New 'Hellboy' Website Gives Fans Access to BPRD Archives

Saturday, March 23 was Hellboy Day, a holiday devoted to Big Red and with the new Hellboy movie [...]

Saturday, March 23 was Hellboy Day, a holiday devoted to Big Red and with the new Hellboy movie headed into theaters in just a few weeks' time, Lionsgate pulled out all the stops with marketing for the film. Advance tickets went on sale, an epic new IMAX poster was revealed and, perhaps one of the coolest things, the new Hellboy website launched giving fans access to the BPRD archives.

Clicking on the link (which you can check out here) takes you first to a landing page for "Codswallop Fish and Chips" -- a nod to one of the Bureau For Paranormal Research & Defense's (BPRD) various secret bases. That quickly gives way to a more stark, formal looking log in for the BPRD site, asking you to enter your name and email address and "apply for internship", though you can also simply "access archives, though it's noted that the site is best viewed on mobile.

Once in, you can access a variety of features, specifically "files" on various characters in the Hellboy universe. There are even redacted files, making for a pretty cool way to explore the Hellboy movie ahead of the film's release.

Hellboy marks a reboot of the franchise after Guillermo del Toro elected to not move forward with a third installment. This new take, however, is one that Hellboy creator Mike Mignola has teased will be much different than the previous two movies and that David Harbour (Stranger Things) who plays the titular character brings a take on the character that is much more adult than Ron Pearlman's more adolescent tone.

"In the del Toro films, Hellboy is kind of penned up, and kept secret, and that is not what we have here [in the upcoming film]. This is truer to the comic, in that Hellboy's been out in the world. He's not a top-secret, hidden away guy. He's an out-there-in-the-world, functioning, working adult."

"So you've got that working stiff, been there, done that vibe with Harbour, that you just couldn't have with Ron because it was played so differently. [With Harbour's Hellboy] there's a little bit more angsty, find-your-place-in-the-world, a frustration with his role."

That more mature take also applies to the film's rating. The film has officially been rated R and, if the red band trailer is any indication, the film plans to take full advantage of that with blood, gore, swearing, and more.

Hellboy hits theaters on April 12th. The reboot is helmed by Neil Marshall (Game of Thrones) from a script by Mignola, Andrew Cosby, Christopher Golden, and Aron Coleite. Harbour stars in the flick alongside Daniel Dae Kim, Mila Jovovich, Ian McShane, Sasha Lane, Thomas Haden Church, Brian Gleeson, Sophie Okonedo, and Penelope Mitchell.

Have you had a chance to explore the Hellboy website? Let us know what you found in the comments below!

Hellboy opens in theaters April 12.

0comments