Starring Ron Perlman in the titular role, this Guillermo del Toro-directed film, with its richly developed settings and characters’ make-up, costume and hair, takes full advantage of del Toro’s background as a special effects artist. When Professor Broom (John Hurt) interrupts the Nazi’s attempt at opening a portal to hell, an infant demon is found in our dimension. Broom raises the demon, Hellboy, as his own. As an adult, Hellboy works alongside the psychic, amphibious Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and love interest Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), who can start fires with her mind, at the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. As they encounter an ageless foe, and the situation becomes dire, Hellboy tests the age-old question of nature versus nurture, forcing viewers to consider what makes us who we are. — Lisa Elliott
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