{"id":31123,"date":"2019-10-08T00:18:29","date_gmt":"2019-10-08T04:18:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=31123"},"modified":"2019-10-08T03:09:18","modified_gmt":"2019-10-08T07:09:18","slug":"henry-portrait-of-a-serial-killer-1986","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2019\/10\/08\/henry-portrait-of-a-serial-killer-1986\/","title":{"rendered":"Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>John McNaughton\u2019s horror drama is a pitch black film that managed to raise so much controversy upon its release and to this day is still a very polarizing work of art in the horror genre. Like \u201cTexas Chainsaw Massacre\u201d it centers on a point of humanity and pure evil that is irredeemable and absolutely impossible to rationalize. \u201cHenry\u201d is that kind of movie without a single bright spot, a tale about a shapeless person indulging in sadism and murder who thinks of snuffing out human life as a mundane hobby that he revels in indulging in.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Michael Rooker plays Henry, a man released from prison following his mother’s murder. He cut the tedium of his job as an exterminator with a series of indiscriminate and violent murders of seemingly random women. Fellow jailbird and drug dealer Otis (Tom Towles) becomes a willing accomplice in Henry’s bloody killings, indulging in sadism and torture for the joy. But as the depravity escalates and Henry forms a bond with Otis’ sister, Becky (Tracy Arnold), things spiral out of control.<\/p>\n

Based on the true events of serial killer Henry Lee Lucas and his accomplice, \u201cHenry: Portrait of a Serial Killer\u201d is a movie that even today manages to strike a nerve with viewers. Watching it again after so many years, I had a difficult time enduring certain scenes, including the stunningly grotesque prologue. There\u2019s also the infamous home video footage of Otis and Henry preying on a small family in their home, all of which is punctuated by the way the men so casually approach the acts they\u2019ve committed.<\/p>\n

Often considered the godfather of the found footage sub-genre, \u201cHenry\u201d is that rare film that seems to overstep the realm of fiction, and never once fluffs the events that unfold. \u00a0Every single scene is perverse and disgusting, while Henry\u2019s own circumstances change the moment he meets Becky. Michael Rooker and Tom Towles are enormous in this film in that they will definitely leave a mark on the audience. They\u2019re so entrenched in these slimy personas, it\u2019ll be tough to split reality from fiction, quite often. Tracy Arnold is a particularly tragic character who can change Henry, the problem is: does he even want to?<\/p>\n

There\u2019s always that nagging after thought that perhaps Henry could quit and move on with his life. But what if we were following a character who\u2019d never apologize for anything he\u2019d ever done? \u201cHenry: Portrait of a Serial Killer\u201d promises to almost never leave the public consciousness year after it entered in to genre. It\u2019s the picture of senseless violence, death that makes it less a film and more an experience.<\/p>\n