 There’s
not much that can be said about Henry: Portrait of
a Serial Killer that hasn’t already been said.
A controversy and sensation due to its unflinching portrayal
of violence, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer was first screened at the Telluride Film Festival in 1986,
but languished in distribution limbo for years before getting
a proper release in 1990. It garnered generally strong reviews
and in the intervening years has become a sort of a benchmark
for serial killer films. Films like Se7en or The Silence of the Lambs have been flashier
and made serial killing sexy, but few films can match Henry’s
hardcore grittiness. Make no mistake, Henry: Portrait
of a Serial Killer is the real deal.
After opening with a series of disturbing tableaux of
Henry’s victims, the action shifts to a seedy section
of Chicago, where Henry and his roommate Otis live. Otis’
sister Becky, running away from a failed and abusive marriage,
has come to Chicago to live with Otis. It’s this threesome
that is the focus of the film.
Special
attention should be given to Michael Rooker’s performance
in the title role. Even more amazing is that it’s his
motion picture debut. Rooker has gone on to do some very impressive
work, but has never really gotten the leading man status and
recognition he deserves. Nevertheless, his portrayal here
is pitch perfect. Rooker’s shortcomings as a leading
man are assets here; his everyday face and soft, gravelly
voice are the perfect cover for the madness that seethes inside
Henry. His bursts of anger, especially those directed towards
Otis, are truly frightening. Even more frightening is Henry’s
casual indifference when he is teaching Otis the ins and outs
of serial killing. It’s these moments that are the real
heart of the film, since we get insight into Henry’s
psyche.
The most interesting relationship is the one between Becky
and Henry. Having been at the hands of an abusive father and
brother her whole life, she sees in Henry a kindred spirit
and protector. When Henry spurns her advances, she takes that
as a sign that he is the real deal; a man who doesn’t
just want to use her body, but who wants to protect and take
care of her. It’s this blind idolatry that makes Becky
overlook a lot of the red flags in Henry's behavior. It’s
interesting that Henry doesn’t kill her after she sees
incontrovertible proof of Henry’s psychosis. Only after
a night in a hotel room, where they presumably sleep together,
does Henry commit the actions that lead up to the film’s
haunting final shot.
 Otis
is by far the least well developed of the three, but then
his purpose here is to make Henry seem likable in comparison.
Considering that the protagonist of the film is a serial killer,
how could he possibly be made sympathetic? Otis is your answer.
To that effect, Tom Towles turns in a great performance. His
Otis is so slimy he made me want to wash my hands after the
movie was over. When he’s not letching after his sister,
he’s deriving perverse pleasure from a videotape of
him assaulting a woman, rewatching it in slow motion and frame
by frame (in a scene that should make even the hardest horror
fan stop and think). The reason it works, and the reason it
doesn’t feel manipulative, is that there are people
as nasty as Otis, and however disgusting he may be, he never
takes that step over the line into implausibility. It makes
sense that Henry would be attracted to a person like Otis.
I guess Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer seems like such a breath of fresh air, even twenty years after
its initial release, because it doesn’t apologize for
its protagonist. It doesn’t try to explain him, it doesn’t
sexy him up and it doesn’t make excuses for him. Sure,
Henry had a rough childhood, but so did Becky and the only
time she hurts another human is in defense of Henry. After
Rob Zombie’s reprehensible The Devil’s
Rejects, in which Zombie tries to manipulate the
audience into feeling sympathy for a family of sexual predators
by their casting as victims, Henry: Portrait of a
Serial Killer doesn’t condone, tacitly or otherwise,
Henry’s actions.
Admirably, Director John McNaughton never stoops to cheap
shocks, and despite the film's reputation, its gore is used
sparingly for impact. There is dark humor in the film, especially
in McNaughton’s condemnation of violence as entertainment,
but it never gets out of control. With a debut as impressive
as this, it’s a wonder McNaughton hasn’t done
more in the genre since.
MPI’s original release of Henry: Portrait of
a Serial Killer was absolutely pitiful; easily the
worst DVD I have ever viewed in my life. Blocky, pixel ridden,
washed out and blurry, it was unwatchable. Luckily, in preparation
for the 20th Anniversary of Henry, Dark Sky
Films has assembled a two-disc set that finally pays this
nearly lost classic its dues.
Picture
The transfer on Dark Sky’s Anniversary
edition is about as good as Henry will likely ever look. Henry was filmed on 16mm and as such, it looks like a ‘70s
exploitation film. The full-frame picture is occasionally
soft, especially the opening credits. The color palate is
muted, but given the theme and locale, this seems wholly appropriate.
Black levels are solid and I couldn’t notice any pixels
or edge enhancement. On the contrary there were a few were
scenes that actually shocked me with their sharpness and clarity.
It’s nowhere near Hi-def, but this is the best Henry has ever looked.
Sound
Nothing to rock the house here, but
a perfectly serviceable Dolby 2.0 track is included. Dialogue
is for the most part clear and audible. The background effects
are surprisingly clear without interfering with the dialogue.
There were a couple of scenes, notably when Henry and Otis
flag down a passing car under an overpass, where dialogue
was muffled and just barely intelligible. This probably has
less to do with the quality of the audio and more to do with
the source materials. Other than that caveat (and it is a
small one – the scene is short and there’s not
a lot of dialogue anyways), it’s a perfectly serviceable
track.
Extras
To honor Henry’s
20th Anniversary, we are treated to a good selection of extra
features.
On Disc One, we have an audio Commentary by Director John
McNaughton moderated by David Gregory. Gregory keeps the pace
up when McNaughton goes quiet so there’s nary a dull
moment in the commentary.
Next there is a still gallery that contains a mix of behind-the-scenes,
promotional and advertising photos. It’s a pretty short
gallery; I wish they’d had more of the marketing materials
other than just the US and Japanese posters, and there’s
a real dearth of behind-the-scenes stills as well.
Rounding out the special features on Disc One is a trailer
gallery. The Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer trailer is an effective little piece. Despite having just
watched the film, it still managed to raise gooseflesh. Trailers
for Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer 2 and The Manson Family are also included.
 On
Disc Two we have the most substantial supplement, the 52-minute
documentary Portrait: The Making of Henry. All the
principal cast members are present, as well as director/co-writer
John McNaughton and co-writer Richard Fire (who I’m
sure you’ll all remember as the awesome Dr. Seaton in Poltergeist III). The documentary traces
the history of the film, from conception right through to
release. The interview clips are interspersed with scenes
from the film. The information is always interesting and informative,
but the documentary lacks finesse; it’s mainly a talking
heads piece.
A second documentary The Serial Killers: Henry Lee Lucas is included as well. Running 26 minutes, it gives a quick
overview of the history of the man who was the inspiration
for the film. Most of the participants are law enforcement
officers who hash out timelines and dates, but fail to offer
any real insight. There is interview footage of Lucas himself
but very little. I couldn’t help but think, throughout
the whole piece, just how boring the real Lucas is and how
fascinating Michael Rooker’s Henry is.
Next we have 21 minutes of deleted scenes narrated by McNaughton
and David Gregory. The audio tracks for these scenes were
apparently lost, so McNaughton explains their context and
the reasons they were cut out. It’s difficult to really
get the scenes without the audio, and many of them are discussed
in the documentary and commentary, making this feature redundant.
McNaughton mentions that his original cut of Henry ran just over two and a half hours. Where are the other forty
minutes of deleted scenes?
Finally, we have an extensive storyboard gallery that maps
out most of the key sequences in the movie. Amusingly, the
storyboards look like Robert Crumb drew them. There are also
little jokes inserted, such as one scene being set at “Gein
City Mall” or Henry renting a room in the “Bates
Motel”. Hilarious!
Closing
Buy this movie. Now. Like I said before, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is the
real deal and it’s being offered in a great anniversary
package. I initially undervalued Henry: Portrait of
a Serial Killer because the original DVD was so piss
poor it made me angry to watch it, but its presentation here
has elevated my opinion of the film. Henry: Portrait
of a Serial Killer is, if not the best then one of
the top, serial killer movies ever made.
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