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For starters, I like to be scared. As far back as I can remember, I used to watch horror movies -- A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Halloween, Hellraiser, etc. -- and they would scare the hell out of me. Now I can watch these movies and laugh cause they're so passé, but back in the day they were scary! The movie I'm reviewing is by far one of the scariest works I've ever seen, only The Exorcist being scarier. This movie is Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.
It is loosely based on the real-life events of serial killer Henry Lee Lucas (FYI: Mr. Lucas was just recently granted a stay of execution by then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush). He's your everyday Joe: drives an old beat-up car, lives in an apartment with his buddy Otis, and is nice to the ladies. The catch--he's a serial killer, responsible for numerous murders. He had a troubled, dare I say f**ked up, childhood; his mother was a prostitute, and she made Henry watch her "dirty work," even making him wear a dress sometimes so she and her male friends could laugh him. So Henry got fed up with his mother and killed her; he did some jail time afterwards, which is where he met his buddy Otis, a drug-dealing pervert who is also spending some jail time for murder. The story picks up where Otis's sister Becky moves in with the deranged roomies, and Henry and Becky strangely fall in love. Do they live happily ever after? You'll have to watch the movie to find out ...
In conclusion, this is a very disturbing work of art--and I do mean work of art. Filmed in 1986, it wasn't released until 1989 due to controversy over the morality of its content. When it was released, it was given an X rating and had some of the more graphic scenes cut out of it. I was lucky enough to find an unrated director's cut at Blockbuster with the cut material added back in. The scene they added back in--one of Henry and Otis maniacally killing a family of 3 while videotaping it--will stick in my mind for quite some time. I recommend this film to anybody that enjoys a heavy scare, and I do not recommend it for the weak of stomach and heart. The tagline on the box says it all: "He's not Freddy, he's not Jason, he's REAL." It's a scary thought when people like this exist and can be living as close to you as next door. |
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Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer |
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review by Shaun Gravois |
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John McNaughton |
