Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

Rating:
Summary: Definitely NOT for younger or More Sensitive Viewers
Review: In my review of Orson Scott Card's book, 'The Lost Boys', I mention the paralyzing effect a certain book or movie will have on me. 'Schindler's List, ''Natural Born Killers', 'Johnny Got his Gun'(the book) are examples. The most disturbing is 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer'. After seeing this film, I was in shock for days.

I am not a squeamish, namby-pamby girlie-man, either. I can take all that Quentin Tarrentino and Sam Peckinpaw can throw at me. But their kind of violence has a grisly classiness; it has a cause and effect relationship, in that 'Good' guys kill 'bad' guys. "Henry's killings are at random, and that random access scares me to death.

I have to disagree with all the Amazon.com reviewers who classify this as a horror film. This is a film I like to call 'pure psychodrama'. Although 'Henry' is indeed horrific, and the film portrays horrible events, it is not to be confused with a supernatural horror tale featuring ghosts, vampires or Werewolves. It is much scarier because it is about Real Evil.

Amazon Reviewer kittenwithawhip commented that she couldn't tell you what the scariest film of all time was, but she could name the Top Five. And I'm in agreement that 'Henry...' and 'Last House on the Left' nab the Top Two positions. To give you an idea of where I'm coming from, 'Seven' 'Natural Born Killers' and 'Blue Velvet' fill out my own Top Five.

Amazon reviewer David Grant said this film "blurs the line between film and reality". When I saw it, I HOPED TO GOD it was fiction, but behind my denial I knew predators like Henry are stalking and killing people every day in the Real World.

Be prepared for callous and cold-blooded killing, for a sickening dehumanization of victims, and a few sleepless nights after watching this one.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Serial Killer Film
Review: This movie is one of the greatest and goriest horror films i've ever seen,however for the person looking for a biography on Henry
Lee Lucas they will be dissapointed,but if you're just looking for a good horror film then this film is for you.THe film is half fictionalized and half true.For example Henry Lee Lucas's
partner was a retarted man named Ottis Toole.In this film his name is Otis and is played by actor Tom Towles who looks nothing like the real Ottis.Also a character which is semi fictionalized is Oti's sister Becky.I believe from what i've read on the internet that she was his daughter.But anyway the film is about Henry and Otis who live in a small apartment.Otis brings his sister Becky into the picture and Henry and Becky fall in love,causing Otis to be pissed.After Henry introduces Otis to killing,a killing spree begins,including one which isn't fictionalized that they caught on tape.The music in this film is
makes it equally scary and revolting,and the opening scenes which include Henry looking for the perfect kill and showing dead bodies of people he had killed in the past are really haunting.The film also focuses on the real romance between Henry and Becky and the jeaulous Otis.I would have given this film 4 stars becuase of the stupid ending and the totally fictionalized last fifteen minutes but when I look at it I believe that if it would have ended how the story of Henry Lee Lucas really ended it would have been stupid.Michael Rooker who plays Henry excepted a difficult role and managed to opull it off his performance is one of the greatest of all time.

Rating:
Summary: Pure Trash
Review: For those who expect to see a depiction of the life and crimes of Henry Lee Lucas, this is the wrong film. Ludicrously fictionalized, poorly scripted, horribly acted, and ineptly directed, this is just about as bad as it gets. In essence, this is a cheap, lurid pile of junk, a perfect illustration of the difference between a horror movie and a horrible movie; this is one of the latter, a deplorable waste of time. Avoid it!

Rating:
Summary: warm fuzzy feelings
Review: quite possibly the most unsettling film i have ever seen. i first saw it when it first came out on video. i'm trying to remember the name of the other movie i rented that day, but, i know it was of the harmless, fluffy comedy sort. obviously, i needed much work on my film festival organizational skills in those days. michael rooker is spellbinding as henry- i can't see him in any other role and not be reminded of this film. highly recommended- just don't expect to be cheered up by fluffy comedy shortly afterward.

Rating:
Summary: I'm surprised at how many people like this movie.
Review: What a waste of my $1.99! I went to blockbuster to rent this flick, hoping that it would fill my horror expectations. After watching it, I am in complete shock that this film has received so many recommendations from horror movie fans, I'm not longer going to rely on online reviews to help me decide which movies to watch. Firstly, it's not even biographical. The real Henry met Otis in a Florida soup kitchen where they both worked...among other things.

I don't really mind the inaccuracy of the film as long as the film itself is unique and presents a solid story. Actually, I did not expect the film to be in-line with the real Henry, based on what I've read about the flick. The movie itself contains no originality, nothing innovative. It's like watching a bland 80's home video of Homeless looking people. This film could have been made by anyone. The writing is poor, the acting is moderate on a B movie level, and the general meaning of it is unoriginal. Some of the things that people like about this film are so easy to think of, the backdrops of Chicago's slum filled streets for example.

The only reason the makers of the film named the movie "Henry" and used other elements that are similar to the real life Henry lee lucas and Co., is to sell a few more copies of the film. Without the Henry Lucas connection(if you can even find much of a connection aside from the names of the characters)no one would even be talking about this flick.

Rating:
Summary: For Fear Of Metal HairBrushes: The Best Reason To Live Alone
Review: When asking people what truly inspires them to be afraid, droves of answers can be counted.
Some will recount tales that they've heard within their childhood, noting how terrifying they were. They'll weave stories of monsters lurking within the shadows, of beasts going bump in the night, and of the weird things they've reflected on since they were children hiding neck deep beneath a garden of covers. Yes, many thing Lovecraftian, all with tentacles and teeth, preaching ordeals reaching well beyond the bizarre.
Others will tell of the things within nature that have made them afraid. They'll cite the fear they've been given that makes them stay out of the water or out of the jungle, that keeps them away from insects of sharks, and that makes them leery of the other manifestations that nature can bestow. They say that this is because of what they can do, knowing that these beasts are predators and are accordingly worth fearing.
A minority of people see something within that statement that others do not comprehend, however, noting how some portions of nature are darker than others. Some cannot be avoided simply by staying indoors and can blend in with the normality of terrain, walking the streets of our cities and living in the homes so close to our own. These are everyday terrors and not those that blindside those unfortunate enough to be frowned on by the stars themselves. No, these beast look like you or I do, only those beasts are something all-too-terrifyingly different.

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is a story about just such a beast, living and making his way almost invisibly and existing just below the social radar. He earns money by doing small jobs, killing insects of all things, and he shares an abode with his not-so-bright roommate, Otis. He seems like a normal guy, too, with a quiet manner, a tendency to smoke Kools, and a smile that seems disarming. In "reality," however, that couldn't be farther from the truth. In his spare time, Henry likes to pick up hitchhikers, to assail prostitutes and waitresses, and to visit "Mom and Pop" stores with one purpose. He likes to kill people. And he likes to do so in more-than-realistically horrific ways.

While this movie is touted as barbaric by some and pointless by others, this is a reflection of the truth within our world. It shows a side we oftentimes want to forget, thinking that terror keeps to the shadows and can't move into our neighborhoods under our very noises. Through an array of well-done performances, this low-budget movie worms its way into a person and leave a chilling calling card. And while graphic and not intended for those not wanting some thick with blood and random violence, it is one of the more frightening things I've seen in some time. And that's especially true in its "uncut" showing that is now available.

Rating:
Summary: Sickening, Digusting, TOTALLY EFFECTIVE!
Review: This movie will give you that deep sick empty feeling in your gut unlike any other horror movie. This movie is so disturbing because you can imagine yourself or a family member as being a victim of one of these crazy killers. Watch this movie and you will never be the same again with respect to your own personal safety, at least if you are smart and have a head on your shoulders.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting psychopath movie
Review: "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" is, not only because of its realism or its interesting main character, a very good movie.

With this movie, I discovered an actor that never really attracted me, maybe because of SOME of his more recent projects: Michael Rooker. I know, he played in "Replicant" with Jean-Claude Van Damme, but except for that, I was pretty impressed by his filmography. Mr.Rooker is far away from being a bad actor, really. And this film, along with other productions, proves it. It was his first film, and definitely a great role to start. Many actors started their path through glory with a bad guy role. But Henry is more than a simple bad guy...

The film, in 1986, had brought a strong wave of controversy. I have to admit that it's pretty violent (not SO much, but I can understand why it was censored in the 80's). I saw a 81 minute version, which is not the whole runtime, and sometimes it was obvious that some murders had been cut. But too bad, it's true to say that the sadism and brutality of the violence brings something really intense and somehow disgusting in the film, but even with the 81 minutes version I felt its effect completely. (SPOILERS) Many murders are atrocious to see because of the graphic aspect, others are gratuitous, and others are disgustingly brutal. The graphic aspect makes it a sometimes pretty gory film, like the guy that gets his head smashed with a TV, or the guy that is stabbed in the eye and then gets his head cut off. These murders bring a sense of strong disgust to the viewer. The gratuitous murders, like when Henry gives a gun to Otis and tells him to kill anyone to see how it feels to kill someone, are probably the ones that show how sick Henry (and Otis) are. The brutal ones, without pretending that they are not ALL brutal, are the worse to watch. If you've seen Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange", you'll understand. There is a very disturbing rape scene in "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer". But it's not only the rape that is SO disturbing, it's also the fact that they are filming everything, and Otis just can't stop watching it later. Those who found "Deliverance"'s rape scene shocking, don't see this, really, because "Deliverance"'s scene was very soft and had NOTHING brutal compared to "Henry"'s.

But, the most important point, the realism. The setting is very common. Henry, Otis and his sister live in a very small house, have very normal jobs, are not wearing some Versace clothes, and are simply looking like anybody you could meet on the street. There's a scene where Henry cleans the floor with a broom, you know, all these things you have to do in every day life, but that are never shown in movies. Movies usually show the extremes: either very rich people or poor people. But the middle-class environment is so well delivered. But we still have to understand that this is a low budget film, so even if they had wanted to make a richer environment, I doubt they could have done so. But believe me, it's a very good element of the film. The characters are also very affected (in a good way) by a near setting. The way the speak, their accent, vocabular, their jobs, their clothes, everything.

It appears that the character of Henry is an interpretation of the not THAT renowned killer Henry Lee Lucas. It's an interesting concept to make a movie about a killer that is not known as THE MOST DANGEROUS killer off all times. They could have made a movie about Charles Manson's life, but they decided to make it on someone a little less known's life. And that's good. It's like the film "Sweet and Lowdown", with Sean Penn, who plays the SECOND best guitarist of all times. It's good to see that they give second places a chance.

The characters are not so important, except for Otis and of course, Henry. Henry plays some kind of teacher (in mass murdering) to Otis, but he has more personality than that. He's a man full of contradictions, a man that has a very hard choice to make in the end of the movie, a man that has is full of nuances, but that still consists into a very dangerous serial killer. We have many hints of his past life, and it somehow justifies all of his horrible acts. Otis is different. He discovers a passion in murder and rape, but doesn't control himself, "exaggerates" too much. And Henry is aware of that. The character of Otis becomes slowly something totally different than what it was before. At first, he's a pretty normal man, with a minor violent behavior, but discovers suddenly a way to express his rage. To me, Otis seemed like a stupid junkie while Henry seemed like an experimented and cautious addict of killing people. Otis' sister, Becky,is important, but not for her evolution. She falls in love with Henry, who simply doesn't know how to react to somebody's feelings. Becky doesn't have a very important role, but her character becomes useful for one thing, and only one: love. And that's the point where Henry will be full of contradictions. And that's the most important thing, because it tops Henry's deranged mind. Henry is a nice character to analyze.

But, even with all that said, you'll never know how brilliant the ending is if you don't see it. So, overall, the urban yet middle-class setting makes this film very realistic, the complex characters make it twisted, the brutality makes it shocking and intense, and the music, directing and atmosphere are a huge contribution to this movie, that is, for sure, not the most interesting to watch, because you somehow stay pretty distant to the characters and atmosphere, but the whole thing has lots of qualities. Pretty enjoyable, and terrifying enough. "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" is a great movie. It's a different approach to a serial killer's life, way more original than movies such as "Strangeland", "Resurrection", and other thrillers that are not bad, but do not focus enough on the killer's mind...and in "Henry", they did not make that mistake.

I give it 7/10, but it's really close to an 8.

And, by the way, I just couldn't believe they made a sequel to this film. Really, this fact deceived me (though I haven't seen the second film), because the ending of the first one was perfect, and a sequel simply ruins all of its meaning.

Rating:
Summary: One Of The Best Horror Movies Ever Made
Review: Henry: Portrait Of A Serial killer is a film that is so real and disturbing. That the Mpaa gave the film a X rating just for how real it was. The film finshed production in 1986 and was in a ratings battle with the Mpaa for 3 years. This film is extremely gory and violent. A lot of people say that Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer isnt as gory as Friday The 13 or slasher films of that nature. But it is way worse than any of those slasher picture the violence is very graphic and gory. The film is not for everyone its not for kids to tell you the truth this movie is for no one under 18 years of age. A great disturbing masterpiece but again not for everyone

WARNING: This Film Is Rated NC-17 For Extremely Graphic Brutal Prolonged Gore and violence, Prolonged Graphic Rape,A Scene Nacrophila, Disturbing Images,Graphic Murder, And Strong Sexuel Images.

Rating:
Summary: Henry=disturbing
Review: If you are easily disturbed then avoid this movie. I am not easily disturbed or anything like that but my mouth dropped and was silent on most parts. The movie MIGHT leave you speechless. If you let your kids watch horror,i recommend you watch it before letting them. It is prett bad. I mean Jason,Freddy,Michael are ok cause it's fake. but this is real so of course that's why. Overall a pretty good movie. I know it took guts for these actors to do these things. Check it out. You can buy before you see it too. You won't be dissapointed