Yorker

When the movie's story line concentrates on the character of Hellboy and his relationships with those important to him, the film becomes a unique romp, with an exciting yet vulnerable superhero at the center who just happens to be the spawn of Satan.

Apr 14, 2013

Full Review

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Director Guillermo Del Toro captures some of the visual color, tone, and beauty of the comic book. But he sometimes makes you feel like you are reading it over someone else's shoulder, and that person takes too long to finish a page.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 24, 2010

Full Review

Joshua Polanski

Boston Hassle

It just might be the best looking superhero movie ever made.

Jul 9, 2024

Full Review

Emilie Black

JoBlo's Movie Network

The film itself is fantastic and so easy to fangirl all over; with an amazing cast and so much talent involved, it could not possibly fail, and it didn’t disappoint.

Rated: 9/10

Nov 2, 2023

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

The experience rewards with palpable craft embedded into each facet, from character development to special effects. It’s treated like a majestic opus by a master filmmaker

Rated: 3.5/4

Sep 6, 2023

Full Review

Read all reviews

Jonathan N

While I'm not super familiar with the original comic, this movie was quite entertaining. Movies as a medium, are limited in time compared with comics. Del Toro and Perlman were exceptional, with the special effects holding up well 20 years later. A fascinating storyline and equally engaging characters kept me entertained from start to finish. There definitely is a cheese factor, and they didn't shy away from it. One part Indiana Jones, one part Pan's Labyrinth, and a dash of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. I can honestly say I enjoyed watching this and would watch it again. Well worth it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/30/25

Full Review

Stephen C

Success in 2 hours and 5 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated PG-13 for Sci-Fi Action Violence and Frightening Scenes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $59,000,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/26/25

Full Review

Hunter G.

Amazing production design and true to character performance from Ron Perlman

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/21/25

Full Review

Miles O

Great film, would watch it again 100%. Definitely worth a higher audience score

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/14/25

Full Review

Jorge R

Yeah it ain’t Spider-man(02) or Batman(89). But I really enjoyed Hellboy. It’s an amazing movie with a few tricks up it’s sleeves.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/28/25

Full Review

Amir S

A masterpiece - at least in my opinion.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/19/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Guillermo del Toro

Director

Ron Perlman

Hellboy

John Hurt

Professor Bruttenholm

Selma Blair

Liz Sherman

Rupert Evans

John Myers

Karel Roden

Grigori Rasputin

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

86%

71%

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Watchlist

Hulk

63%

29%

Hulk

Watchlist

Reign of Fire

41%

49%

Reign of Fire

Watchlist

Next

28%

53%

Next

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Next

X2

85%

85%

X2

Watchlist

TRAILER

for X2

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

21 SXSW Premieres We’ll Never Forget

50 F–k Yeah Moments of Female Empowerment in the Movies

The Freshest Films of Best Director Guillermo del Toro

The Freshest Films of Best Director Guillermo Del Toro

1:46

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

At the end of World War II, the Nazis attempt to open a portal to a paranormal dimension in order to defeat the Allies, but are only able to summon a baby demon who is rescued by Allied forces and dubbed "Hellboy" (Ron Perlman). Sixty years later, Hellboy serves as an agent in the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, where he, aided by Abe Sapien (Doug Jones), a merman with psychic powers, and Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), a woman with pyrokinesis, protects America against dark forces.

Director: Guillermo del Toro
Producer: Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin, Mike Richardson
Screenwriter: Mike Mignola, Guillermo del Toro
Distributor: Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Revolution Studios
Production Co: Revolution Studios, Lawrence Gordon Productions, Dark Horse Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Sci-Fi Action Violence|Frightening Scenes)
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Action, Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 30, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $59.0M
Runtime: 2h 5m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

Most Popular at Home Now