Hellboy: The Crooked Man’s most disgusting scene was done entirely practically using “a lot of silicone and lube”

Hellboy: The Crooked Man has been called one of the most comic-book accurate adaptations of Mike Mignola’s works, and it seems this dedication went even further than you might imagine.

Director Brian Taylor tells SFX magazine in the new issue, which features Terrifier 3 on the cover and hits newsstands on October 2, that he would refer back to the comic art at every stage of production. 

One such moment really leans into the pure body horror when a raccoon climbs into Cora Fisher’s (Hannah Margetson) mouth. “Reading it on the page, you think this could either be a really bad CG sequence or we can get in there and do it the way Clive Barker would do it, with a lot of silicone and lube and a great performance by an actor,” Taylor tells us. 

“So that’s what we did. We created it practically. There’s no CG whatsoever; not even an enhancement. I’ve seen the scene millions of times, but now I can’t even see where the hand-off is between the rubber and the flesh; where the effect becomes the real actor. The moment of that cut is even hard for me to find, I think it’s completely seamless.”

The moment can be seen in the film’s trailer below, and it pretty grisly to watch. 

Hellboy: The Crooked Man | Official Trailer (2024) Jack Kesy, Adeline Rudolph, Leah McNamara – YouTube

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Hellboy: The Crooked Man is out in cinemas now, and releases on demand on October 8 in the US. Read more in the latest issue of SFX magazine, which features Terrifier 3 on the cover and will be available from Wednesday, October 2. Check them out below.

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The SFX 2024 Halloween Horror Special is here! We go on set with Art the Clown for #Terrifier3! 🪓Our new issue, on sale 2 October, comes with exclusive Terrifier items, while stocks last.Pre-order now at https://t.co/i5QAf4UYmE @damienleone @TerrifierFilm @SignatureEntUK pic.twitter.com/sjSLwZeY0WSeptember 26, 2024