Taglines: He’s not Freddy. He’s not Jason. He’s real.
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer movie storyline. Loosely based on serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, the film follows Henry and his roommate Otis who Henry introduces to murdering randomly selected people. The killing spree depicted in the film starts after Otis’ sister Becky comes to stay with them. The people they kill are strangers and in one particularly gruesome attack, kill all three members of a family during a home invasion. Henry lacks compassion in everything he does and isn’t the kind to leave behind witnesses – of any kind.
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is a 1986 American psychological horror crime film directed and co-written by John McNaughton about the random crime spree of a serial killer who seemingly operates with impunity. It stars Michael Rooker as the nomadic killer Henry, Tom Towles as Otis, a prison buddy with whom Henry is living, and Tracy Arnold as Becky, Otis’s sister. The characters of Henry and Otis are loosely based on real life serial killers Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole.
Henry was filmed in 1985 but had difficulty finding a film distributor. It premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival in 1986 and played at film festivals throughout the late 1980s. Following successful showings during which it attracted both controversy and positive critical attention, it was rated “X” by the MPAA, further increasing its reputation for controversy. It was subsequently picked up for a limited release in 1990 in an unrated version. It was shot on 16mm in less than a month with a budget of $110,000.
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1990)
Directed by: John McNaughton
Starring: Michael Rooker, Tracy Arnold, Tom Towles, Mary Demas, Elizabeth Kaden, Ted Kaden, Denise Sullivan, Anita Ores, Monica Anne O’Malley
Screenplay by: Richard Fire, John McNaughton
Cinematography by: Charlie Lieberman
Film Editing by: Elena Maganini
Costume Design by: Patricia Hart
Art Direction by: Rick Paul
Music by: Ken Hale, Steven A. Jones, Robert McNaughton
Distributed by: Greycat Films
Release Date: January 5, 1990
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