Review of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) by Donovan D — 21 Feb 2008
Solid and scarily real serial killer film. Henry is unlike most horror films in that the it doesn't play for thrills and edge-of-your seat suspense, nor is it one of the Saw/Hostel style films where the violence is so over-the-top brutal it could be called 'gore-nographic'.
Instead the horror of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer comes from how ordinary its protagonist is. Michael Rooker gives a wonderfully nuanced performance as Henry. In between murders, Henry can appear as a nice if slightly odd guy, and outwardly he seems less creepy than his later partner in crime Otis, who is a sexual pervert.
Contrasting this calm exterior to scenes of amoral and senseless violence, the film makes Henry perhaps the most scary kind of horror villain imaginable - a very real one, and the fact that this kind of person could very well truly exist is chilling.
This review of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) was written by Donovan D on 21 Feb 2008.
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer has generally received positive reviews.
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