Review of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) by Jesse B — 17 Jul 2011

When the end credits begin to roll in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer we do not come away with some repeatable catch phrase like, "Hello Clarisse." or that one about eating a gourmet human liver with a side of beans, chased down by a Chianti wine; we don't find some new and nifty movie way of killing a person, like Mr. Bates and his famous shower fetish, or for that matter a chainsaw wielding masked madman. In fact, we don't leave this movie with a whole lot other than a slightly disturbed stomach, because this film isn't about Hollywood style serial killer who have to have some kind of big cliched knife, or ski-mask in order to do their dirty deeds. This is about a man who kills people. And he does it in a snap.

It would be wrong to say that Henry takes pleasure out of killing. I think that's the wrong way to look at it. As I watch the film, it has more to do with the alleviation than amusement. It's as though Henry has this incurable headache and the only way he can make the pain subside is to kill someone -- women in particular, as his only male killings are either out of a strange necessity to continue on in his evil work, or a fit of uncontrollable rage. Henry's disease goes deep.

One of the issues I've often had with films about serial killers (not that I make a habit of watching such things) is their ability to attach themselves to something or someone -- like The Silence of the Lambs' Buffalo Bill for instance. He kills women ferociously, but has this little dog whom he seems to have a genuine affection for, and perhaps even love. This is completely wrong, however, since someone who has committed themselves so fully to the disregard of human life that they so easily take it on a whim has seared off those parts in the mind which allow for deep emotional attachment to a person or animal. This does not mean that they do not have strong feelings about someone or something, but this does, in most cases, preclude them from experiencing normal human emotions. This is expertly shown here.

Henry lives in a small apartment with a buddy (he has no real friends. Probably wouldn't know how to make one), Otis, who he met while serving time in an Illinois penitentiary. Henry got there by killing his mother with either a baseball bat, a knife, or shooting her with a gun. We're never really sure, and neither is Henry for that matter. It's as if his very first murder has simply faded into all of the others, one indistinguishable from from the next. Otis's sister, Becky comes to stay with them for a while. She's a timid young thing who is constantly beholden to her brother's leering gaze. She's like one of those little Chihuahua dogs whose always shivering and has a look of morose fearfulness in their eyes. In Henry she finds a quiet man, someone she can talk to and confide in. In her own sick head, she finds someone to relate to, unaware of Henry's demented delights.

Henry, in following with type, cannot truly return her affections, however. His emotions have long since been excised from his person, leaving only a murderous human shell in it's place. He does not know love or affection, and never will. His soul is as blank as the face which he bears, parting his lips in a smile only as he holds a knife to the throat of his next victim. This his only gratification, and soon, very soon, with the buzz begin to wear off. He will need to find new and inventive ways of extracting pleasure from his victims. One way which he accomplishes this is by making a killer out of Otis.

Otis turns out to be an apt pupil. It would seem, similar to Henry, Otis was born with the taste of blood on his lips. After picking up a couple of prostitutes post midnight beer run, Henry feels the sudden urge, even before the sexual climax is reached. He kills both women and drags their bodies out of the car. Otis is shocked and fearful for the moment, but Henry has a way with reason, and soon Otis is ready for his turn. "I wanna kill someone." He says in a frustrated rage. "Say that again." Says Henry with a wicked smirk on his face. "I wanna kill someone." His first killing is on the shoulder of Lower Wacker Dr. in Chicago with a gun after they lure in a passing motorist with a popped hood and a false distress signal provided by Henry. Henry gives Otis the gun and lets him go for it.

The most disturbing killing in the film takes place in passed tense as the two cold blooded men recall their latest victims on their new video camera. This is with a family of three and Otis seems to take the most pleasure out of reliving it. For Henry, the rush has warn out. He needs something new to invigorate his spirits.