Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

Theatrical Release Date: 1990 01 05 (USA - Limited)

UPC: 030306770093

Studio: MPI Home Video

MPAA Rating: NR   Contains:[Graphic Violence, Adult Situations, Strong Sexual Content, Rape & Sexual Abuse, Not For Children]

Summary: Though the title makes Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer seem like a cut-rate slasher flick, the film is actually one of the most disturbing and terrifying examinations of mass murderers ever filmed. Loosely based on the story of confessed murderer Henry Lee Lucas, the film follows Henry (Michael Rooker) as he selects innocent victims--occasionally with his roommate Otis (Tom Towles)--and kills them, capturing their murder on videotape. Many of these murders rank among the most brutal and violent ever portrayed on film. The violence and the clinical, detached portrayal of Henry and his horrifying actions make Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer a disturbing, thought-provoking film, but it certainly isn't one for every taste. Finished in 1986, the film wasn't released until 1990, when it was greeted with both positive reviews and considerable controversy. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

Category: Thriller

Awards: Best Picture – Independent Spirit Awards Best Director – Independent Spirit Awards Best Screenplay – Independent Spirit Awards Best Screenplay – Independent Spirit Awards Best Actor – Independent Spirit Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Independent Spirit Awards Best Supporting Actress – Independent Spirit Awards Film Presented – Telluride Film Festival Best Supporting Actor – Independent Spirit Awards

Features: Feature film
Feature-length commentary with director John McNaughton
Theatrical trailers
Still gallery
"Portrait: The Making of Henry" documentary
"The Serial Killers: Henry Lee Lucas" documentary
Deleted scenes and outtakes with commentary by John McNaughton
Original storyboards

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 09/27/2005

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard

Audio: DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 83 Minutes

Sides: 2

Number of Discs: 2

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English

Region: Universal Compatability

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
1. Opening Credits [1:32]
2. Henry [7:26]
3. Otis and Becky [4:19]
4. Exterminator [4:29]
5. Shattered Childhood [9:00]
6. Real Nice Supper [5:51]
7. Either You or Them [5:56]
8. Let's Go Shopping [6:48]
9. I'd Like to Kill [5:57]
10. Home Invasion [9:44]
11. Becky and Henry [5:16]
12. Retribution [6:47]
13. On the Run [7:56]
14. End Credits [1:05]

Brendon Hanley

Nothing if not disturbing, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer was a response to the slasher movies of the 1980s. There are none of the special effects or plot conventions of such horror series of the time as Friday the 13th, Halloween, and Nightmare on Elm Street. Instead, the movie is almost completely detached and non-judgmental towards its subject, as hollow a creation as you're ever likely to find as the focus of a movie, played with a chilliness of blizzard-like proportions by Michael Rooker. There is no humanization of Henry. He has no passion, no reasoning, no existential quandary. The vacuous feeling is reminiscent of Peter Bogdanovich's 1968 rooftop killer movie, Targets. Henry was finished in 1986, but the MPAA refused to give it anything less than the dreaded 'X' rating. It sat on the shelf for three years until filmmaker Errol Morris sponsored the movie at the Telluride Film Festival. The reaction at the time was volatile, and, even with the subsequent success of such gruesome movies as Silence of the Lambs, Henry may remain a bit too authentic for most tastes. ~ Brendon Hanley, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Rick Paul  Actor 
Waleed B. Ali  Actor 
Eric Young  Actor 
Flo Spink  Actor 
David Katz  Actor 
Richard Fire  Screenwriter 
John McNaughton  Director 
John McNaughton  Producer 
John McNaughton  Screenwriter 
Robert McNaughton  Composer (Music Score) 
Waleed B. Ali  Executive Producer 
Waleed B. Ali  Producer 
Malik B. Ali  Executive Producer 
Ken Hale  Composer (Music Score) 
Steven A. Jones  Composer (Music Score) 
Michael Rooker  Actor 
Tom Towles  Actor 
Tracy Arnold  Actor 

Country: USA