UPDATE: Read our Hellboy trailer breakdown.

The first trailer for the Hellboy reboot is here, and it features a catchy song to help get the marketing campaign rolling. Guillermo del Toro brought the comic book to the big screen with a pair of films that were released in 2004 and 2008, and while there was constant chatter of a third installment, such a project never came into fruition. Instead, the property is receiving a reboot, with Stranger Things star David Harbour taking on the title role. The film is set for release next year and is going to be an R-rated take on the source material.

Since the movie opens in April, the time had come for distributor Summit Entertainment to start the marketing campaign. This week saw a major push in terms of promotion, with the unveiling of two new posters, as well as a fresh still image to get fans excited. Viewers have been waiting patiently to see footage from the film, and now they finally can. And while there’s plenty to dissect there, the trailer also boasts an infectious soundtrack that’ll have audiences bouncing along to the beat.

The song in the Hellboy trailer is Billy Idol’s version of “Mony Mony,” which was recorded and released in 1981. It was originally a 1968 single by Tommy Shades and the Shondells and topped the U.K. charts. Idol’s rendition has been used in popular culture before, particularly in video games and TV commercials.

Harbour has stated Hellboy is a “dark and scary” monster movie and compared the titular character to Shakespeare, and while that may still turn out to be true, the trailer paints a slightly different picture. “Mony Mony” is far from a moody or introspective tune, and its use here illustrates Hellboy should be a good deal of fun too. There are a few comedic moments in the trailer that further emphasize the tone - including one in the opening moments where police mistakingly fire on Hellboy as he arrives on the scene. Fortunately, it looks like director Neil Marshall was able to properly execute this approach, and Hellboy looks like it could be an entertaining and interesting alternative to the typical superhero movie.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Hellboy advertising campaign evolves over the next few months, but Summit may have an ideal formula here. If the idea is to showcase how this project stands apart from all the other comic book films opening in 2019, it might be for the best if they double down and keep using “Mony Mony” (or a similar song) for the next wave of trailers and TV spots.

More: Every Hellboy 2019 Update You Need To Know

  • Hellboy Release Date: 2019-04-12