All fans of Hellboy are familiar with Big Red, his fishy friend Abe and his main squeeze, the fire-starter Liz Sherman. But, how about Johann Kraus, Wink or Cathedral Head?
Our friends over at SuperHeroHype.com were given a behind-the-scenes tour by Mark Setrakian, the main animatronic designer of Hellboy II: The Golden Army, and discovered some fascinating details about the newest member of the BPRD (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense) and what goes into making the creatures “come alive” on camera.
The primary new character being introduced to the Hellboy Universe directly from Mike Mignola's comics is the German psychic, Johann Kraus, whose ectoplasmic being was preserved within a containment suit after a séance gone horribly wrong.
Cathedral Head
Easily one of the more unique characters and one certainly in the vein of the creatures from Mignola's comics Is Cathedral Head, the proprietor of a map shop in the Troll Market whose head is literally a giant church with stained glass windows that light up brightly while his eyes are controlled by servos.
The Chamberlain
This is another one of the fascinating creatures portrayed by the one and only Doug Jones, and it's an odd-looking character with a blobby head that "looks like a thumb with eyes", but it's an elegant creature fitting of Jones' personality, long and gangly, nearly 8 feet tall, wearing silk and velvet robes.
Wink
One of the prominent creature baddies of Hellboy II, which had to be realized by the creature shop was Mr. Wink, a giant cave troll that should prove to be a good match for Hellboy, since he looks related in some ways.
For more information about the characters and creatures mentioned above, and for tips on how the special effects team went about creating them, follow the link below over to SuperHeroHype.com:
Click HERE for the full article!
Click HERE to go to the official Hellboy movie site and watch the trailer!
Hellboy, created by comic book writer/artist Mike Mignola and published by Dark Horse Comics, chronicles the adventures of a demon child brought to earth by Nazi occultists who was rescued by Allied forces and raised by the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD). As an adult, Hellboy is the primary agent of the BPRD and combats supernatural threats around the world.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army is scheduled to be released July 11, 2008.