Day 72: It's Always the Same and It's Always Different

HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (1986)
Directed by John McNaughton
Starring: Michael Rooker, Tom Towles, Tracy Arnold

Shot in less than a month in and around Chicago on grainy 16mm film on a budget of just over $100,000, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer follows the exploits of two friends - Henry (Rooker) and Otis (Towles) - who go on a killing spree around the Chicagoland area.  There really is no rhyme or reason to their crimes.  They kill a guy selling black-market TVs.  They massacre an entire family.  They'll shoot a guy on the side of they freeway just for kicks.  Henry has been at the senseless murder game for quite a while, but Otis is new to it, and the thrill begins to go to his head.  Blissfully unaware of all this is Otis' sister Becky (Arnold), who came to town to get away from her abusive husband.  This unlikely trio is happy enough at first, but things get out of control very quickly.

This is an independent horror film that reminded me, in many ways, of Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.  Both were micro-budgeted films that focused on a group of isolated loners who love to kill people.  Both proved that you don't need a gigantic budget to scare the crap out of an audience.  And, probably most important, both are based on the exploits of real-life serials killers.  Chain Saw was inspired by Ed Gein.  Henry was inspired by Henry Lee Lucas, a killer from Texas who was convicted of eleven murders and suspected of dozens (maybe even hundreds) more.

One of the things I'm discovering is that horror films can be broken down into to two categories: the ones that are scary and the ones that are disturbing.  Henry certainly falls into the latter category.  No one ever jumps out at the camera or waits behind the corner in this film.  What we get is a series of scenarios in which Henry takes Otis under his demented wing.  We watch a monster create a monster, and the depths to which Otis sinks disgust even Henry.  But Henry is no prize himself.  He, too, is capable of the most depraved acts.  He's just not as brazen about it.  Most of what is disturbing about Henry goes on inside his own head.  In what is probably the most brilliant directorial decision in the film, we occasionally hear the screams of Henry's victims, usually when he's getting ready to do hi thing.  We don't flashback and actually see it, but there's really no need.  And this way, we get a glimpse of his past in much more unique fashion.  But despite what the title would have you believe, the film is not so much about Henry, nor is it truly a portrait of one man.  It really is an ensemble piece.  It doesn't even focus on Henry exclusively until the last few minutes of the film, and even then, it doesn't necessarily provide us with a "portrait."  It's really more of a "snapshot."

As influential as this film is, it almost never saw the light of day.  Director John McNaughton turned into his producers a two-and-a-half hour VHS copy of the film that had to be watched on a tiny monitor with barely audible sound.  This was because he couldn't, for whatever reason, bring in the negatives to be processed.  Needless to say, his producers were unimpressed, and the film was shelved for many years.  When it was finally brought to light, the MPAA (remember them?) gave the film an X-rating.  In fact, it was because of this film (and a few others) that the MPAA finally created the NC-17 rating for adults only films that were not of a pornographic nature.

And that last little bit of information should be enough to tell you whether or not this movie is for you.  Personally, I found it more disturbing than outright scary, but that's actually the kind of horror I like.  Anybody can make you scream, but it takes a certain kind of twisted mind to get under your skin.  And Henry does just that.