Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)

First things first, this is definitely not the movie most people will go in thinking it is. There's no good vs evil, there's no slasher in a mask or ghosts or anything like that. There's not even really a hero. Your main character is Henry, played uncomfortably perfectly by Michael Rooker (ya know, Yondu). Henry is, as the title suggests, a serial killer. That's right, your protagonist is the bad guy. A violent, soft spoken, methodical, dangerous and scarily of all, smart. So yeah. If you're looking for a feel good happy ending, do not watch. I repeat. Do not watch! This movie is uncomfortable to watch. Not to be that douche guy but it's the type of movie you feel like showering after. But I digress.So yeah, basically the movies story I guess you could call it is relatively simple. Henry, living in Chicago with his ex cell mate and his sister ( (cell mates, not his) Tom Towles and Tracey Arnold respectively) basically just goes about his day doing various things. It just so happens one of those things is killing people. Literally anyone. In fact, Henry makes a point of changing his method every time so it's harder to catch him. It's pretty sick, especially when you consider that it's based on real life serial killer Henry Lee Lucas.Story wise in all honesty this movie is very simple, but honestly that's forgiveable. Michael Rooker is phenomenal as Henry, like full honesty I think this is the best performance of his career. He perfectly balances the switch in Henry that you can never really know what's going on inside his head, but you know it's not good. Tom towles and Tracy Arnold too are great and all three have great dynamics with each other, even if you kinda don't really care about Arnold all that much (nothing against her, but look at what she's up against).Sooooo yeah, the violence in this movie is pretty disturbing, one scene in particular which I won't dare write about her, but needless to say anyone whose seen it knows exactly what I'm talking about and yeah, it's difficult to watch. It's not even that it's gory because it's honestly not, it just feels a bit to real to I guess separate. The ending too is one of the more objectively big downer endings I think I've ever seen though to be fair, look at the title. That's all you needed to know.Okay so this isn't for everyone, but it's still a phenomenal character study. Approach with caution, but check it out if you get a chance

An absolute must see for fans of serial killer films. This is one of the best, inspired by an actual killer and his accomplice, it's a very unrestrained look at an artist who's particular talents are expressed with graphically realistic violence. The direction and action are top notch for the minuscule budget it was made on. One of those rare horror films that sits with you well after it's over. Check it out.

The real life evil of convicted killer Henry Lee Lucas has been well documented elsewhere. This film is a semi-fictional account, based on Lucas' "confessions" ... for what they're worth. In the film, Henry lives with his ex-prison buddy Otis, and Otis' sister Becky, played well by Tracy Arnold. The setting is Chicago. The historical time period is unclear.Most, though not all, of the murders take place off screen, mercifully. It's still, at times, a grizzly affair. Much of the film is like a diary, in that we see Henry, Otis, and Becky engaged in slow, lengthy, pointless conversations, amid drab surroundings. Oh it's grim.This is supposed to be a character study. But there is no arc. Henry's robotic life is so monomaniacal as to preclude dramatic variation or change. What little substantive material there is could have been presented in thirty minutes.The film's pace is slow. Scenes are very, very drawn-out. Screen time is consumed with characters eating grim meals, playing cheap cards, and driving around in a rundown old car. It's as if the scene on page 62 of the script could have been switched with the scene on page 16, and viewers would never know the difference. It's all just an unending grim ... sameness.The film's images are grainy. Lighting is subdued. Music is appropriately eerie and creepy, but manipulative.Real-life serial killers are too diverse in backgrounds and personalities for this film to offer any generalized insight. And the film conveys little understanding of Lucas himself. Sometimes a film that is grim can be entertaining or insightful. This one isn't. It's just pointless.

The scariest part of this movie is that Henry and Otis , our main characters, were the real life serial killers Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis O'Toole.I loved this film! Michael Rooker reminded me of Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain. Each character does a fantastic job at being both normal and creepy, especially Rooker. The movie told the story well, although I wished they would have spent more time on Henry and Becky. In real life their relationship was quite complicated. Since real life Henry was a pathological liar, we don't know how many people he really killed but the movie doesn't make it about numbers yet shows how brutal he really was.Awesome movie.. it's going on my favorite's list!