Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

Shot in 1986 on 16mm in under a month for $110,000. Then it sat on a shelf for four years. The reason was the rating. The MPAA gave it an X, and at that time an X was death for distribution. John McNaughton spent four years trying for an R and failed; NC-17 did not exist yet and he would not accept the X. It was finally released unrated in 1990. Henry and Otis have real counterparts: Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole did kill together. The film is not an impersonation of them, but that is where it starts. What makes it disturbing is not the quantity of violence but its presentation. McNaughton does not stage the killings as suspense; most are already over and the camera shows the result. In one sequence the violence is played back as a home video and the audience is placed in the position of the person watching. Michael Rooker plays Henry, his first major role. The film was nominated for six Independent Spirit Awards. Who it is for: viewers who want the serial-killer film with no aestheticising and no romance. Who it is not for: almost everyone. It is cold, dirty and hopeless; sexual and domestic violence are shown directly and there is no consolation anywhere.