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Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

  • 1986
  • Unrated
  • 1h 23m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
43K
YOUR RATING
Michael Rooker in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
Trailer for Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer - 30th Anniversary
Play trailer1:47
3 Videos
99+ Photos
Dark ComedySerial KillerSlasher HorrorTrue CrimeBiographyCrimeDramaHorrorThriller

Arriving in Chicago, Henry moves in with ex-con acquaintance Otis and starts schooling him in the ways of the serial killer.Arriving in Chicago, Henry moves in with ex-con acquaintance Otis and starts schooling him in the ways of the serial killer.Arriving in Chicago, Henry moves in with ex-con acquaintance Otis and starts schooling him in the ways of the serial killer.

  • Director
    • John McNaughton
  • Writers
    • Richard Fire
    • John McNaughton
  • Stars
    • Michael Rooker
    • Tracy Arnold
    • Tom Towles
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    43K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • John McNaughton
    • Writers
      • Richard Fire
      • John McNaughton
    • Stars
      • Michael Rooker
      • Tracy Arnold
      • Tom Towles
    • 274User reviews
    • 124Critic reviews
    • 80Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 9 wins & 8 nominations total

    Videos3

    Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer: 30th Anniversary
    Trailer 1:47
    Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer: 30th Anniversary
    Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
    Trailer 1:52
    Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
    Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
    Trailer 1:52
    Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
    'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer': Drive
    Clip 2:04
    'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer': Drive

    Photos131

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    Top cast34

    Edit
    Michael Rooker
    Michael Rooker
    • Henry
    Tracy Arnold
    Tracy Arnold
    • Becky
    Tom Towles
    Tom Towles
    • Otis
    Mary Demas
    Mary Demas
    • Dead Woman…
    Anne Bartoletti
    • Waitress
    Elizabeth Kaden
    • Dead Couple - Wife
    Ted Kaden
    • Dead Couple - Husband
    Denise Sullivan
    • Floating Woman
    Anita Ores
    • Mall Shopper #1
    Megan Ores
    • Mall Shopper #2
    Cheri Jones
    • Mall Shopper #3
    Monica Anne O'Malley
    • Mall Victim
    Bruce Quist
    • Husband
    Erzsebet Sziky
    • Hitchiker
    David Katz
    • Henry's Boss
    John Scafidi
    • Kid with Football #1
    Benjamin Passman
    • Kid with Football #2
    • (as Benjamen Passman)
    Flo Spink
    • Woman in Cadillac
    • Director
      • John McNaughton
    • Writers
      • Richard Fire
      • John McNaughton
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews274

    7.042.5K
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    Featured reviews

    james_oblivion

    If only more people had the guts to make films like this....

    I really wish that there were more movies like "Henry" out there. Most people still don't realize just HOW controversial this film was when it was made. The MPAA wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. McNaughton fought for 4 years to get an R rating, but no dice. And since he didn't want the X, and there was no NC-17 rating at the time, it was finally released, with no rating, in 1990. And why? I've seen films with MORE violence in them...Romero's "Day of the Dead" leaps to mind. But it's not the violence in this film that makes it so disturbing. It's the way the material is handled. And this is what the film's detractors obviously can't appreciate.

    "Henry" doesn't bother with any type of morality...it neither glorifies nor denounces Henry's actions. It simply observes. It places those actions before us and says "there it is...you deal with it...you sort it out." People who don't like this film often say that there's "no character development...no discernible plot line...etc., etc." Those people should stop throwing around film school terms. This is one movie that doesn't present events in a "movie reality"...it shows us things as they are in the real world. Character development means showing you enough of the characters in 90-120 minutes to make you feel as if you've known them forever. How often do you spend 90 minutes with a real person and know that much about them...or feel that you can seriously identify with them? It's just a conceit of film-making. Same with plot lines. Does life have a plot line? Not at all. Life is an endless succession of things happening. Some seem important and/or entertaining...some don't. "Henry," in its attempt to realistically portray the life of a serial killer, does not need a plot line...in fact, it benefits from having only a very loose plot line. Much like a homicidal version of "The Catcher in the Rye," this film seems much like a lot of things that happened, as opposed to a carefully constructed fictitious story...which make it seems all the more real...and all the more disturbing.

    "Henry" is disturbing on many levels. Firstly, it feels very real. Too real, perhaps. Nothing is slicked up...nothing seems counterfeit or contrived. The entire thing is so utterly plausible that it chills you to the bone. Secondly, the complete lack of police involvement is equally disturbing. The only time you see a police car in this film, it's driving past in the background as Henry is cruising the streets. It drives past...and that's it. And Henry isn't scared...nor is he even aware, apparently. He has nothing to hide. He knows the police won't connect his crimes to one another...and they certainly won't connect them to him. So what has he to fear?

    And finally, the setting of Chicago makes the film more disturbing for me, as I'm somewhat familiar with that city and can spot some locales in the film that I recognize. In fact, a friend of mine who lives in Chicago told me that the first time he watched "Henry," he and a friend rented it and sat down in his friend's apartment to watch it. It was about halfway through that they realized that the apartment they were sitting in was the same one used as Henry's apartment in the film. All I can say is...I'd never use that bath tub again.

    All in all, I truly wish that more directors had the guts to make films like "Henry." Honestly, I can't think of one film that's comparable. There simply aren't any films out there that are anything like this. This is truly one of the most disturbing films I've ever seen. After seeing "Happiness," I guess that "Henry" probably got knocked down to Number Two on that list. But "Second Most Disturbing Film Of All-Time" is still a damn fine achievement, in my opinion.

    If you want to see an accurate and appallingly realistic portrayal of what the life of a serial killer must be like, definitely give "Henry" a viewing. Make up your own mind from there.

    Oh, and a final note...one reviewer stated concretely that his biggest problem with the film was that "serial killers work alone." This is, of course, not always the case. The real life counterparts to Henry and Otis (Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole) DID kill together, as did Bianchi and Buono, the infamous Hillside Stranglers. Those are not the only such instances...but they're certainly the best-known. Therefore, the overly broad generalization that serial killers "work alone" is no real attack on the realism of this film.
    8bwaynef

    Is this a film to acclaim or condemn?

    In 1960, Michael Powell committed professional suicide by directing and producing "Peeping Tom," a thriller in which a psychopathic murderer photographs his victims at the moment of death. Denounced as sick and without redeeming social value, "Peeping Tom" vanished from theaters, while its director, also denounced as sick, went on to make only two more films in the next eight years. Powell's film has gone on to attract an avid cult following and, if it hasn't done so already, so will "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer."

    Loosely based on the real life exploits of Henry Lee Lucas, a leering, low IQ sicko who became a media star after claiming to have murdered several dozen people (some believe Henry was bragging), this film takes a gritty, realistic approach that creates the impression that we are watching real life unfold. Director John McNaughton exploits the discomfort the viewer is inclined to feel by presenting a scene in which Henry and his equally vicious former cellmate, Otis, videotape the rape and murder of one of their victims, then play it back for further amusement. This shocking episode effectively makes the point that those who seek second hand thrills through violent "entertainment" are almost as guilty as the perpetrators of such deeds. By casting anonymous non-stars in the leading roles (not that he had a choice considering the budget and the repellent subject matter), and focusing entirely on the exploits of the killers (there are no scenes of police investigating the crimes or peeks into the lives of the victims), McNaughton has created a brutal, amoral horror film that makes the bloodiest gorefest look benign. Although the real Henry was apprehended, his cinematic counterpart is never even suspected of his crimes, and gets off scot-free.

    Is "Henry" a film to acclaim or condemn? It's a difficult question to answer, and I, for one cannot make a decision. It is so expertly made that I think McNaughton deserves a round of applause and maybe an Oscar. But, at the end of the video tape of the film that I watched, there was a commercial hawking "Henry" T-shirts ($14.98) and posters ($7.98). Both were available through "Henry Merchandising," and this attempt to turn this all too real murderer into a cult figure deserving of a fan club is despicable.
    9Captain_Couth

    A dark and twisted film about a very deranged and demented soul.

    Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) is a film that is loosely based upon the exploits of notorious white trash serial killer Henry Lee Lucas. This man claimed to have killed hundreds of people, mostly women. But the director takes us down the path of a man who is in many ways similar to the real deal.

    Michael Rooker stars as Henry, a demented man living in a twisted world who lives with a scummy roommate Otis (based also on Henry Lee Lucas' running buddy/lover Ottis Toole). Otis' kid sister Becky (loosely based upon the very young sister of Ottis) comes to live with her older brother after a falling out back home. She decides to head out to the big city to find a new life.

    The film follows the murderous trail of Henry who's pent of rage and sexual frustrations fuel the madness that's locked deep within his psyche. Those that are around him soon feel his madness and it's brutal and fatal consequences. The director follows these three individuals with a pseudo-documentary feel. The rape and murder scenes are graphic and brutal as they should be. This is no mere exploitation film because there is nothing exploitative about it, as it should be.

    I have to recommended this film. It's a sick, twisted but honest look at the life of a serial killer. He's no movie magic monster because unlike those, he's for real. Co-starring future B-Movie thug Tom Towles as Otis.

    You'll never see a film like this again.
    rbvs

    Chilling

    I am 57 years old. I've seen many films in my lifetime. I am not easily frightened or upset by movies. I am partial to drama and documentaries. I can count on one hand the films that I have found to be so deeply disturbing, that I later regretted seeing them.This film is among them. It is possible to "see too much" in this life, and once seen, some sights remain trapped in your head FOREVER short of getting a lobotomy, or being

    hypnotized. Leaving the theater that day, I honestly felt as though I had actually witnessed several murders. I was really shaken by the horrific realism of this cinematic event. I was sorry that I had seen the film, but it was too late to retract the terror that, even today, still remains in my memory. Some things are so

    emotionally damaging, that perhaps they should be left alone. This film was so powerfully unsettling for me, that I feel a need to warn others of the emotional impact. This speaks well of the directors skill at scaring movie-goers, but

    approach with caution please. This is a very heavy movie. The Honeymoon

    Killers is another film that I regret seeing. Would that I could forget that

    nightmare!
    7jjbx-54149

    Very disturbing

    I went to see this film when it was released. I found it to be a difficult watch and nearly walked out at one point. This movie can never be considered entertainment but it is a genuinely disturbing portrayal of the banality of murder.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Michael Rooker said he was working as a janitor when he auditioned for the part of Henry, and went to the audition in his janitor uniform. He got the part, and continued to wear his uniform throughout the film shoot. He only had one jacket, though, and he took it off before he "killed" anyone, so he wouldn't get blood on it.
    • Goofs
      During the home invasion scene, the boy can be seen breathing after being killed.
    • Quotes

      Store clerk: How about those Bears?

      Henry: Fuck the Bears.

    • Crazy credits
      Before the film begins, the following text is shown: "This film is a fictional dramatization of certain events. 'Henry' is not intended to be an accurate portrayal of a true story. The film is based partly on confessions of a person named Henry, many of which he later recanted. As to Otis and Betty, the film is fictional."
    • Alternate versions
      The film has had a long and complex relationship with the BBFC. In 1990, distributor Electric Pictures submitted it for classification with 38 seconds already removed (the pan across the hotel room and into the bathroom, revealing the semi-naked woman on the toilet with a broken bottle stuck in her mouth). Electric Pictures had performed this edit themselves without the approval of director John McNaughton because they feared it was such an extreme image so early in the film, it would turn the board against them. The film was classified 18 for theatrical release in April 1991, but only if 24 seconds were cut from the family massacre scene (primarily involving the shots where Otis gropes the mother's breasts both prior to killing her and after she is dead). Total time cut from the film: 62 seconds.
    • Connections
      Featured in Gorgon Video Magazine (1989)
    • Soundtracks
      Too Old for These Blues
      Written by T.K. Thady

      Performed by Kid Tater and The Cheaters

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    FAQ32

    • How long is Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer?Powered by Alexa
    • Who are the five dead bodies seen early in the movie?
    • What's the purpose of the unusual sound effects used several times throughout the film?
    • Did Henry really kill his mother?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 6, 1991 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Henry: Retrato de un asesino
    • Filming locations
      • Chicago, Illinois, USA
    • Production company
      • Maljack Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $111,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $609,939
    • Gross worldwide
      • $609,939
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 23 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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