Trivia for
Hellboy (2004) More at IMDbPro »

• Director Guillermo del Toro for years considered this film a dream project and had always wanted to cast Ron Perlman in the lead, but could never secure a budget or studio approval. After the massive success of Blade II (2002), del Toro was offered Blade: Trinity (2004) or Hellboy, and though he briefly considered trying to schedule both in, he chose Hellboy.
  
  
• To try and convince the studios of Ron Perlman's star quality, director Guillermo del Toro showed the studio executives footage of Perlman's character (Reinhardt) in Blade II (2002).
  
  
• Baby Hellboy, Sammael, Ivan the corpse, Train Driver and Kroenen were all voiced by Guillermo del Toro.
  
  
• When del Toro met with producers, many changes to the Hellboy character were suggested. One idea was to have Hellboy be a human who transforms into Hellboy when he gets angry. Another suggestion was that he came from hell but was a normal human. del Toro vetoed all such attempts to alter the character.
  
  
• Director Guillermo del Toro opted to do the film over AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004).
  
  
• Upon meeting to discuss the movie, Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and director Guillermo del Toro decided to reveal to each other their choice for the lead role of Hellboy. They both said at the same time, Ron Perlman.
  
  
• The Hellboy movie takes its story from more than one Hellboy comic. The meat of the story comes from the "Seed of Destruction" storyline, but the rest is taken from the "Right Hand of Doom" and "Box Full of Evil" short stories. The movie also contains little homages to other stories such as "The Corpse" and "Pancakes".
  
  
• When Professor Bruttenholm is showing Agent Myers through the BPRD when he first arrives, a greyish male humanoid statue with a large ring on its groin is momentarily seen. This is actually Roger the Homunculus, a supporting character introduced late in the Hellboy comics (in the story arc "Almost Colossus"), who often goes through periods of dormancy; when active, he is a special BPRD agent much like Abe. Roger did not make it into the movie script as a character, but made it into the film as a piece of set decoration instead. Another comic-book prop reference in the same scene is the large set of metal boots sitting in one of the glass display cases. These belonged to a supernatural creature called "The Iron Shoes" from the short story of the same name.
  
  
• One of Sammael's titles, as read by Abe, is the "Seed of Destruction", the title of one of the Hellboy comics upon which the movie is based.
  
  
• The filmmakers decided not to make the film too bloody so as to avoid an R-rating and thought of things they could substitute for the blood. While filming the fight between Hellboy and the monster in front of the people in the subway, actor Ron Perlman suggested that Hellboy could grab a gumball machine and start beating the monster over the head with it, with the flying gumballs standing in for the blood. Instead, Hellboy rips a payphone off the wall and beats the monster over the head with the phone, with the coins that go flying out standing in for the blood.
  
  
• The scenes where Abe is in the medical tank were shot on Doug Jones's birthday. He spent several hours in a harness to make it look like he was floating in water. By the time he was taken out of the harness, he was all scraped up and bloody from it.
  
  
• During Liz's flashback sequence, an apartment complex named "Mignola Plaza" can be seen in the background. Mike Mignola is the creator of Hellboy.
  
  
• When Hellboy says to Myers "what got you this job pushing Pam-cakes" Pancakes is purposely said wrong referring to a two page story which appears in the "Right Hand of Doom" graphic novel.
  
  
• In BPRD headquarters, next to the Spear of Longinus is the fetus from Guillermo del Toro's previous film, El espinazo del diablo (2001).
  
  
• Cameo: [Mike Mignola] Hellboy's creator appears dressed as a knight in a crowd of costumed people menaced by Sammael.
  
  
• Director Cameo: [Guillermo del Toro] dressed as dragon in a crowd of costumed people menaced by Sammael.
  
  
• Very early on in the film's preproduction, the filmmakers considered putting Hellboy's giant stone hand on his left arm rather than the right, so as to grant the actor playing Hellboy the full use of his right hand. Ron Perlman turned out to be left-handed, so the filmmakers were able to preserve the Right Hand of Doom.
  
  
• The US soldiers' unit patches identify them as from the 2nd Infantry Division, the "Indian Head" division. In real life, they were actually defending the town of St Vith, Belgium during the events in the opening scene.
  
  
• The Spear of Longinus seen briefly in the movie is an exact replica of what is thought to be the actual Spear (which is in the possession of the Hofsburg Treasure House in Vienna), right down to the golden sheath wrapped around its center.
  
  
• The studio wanted Vin Diesel to play Hellboy.
  
  
• The tombstone we see right after Hellboy enters the Russian cemetery was digitally altered. The name on it was changed to Mike Mignola's in Russian, and the epitaph below the date reads "Born in fire, died in fire", also in Russian.
  
  
• One of the headstones in the graveyard in Moscow reads "Here Lies Mike Mignola" - the creator of Hellboy.
  
  
• Ron Perlman's make up took four hours to apply.
  
  
• It took anywhere from five to seven hours to apply Doug Jones's make-up. It took another three hours to reverse the process. Sometimes, some of the pieces were not removed so that it would be easier to put the costume on the next day.
  
  
• To prepare for his role, Ron Perlman read all the Hellboy comics and worked out three hours a day, five to seven days a week (varied). He also worked out while shooting, every day he had off from filming, he would workout.
  
  
• EASTER EGG: On Disc 2 go to the Board A Matics Screen. Put cursor on back, then press down. You will see what look like 3 drops appear. Press Enter to see a Wireframe animation of the Apocalypse scene.
  
  
• None of the cast member's names are written on the posters, mentioned in the trailers or shown in the opening credits for this movie.
  
  
• Much of the demonology in the film is inspired by the Cthulhu Mythos developed by H.P. Lovecraft, a horror writer in the 1930s. The Sammael creatures have characteristics of both Nyarlathotep and Cthulhu. Elder gods, many eyed and tentacled, sleeping at the edge of the universe, are a staple of his books.
  
  
• Ron Perlman broke a rib while filming the subway scenes. He jumped onto a train that was coming towards him at about 45 mph.
  
  
• The quote at the beginning of the film is from a book mentioned many times in the H.P. Lovecraft mythos.
  
  
• Hellboy's line to Liz, "I'll always look this good," was originally spoken by Guillermo del Toro to his future wife when she took issue with his casual mode of dressing.
  
  
• After completion of the Hellboy make-up, the only part of Ron Perlman's body that can actually be seen are his eyelids.
  
  
• New York Daily News ranked the character of Hellboy as "King of the Beasts" (December 26, 2004).
  
  
• Doug Jones's (Abe Sapien) voice was dubbed by David Hyde Pierce, but Pierce refused a credit, because he felt that Abe was entirely Doug's creation and did not wish to detract from his performance.
  
  
• There is no Palmer Street subway station in the New York City subway; however, Palmer is the last name of the film's executive producer, Patrick J. Palmer.
  
  
• The character of Ilsa (played by Biddy Hodson) is inspired by the big-breasted sadist by the same name in Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS (1975).
  
  
• When the make-up artist Matt Rose at Cinovation studios wanted to start working on the make-up design for the Hellboy character, they went into their archives and found that they already had a life mask of Ron Perlman from when Rick Baker had made his prosthetics for "Beauty and the Beast" (1987). Some slight changes were required to account for Perlman having aged 16 years.
  
  
• Kevin Trainor, who played the young Professor Broom, wore brown eye contacts so that his eye color would be the same as John Hurt's.
  
  
• The scene in the abbey at the beginning of the movie was actually shot in Prague, not Scotland. It was one of the coldest Aprils on record. It was so cold that icicles formed on the branches of the trees, causing some of the trees to fall.
  
  
• WILHELM SCREAM: when the Nazi scientist is sucked into the portal.
  
  
• Hellboy was originally going to have cloven hooves for feet, like in the comics, but it was decided that it would be easier and safer for Ron Perlman to perform his stunts with normal, booted feet.
  
  
• When John Myers first gets to the front gate of the BPRD, he has to get past a security check. The voice of the security guard is the property master, Michael Lindsay who was standing behind the pillar during the shot.
  
  
• The moped that Myers is seen riding around on was given to Rupert Evans as a gift from producer Patrick J. Palmer.
  
  
• The outside shot of the BPRD is in fact a mausoleum in Prague where Russian dignitaries are entombed.
  
  
• Pavel Cajzl, who played the Sherpa guide, was also the uncredited assistant stunt coordinator.
  
  
• The "cover identity" for the BPRD is "Squeaky Clean Up waste management" (seen on the plaque at the front gate as Myers arrives).
  
  
• EASTER EGG: When Agent Myers first meets Abe Sapien, Abe asks Myers to turn the page. If you move your mouse over to the bottom right hand corner where Myers is, you will see a Hellboy comic appear and when you click on it, it will give you a short biography on Abe.
  
  
• The black and white witness footage of Hellboy seen in the title sequence (immediately after the "Leaping Lizards!" newspaper front page) is a reference to the Patterson-Gimlin film, the most well-known alleged footage of Bigfoot.
  
  
• When Prof. Broom holds the two ripped pieces of paper he found on Kroenen, they initially form the shape of a yellow Star of David - which the Nazis required Jews to wear for identification.
  
  
• The motto, depicted in the lobby floor, of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence (Defense) is: "In Absentia Luce Tenebrae Vincit". Meaning, in the absence of light, darkness prevails (or triumphs).
  
  
• Guillermo del Toro was not the studio first choice as director. Others considered were Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Peter Hyams and David S. Goyer.
  
  
• The lobby guard at the BPRD is played by casting director Jeremy Zimmerman.
  
  
• All the agents have names related to things found while digging in the earth: Lime, Moss, Quarry, Stone, Clay. Even the newest agent is Myers corresponding to 'mire' - wet, soggy, muddy ground.
  
  
• Hellboy has a poster of "Ghost" on the wall of his lair/room. This is another Dark Horse comic that deals primarily with the supernatural.
  
  

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