Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

Henry (Michael Rooker) is released from prison - he may or may not have killed his mother, depending on what you choose to believe - and lands a job as a bug exterminator. Initially awkward-looking but not without a quiet, likeable charm about him, every now and then Henry likes to liven his day up with a spot of senseless, random murder …

Cue early scenes of victims with shotgun holes in their craniums, broken bottles rammed in their face etc - inter-cut between sequences of Henry going about his mundane every-day chores.

Eventually, Henry hooks up with former cell-mate Otis (Tom Towles) and together they pursue their mutual fascination with bloody murder. Especially chilling is the relatively subdued episode where Henry encourages Otis to shoot the driver of a passing car at random, just to see how it feels to kill someone.

Their situation is complicated by the arrival of Otis' sister Becky (Tracy Arnold), who Henry takes an immediate shine to. The relationship between Otis and Becky is clearly an abusive one, and the closer Henry gets to Becky, the bleaker things are looking for his friend …

John McNaughton's directorial debut was the cause of much sensation upon it's mid-80's release.

The horror community hailed it as an instant classic, lauding it as one of the most realistic forays into the mind of a serial killer. Meanwhile, the MPAA balked at the film's amoral stance - offering the distributors a choice of having the film banned, or released with a NC-17 rating for it's theatrical run.

In the UK, the BBFC cut the film for it's spell in cinemas, then sat on it for a further two years before requesting more cuts before a video release was granted in 1990. Again, it was the overall bleak tone and film-makers' complete reluctance to judge Henry's violent actions that seemed to cause most debate.

Last but not least, there was the trifling matter of convicted murderer Henry Lee Lucas' attempts at suing the film's makers for 'defamation of character'.

Away from the controversy and finally available fully uncut on UK DVD, it's good to see that HENRY has stood the test of time as a small but fiercely focused work. Furthermore, it's emerged as a quietly disturbing essay on true evil in the most irredeemable circumstances - as opposed to the shock-horror ride it has so often been accused of being in the past.

To be fair, much of the violence that provoked tabloid outrage is of the implied nature anyway: McNaughton's camera is taken to filming the aftermath of Henry's murders, accompanied by disturbing audio flashbacks of the victims' final screams.

McNaughton directs with a quietly confident approach to his subject matter, avoiding the more obvious pitfalls of sensational chase scenes and teens-in-peril set-ups. Rooker complements McNaughton's vision perfectly with a mannered low-key take on a very disturbed individual prone to outbursts of violence so random that no amount of reasoning could possibly temper or dissuade him.

Rooker makes for compulsive viewing here and the film's success lies largely in his hands. He's since gone on to provide solid supporting roles in numerous Hollywood productions such as CLIFFHANGER, SEA OF LOVE and JFK.

McNaughton meanwhile has directed Robert De Niro in MAD DOG AND GLORY, and must've had the time of his life overseeing Neve Campbell and Denise Richards' lesbian tussles in WILD THINGS.

Simultaneously intelligent, original and confrontational - HENRY is a classic film that deserves it's place in the heart (and collection) of any self-respecting fan of the modern horror genre.

And so, on to this new Region 2 disc from Optimum Releasing …

The film is presented in it's original 1.33:1 full-frame ratio (non-anamorphic) and although grain is still evident, this is by far the best HENRY has yet looked. Colours are a little washed out but, as with the grain, this is due largely to the film's low budget origins.

Audio-wise, the film is presented in it's original 2.0 Mono soundtrack, and this works well with no problems whatsoever.

The main draw for UK audiences here is the fact that the film is finally available UNCUT. And to celebrate this fact, Optimum have given us a very respectable package in terms of extras …

First up is McNaughton's commentary track. Consistent (none of those hideous pauses that seem to plague so many of these tracks), McNaughton is interesting and often insightful regarding the production of his $100,000 budget baby.

There's an old video interview with McNaughton that traces his fascination with 50's TV and subsequent leap into the world of directing - plus his thoughts on casting the perfect Henry, and nicking ideas from the novel Red Dragon.

A more recent interview - with Nigel Floyd - unfortunately reproduces a lot of stories we've already heard either on the commentary track or in the earlier interview, but it lasts a good 20 minutes anyway.

Elsewhere, the original theatrical trailer succeeds in making the film look as downbeat and haunting as it actually is. A stills gallery is exactly what it promises/threats to be, while a 5 page text essay on the real Henry Lee Lucas is less redundant than it may at first sound.

Finally, there's a well-documented list of censorship wrangles the movie has suffered in the UK, complemented by scene-by-scene comparisons of the most heavily censored scenes. These benefit enormously from audio commentary from McNaughton and Floyd.

Probably the best release this movie has yet received on DVD, and a long overdue arrival for the full uncut version on UK shores.

Review by Stu Willis