Henry - Portrait of a Serial Killer (20th Anniversary)

Rating NR Formats DVD Genre horror Starring Michael Rooker, Tom Towles, Tracy Arnold Directed by John McNaughton Publisher Dark Sky Films External Links Official Site

So much has been said and written about John McNaughton's Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer that I'm not sure I can add a whole lot to the story. New to DVD from Chicago-based Dark Sky Films, this is still, without a doubt, one of the most chilling and disturbing observations about serial killers ever produced on film. It irks you long after the credits roll and even slithers next to your pillow late at night to look you in the eyes, invade your dreams for weeks, months, and years. So beware.

I was introduced to Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer by Michael Rooker's then agent Kathy Ferrér back in 1986. I had a hit show on the boards entitled Elmore And Gwendolyn Putts, and was looking for new talent to mount my next offering The TV Dinner Hour (which starred the late/great Del Close). Kathy gave me a VHS copy of the film (not yet released) and said, knock yourself out, never really warning me about the content. Looking back, maybe she had, but agents have to say things like "this is really scary, and some of the best acting around." Later in the evening I naively plunged the unmarked cartridge into my big-assed VHS machine, and watched in utter horror and regret. It scared me something pretty nasty; scarred me for life is more the call.

This was 1986 and reality TV wasn't a household word, and the fictional documentary Man Bites Dog wouldn't hit screens until 1992. Needless to say, I wasn't prepared for anything like this. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer was an in-your-face crime thriller with the most disturbing scene ever captured on film: the casual slaughter and rape of a suburban family in their living room as videographed by the killers - un-f*#king-believable! I was afraid to turn it off, go anywhere near the TV screen. When the hiss of the last inch of videotape filled the entire room, I swiftly turned on all the lights and rapidly called up all my friends. I was visibly shaken. Okay - I slept with the lights on...for a month.

Please don't get me wrong here, folks, this wasn't your common slasher/splatter flick evident of the times. This is a bona fide Independent drama with plausible characters entertaining the darker side of human nature. It did exactly what the title promised thanks to the talents of Richard Fire (screenwriter) and John McNaughton (screenwriter/director) and their near perfect mixture of raw character studies and tenacious theatrical flair. Richard, a founding member of the renowned Organic Theater Company ("Sexual Perversity in Chicago," and "Bleacher Bums"), and John's regular construction-guy turned filmmaker (he actually helped build a Burger King), provided Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer with just the right blueprint to construct a first-rate horror classic. Add Michael Rooker as the cool-hand Luke of serial killers, and low-life followers Tom Towles (Otis) and Tracy Arnold (Becky) into the gory mix, and you've got yourself a unforgettable piece of filmmaking.

I remember returning the VHS to Ferrér Talent on Grand Avenue, and bumping into Michael Rooker. I told him how the movie scared me pretty good and he just smiled that big old Cheshire Cat grin of his. I just couldn't place the man in front of me with that guy Henry on the screen. Michael is a family-focused, slap-on-the-back, let's-go-get-a-beer kind of guy. The role of Henry was a true testament to his acting chops. I still don't think I shook his hand. I mean, he did give me nightmares after all. And a couple of years later Richard Fire and I collaborated on an ill-fated stage production entitled "Hydropolis" at the now defunct Organic Theater. He, too, seemed so far removed from the Henery script, but I still recall sitting in his office having flash-backs of Otis and Henry casually watching their deafening slaughter video while drinking beers on the sofa; talk about the "The Twilight Zone."

I never watched the movie again until Dark Sky sent me the DVD over Christmas. This time I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. No surprises here. I was cool. I got my heart healthy popcorn and my cheap red wine, and I even turned off all the lights - hell, ain't nothing to you now, Henry. Ah-huh. Right now you're hearing just the high-pitched whine the TV set makes when it signs off for the night. That's all you're going to get. And... Ah... leave the lights on please.

The extras on the DVD successfully spotlight the genesis to the movie, casting, and its financial backing (Maljack Prod AKA Dark Sky Films originally produced the film for a hundred grand), and there is even a small documentary of true-life serial killer Henry Lee Lucas on which the character Henry was loosely based.

Dark Sky films also include reversible DVD covers for those die-hard fans that want the original Joe Coleman poster art (banned) or fresh art for those newbies that want a more conventional Silence of the Lambs feel. It is much appreciated. All in all a mighty fine portrait of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.