Review of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) by Brian W — 07 Jan 2006

[color=silver][font='Comic Sans MS']?Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer? stars Michael Rooker, Tom Towels and Tracy Arnold and is directed by John McNaughton.[/font][/color].

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[color=silver][font='Comic Sans MS'][/font][/color][color=silver][font='Comic Sans MS']Henry (Rooker) becomes the roommate of Otis (Towels), a parolee working in a gas station, and then Otis? sister, Becky ([/font][/color][color=silver][font='Comic Sans MS']Arnold[/font][/color][color=silver][font='Comic Sans MS']), arrives from out of town and moves in. She is fascinated by Henry's stories of violence. Otis, who may have a homosexual interest in Henry, eventually goes along with him in a series of brutal killings, including one where they pretend to have car trouble and then shoot a good samaritan and another where they invade a home and videotape the murder of an entire family.[/font][/color].

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[color=silver][font='Comic Sans MS'][/font][/color][color=silver][font='Comic Sans MS']The film is based on real life serial killer Henry Lee Lucas. ?Henry? was filmed in 1985; however its release was delayed until 1990 due to ratings issues. The MPAA wouldn?t give it an R rating, most likely due to one disturbing scene in particular where Henry and Otis invade a home and videotape the brutal murder. It was recently released on DVD in its unrated format.[/font][/color].

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[color=silver][font='Comic Sans MS'][/font][/color][color=silver][font='Comic Sans MS']In its short, 83 minute run-time, the scene I mention above is easily the most troubling to watch, along with one other scene involving a rape followed by a bloody killing. Despite the graphic nature of the film, ?Henry? is very well done by McNaughton. It?s not as gory as the psycho-slasher films of today, and it honestly doesn?t need to be. Henry is the monster, a monster who is created by the abusive past he comes from. The story is well told.[/font][/color].

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[color=silver][font='Comic Sans MS'][/font][/color][color=silver][font='Comic Sans MS']Rooker is just absolutely amazing as Henry. This was his first appearance in a feature film, but you?d think he?s a veteran. Excellent performance. Towels also puts on a good show as Otis, and Arnold is nearly perfect as Becky. She was very believable as a woman who's been a victim all her life. Top notch acting by all three.[/font][/color].

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[color=silver][font='Comic Sans MS'][/font][/color][color=silver][font='Comic Sans MS']DVD Note: On the 2 Disc Special Edition, there is a documentary called ?The Serial Killers: Henry Lee Lucas? which tells the real life story of Lucas. This is a good piece to watch, as it bookends the movie nicely.[/font][/color].