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Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
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Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is a 1986 American independent psychological horror film directed and co-written by John McNaughton about the random crime spree of a serial killer who seemingly operates with impunity. It stars Michael Rooker in his film debut as the nomadic killer Henry, Tom Towles as Otis, a prison buddy with whom Henry is living, and Tracy Arnold as Becky, Otis's sister. The characters of Henry and Otis are loosely based on convicted real life serial killers Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole.
The film was shot in 1985 but had difficulty finding a film distributor. It premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival in 1986 and played at other festivals throughout the late 1980s. Following successful showings during which it attracted both controversy and positive critical attention, the film was rated "X" by the MPAA, further increasing its reputation for controversy. It was subsequently picked up for a limited release in 1990 in an unrated version. It was shot on 16mm in less than a month with a budget of $110,000.
The original poster artwork was a painting by Joe Coleman. It was considered too extreme and, after being withdrawn, was replaced by the current official poster.
Henry is a psychopathic drifter who indiscriminately murders scores of people – men, women, and children – as he travels throughout America. He migrates to Chicago, where he stops at a diner, eats dinner and later murders the elderly proprietors of a liquor store and several women.
Otis, Henry's prison friend, picks up his sister Becky at O'Hare International Airport and brings her back to the apartment that he shares with Henry. Later that night, Becky asks Henry about the murder of his mother, the crime that landed him in prison. Henry tells her that he stabbed his mother (which contradicts his other statements, in which he claims to have shot her or killed her with a bat) because she abused and humiliated him as a child, often having sex in front of him. Becky reveals that her father raped her as a child. Henry forms a seemingly protective bond with Becky when Otis makes an incestuous pass at her, and Henry violently threatens him and makes him promise not to do it again. Becky indicates a romantic interest in Henry, but he seems uneasy by her overtures.
The next day, Becky gets a job at a salon. Henry and Otis go out that night and pick up two prostitutes whom Henry murders by breaking their necks. Otis is shocked and disturbed and confronts Henry about his murderous lifestyle. Henry invites him to adopt his philosophy of murder, trying to convince him of a relativistic nature of killing. Otis worries that the police might catch them, but Henry assures him that everything will work out.
After Otis destroys his old TV out of frustration, Henry takes him to a fence to buy a new one. The rude man ridicules them for having little money and berates them for refusing to buy his black-market goods. Having found an excuse to indulge his murderous impulses, Henry stabs the fence repeatedly with a soldering iron nearby. When the man fights back, Otis grabs an electrical cord and chokes him. Henry then smashes a TV onto his head. At Henry's urging, Otis smiles as he plugs in the damaged TV, electrocuting the man. They then steal a high-end TV and a camcorder and return home undetected.
When Otis is punched by a teenage boy whom he tries to sexually assault while selling him marijuana, he complains to Henry that he wants to murder the boy. Henry convinces Otis to abandon the grudge for fear of being caught if he were to harm the boy, since he has been seen near the boy before. Bolstered by the thrill of their previous homicide, the two embark on a killing spree. They set a trap for drivers on Lower Wacker Drive, faking a broken-down car, then fatally shooting a man who pulls over to help. Henry advises Otis to employ a different modus operandi for each murder so that the police will not connect them to one perpetrator. He also explains the importance of being on the move; by the time that police realize that they are looking for a serial killer, he can be long gone. Henry says that he will have to leave Chicago soon. Later on, they watch a recording of a home invasion in which they murdered a suburban family of three, with Otis beginning to sexually molest the mother's corpse until Henry objected.
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Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is a 1986 American independent psychological horror film directed and co-written by John McNaughton about the random crime spree of a serial killer who seemingly operates with impunity. It stars Michael Rooker in his film debut as the nomadic killer Henry, Tom Towles as Otis, a prison buddy with whom Henry is living, and Tracy Arnold as Becky, Otis's sister. The characters of Henry and Otis are loosely based on convicted real life serial killers Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole.
The film was shot in 1985 but had difficulty finding a film distributor. It premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival in 1986 and played at other festivals throughout the late 1980s. Following successful showings during which it attracted both controversy and positive critical attention, the film was rated "X" by the MPAA, further increasing its reputation for controversy. It was subsequently picked up for a limited release in 1990 in an unrated version. It was shot on 16mm in less than a month with a budget of $110,000.
The original poster artwork was a painting by Joe Coleman. It was considered too extreme and, after being withdrawn, was replaced by the current official poster.
Henry is a psychopathic drifter who indiscriminately murders scores of people – men, women, and children – as he travels throughout America. He migrates to Chicago, where he stops at a diner, eats dinner and later murders the elderly proprietors of a liquor store and several women.
Otis, Henry's prison friend, picks up his sister Becky at O'Hare International Airport and brings her back to the apartment that he shares with Henry. Later that night, Becky asks Henry about the murder of his mother, the crime that landed him in prison. Henry tells her that he stabbed his mother (which contradicts his other statements, in which he claims to have shot her or killed her with a bat) because she abused and humiliated him as a child, often having sex in front of him. Becky reveals that her father raped her as a child. Henry forms a seemingly protective bond with Becky when Otis makes an incestuous pass at her, and Henry violently threatens him and makes him promise not to do it again. Becky indicates a romantic interest in Henry, but he seems uneasy by her overtures.
The next day, Becky gets a job at a salon. Henry and Otis go out that night and pick up two prostitutes whom Henry murders by breaking their necks. Otis is shocked and disturbed and confronts Henry about his murderous lifestyle. Henry invites him to adopt his philosophy of murder, trying to convince him of a relativistic nature of killing. Otis worries that the police might catch them, but Henry assures him that everything will work out.
After Otis destroys his old TV out of frustration, Henry takes him to a fence to buy a new one. The rude man ridicules them for having little money and berates them for refusing to buy his black-market goods. Having found an excuse to indulge his murderous impulses, Henry stabs the fence repeatedly with a soldering iron nearby. When the man fights back, Otis grabs an electrical cord and chokes him. Henry then smashes a TV onto his head. At Henry's urging, Otis smiles as he plugs in the damaged TV, electrocuting the man. They then steal a high-end TV and a camcorder and return home undetected.
When Otis is punched by a teenage boy whom he tries to sexually assault while selling him marijuana, he complains to Henry that he wants to murder the boy. Henry convinces Otis to abandon the grudge for fear of being caught if he were to harm the boy, since he has been seen near the boy before. Bolstered by the thrill of their previous homicide, the two embark on a killing spree. They set a trap for drivers on Lower Wacker Drive, faking a broken-down car, then fatally shooting a man who pulls over to help. Henry advises Otis to employ a different modus operandi for each murder so that the police will not connect them to one perpetrator. He also explains the importance of being on the move; by the time that police realize that they are looking for a serial killer, he can be long gone. Henry says that he will have to leave Chicago soon. Later on, they watch a recording of a home invasion in which they murdered a suburban family of three, with Otis beginning to sexually molest the mother's corpse until Henry objected.