Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

  Going into this film, I didn’t know what to expect (except that there would presumably be a serial killer named Henry). I had no knowledge about the film other than it existed and I was not prepared for the brutality of it. It’s not any more violent than some of its contemporaries, but it was a bit more vicious than I expected.

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer was written by Richard Fire (E/R) and John McNaughton (Wild Things) with McNaughton also directing and is very loosely based on real-life serial killers Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole. The film was made on a budget of $110,000 and made $609,939 upon its release on January 5th, 1986. The film was quite controversial and received mixed reviews. Like many of the films I’ve covered, the film has been reappraised over the years and received more positive critical analysis.

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer follows serial killer Henry (Michael Rooker, Guardians of the Galaxy) as he pulls his roommate Otis (Tom Towles, House of 1000 Corpses) into his murderous ways. Things get complicated when Otis’ sister Becky (Tracy Arnold, The Borrower) moves in with them and begins to get close to Henry.

As I mentioned at the top, this film was quite brutal and I’m grateful that it was a blessedly short 83 minutes. As much as I liked the film, I don’t think that I could have taken much more.

The biggest strength of the film is the chemistry of its core trio. Rooker is the stand out, but Towles and Arnold both provide excellent supporting performances. Script and direction both come together quite brutally to provide a fascinating and horrifying portrait of these relationships.

Other than the most plot relevant ones, most of Henry’s murders are offscreen with McNaughton instead focusing the camera on the bloody aftermath and playing the audio of the crimes. It gives the effect of the brutality of the murders ramping up throughout the film, even though the only true ramp up is their relevance to the plot.

The end of the film is great. I was expecting the film to end a la Natural Born Killers, but it takes a much darker and bleaker turn that I wasn’t expecting but fully welcomed. I would recommend this film, but just know that it’s not for the faint of heart.

Rating: 4 gutted fish out of 5

Other Observations:

• Does the Dog Die? No dogs are killed.

• Harrison’s Favorite Scare: Most certainly the murder of the television salesman. It’s very hard to watch.

• I was shocked to find that Roger Ebert was one of the people championing this film when it was released, considering his well-known distaste for violent horror films.

Next Week: Diabolique