31 Days of Horror Day 5 Henry Portrait of a Serial Kiler

Title-Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer
Source-Joe Bob Briggs' Last Drive In on Shudder

This was the second feature of the 6th week of the first season of Joe Bob's Shudder show,airing after Wolf COP! Now I have seen Henry many times. First seeing it at a con back in 90.

Henry was made on the cheap in 1986. But for various reasons didn't get any kind of wide release until late 1990. Part of this was cause the producer wasn't happy with the film. The producer wanted a gore film and was given a very arthouse feeling dark drama. Another factor was once the film got submitted to the MPAA the MPAA gave Henry a X rating. Telling the director that cause of the overall tone of the film no matter what he cut it would get a X. Back then,as it is now,a film rated X had trouble getting distributed. Finally MPI released the film uncut on VHS.

Based,in part,on Henry Lee Lucas,this film is set over a few weeks tops. Henry,played by Michael Rooker, is in Chicago living with a buddy from prison named Otis,played by the late Tom Towles. Henry works as a insect exterminator. And has been killing people. Not long after the film starts Otis's sister moved into the tiny dingy apartment Otis and Henry share. She is trying to get away from a abusive husband.

Henry introduces Otis to killing. And explains how he keeps from being caught. Henry uses a different method of killing each time and never stays in one area for long. Otis quickly becomes in love with killing.

There is so many brutal scenes in the film. Like when Henry and Otis goto a local fence to get a new tv. Since they only have 50 bucks they would be stuck with a tiny b/w tv. The fence insults them and they kill him by stabbing him with a soldering iron then slamming a plugged in tv over his head. Afterwards they leave with a new color tv,a VCR and a camcorder.

The next scene is the most infamous. In it we are watching on the new tv camcorder footage of Henry and Otis invading a home and killing the family. Now the entire film was done on 16mm so it is grainy. And the camcorder footage is even grainier. Which gives this scene a eerie feel. After seeing this home invasion we see that Otis is rewinding the tape to watch it again.

On this episode of Joe Bob he has on the director of the film. Who talks about all kinds of behind the scenes info. I figured I would just watch the bits with the director,since I have seen the movie many many times. But got so into to movie ended up watching all of it.

Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer gets a A+.