Born in the flames of hell and brought to Earth to perpetrate evil, Hellboy (played by Ron Perlman) is rescued from sinister forces by the benevolent Dr. Broom (John Hurt) who raises him to be a hero. In Dr Broom's clandestine Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, Hellboy creates an unlikely family, consisting of telepathic Mer-man Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and Liz Sherman, the woman he loves, who has the ability to control fire. Hidden from the very society they protect, they stand against an evil madman who seeks to reclaim Hellboy for the powers of darkness from which he was born and use him to destroy mankind...