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Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

Play trailer Poster for Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer 1986 1h 23m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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89% Tomatometer 65 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Henry (Michael Rooker) is released from prison following his mother's murder. He supplements his job as an exterminator with a series of indiscriminate and violent murders. Fellow jailbird and drug dealer Otis (Tom Towles) becomes a willing accomplice in Henry's bloody killings. But as the depravity escalates and Henry forms a bond with Otis' sister, Becky (Tracy Arnold), things start to get out of hand. The film is based on the true-life story of serial killer Henry Lee Lucas.
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Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

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Critics Consensus

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is an effective, chilling profile of a killer that is sure to shock and disturb.

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Critics Reviews

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Nigel Andrews Financial Times The film's artful gaucheness saves it from prurience and gives the story its ghastly sense of godlessness. Yet beneath the non-interventionist style there is a wealth of symbolic or motivic detail. Feb 28, 2023 Full Review Richard Corliss TIME Magazine [Director John McNaughton] shows few of Henry's dozen or so crimes. Instead he reveals the victims, at the scenes of their deaths, in slow zoom shots accompanied by elegiac music. He is a coroner with a touch of the poet. Apr 21, 2020 Full Review John Hartl Seattle Times In a world in which eight nearly identical Friday the 13th movies offer the adventures of Jason the ax-murderer as entertainment for teen-agers, maybe we do need this sobering alternative. Rated: 3.5/4 Sep 16, 2014 Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) Henry is extraordinarily perturbing, but it is also a notable cinematographic work. [Full review in Spanish] Nov 16, 2022 Full Review Rob Aldam Backseat Mafia A relentlessly creepy study in evil. Apr 15, 2022 Full Review Bill Cosford Miami Herald Make no mistake: Henry will give you the creeps. Rated: 3/4 Aug 18, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Marco W Some point out at its artful description of murder and sadism as a fault. Some (not too bright) even say it's not gory enough for a serial killer movie. See? There you have two conflicting ideas that both reflect the films impact and the state of society's tolerance towards violence. The ones that feel offended by the films stance to making a meaningful, actually good movie about this hard subject condemn it for being too good at that. While some (not too bright x2) say: hey! I haven't seen as much blood and gore as I wanted to! Who's the sickest? The filmmakers? That part of the audience that felt unsatisfied with the violence depicted? No. This movie acts as both a mirror and a close-up at the losers, outcasts and putrid souls that commit these horrific acts. The media glamourized it, other movies based entire million-dollar making franchises over this. Henry just says... Hey, this is what you're selling as entertainment? This awful display of deadend lives that serve no other purpose than to kill, rampage and establish no further connection towards other beings? Because in Henry we don't see great relationships. Even when some sort of sick love forms between them...these characters exists in real life and just as Henry portraits...cannot communicate, bond or express love in any form. I watch it every now and then since i'm a horror movie fan and it is undoubtebly top 5 srial killer films out there. Yes. That good. Silence of the lambs, Seven. It sits on the same couch altough scratching other surfaces than those better produced masterpieces. Henry tears apart the media romance about these people and shows you how far the rabbit hole goes. 8.5/10 Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/21/25 Full Review Justin T This is a pretty boring and only occasionally shocking serial killer movie. The violence is more off-camera than on-camera which is bad for a serial killer movie and there just seems to be too many serial killer films like this. It is an arty movie. It is not worth watching as it is not shocking enough. The character part of the story is good. It is a bit slow throughout. The moral tone is low and the actual movie quality is low. Pretty dull really and uninteresting when I think about it. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 05/18/25 Full Review Audience Member quite possibly the best movie that depicts psychopathy. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/12/25 Full Review Leaburn O Reminded me of the Iceman film and documentary, both of which are more chilling and better produced. This one is a cold blooded serial killer story with some voyeuristic scenes but it’s all a bit disjointed and poorly produced. Watched it on DVD. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 12/13/24 Full Review Aaron D Michael Rooker gives an (almost concerningly) fantastic delivery of a serial killer while the supporting cast shows up and does great jobs. The gritty, bitterness of the world keeps you interested start to finish even if the practical effects have aged some, yet it's effectiveness has not dulled at all. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/20/24 Full Review Carlos I Few films have the ability to get under your skin and shake you as much as this grim, ugly character study. It's all around soo grimy, it'll make you want to take a shower after, but that won't help you. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/14/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

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Movie Info

Synopsis Henry (Michael Rooker) is released from prison following his mother's murder. He supplements his job as an exterminator with a series of indiscriminate and violent murders. Fellow jailbird and drug dealer Otis (Tom Towles) becomes a willing accomplice in Henry's bloody killings. But as the depravity escalates and Henry forms a bond with Otis' sister, Becky (Tracy Arnold), things start to get out of hand. The film is based on the true-life story of serial killer Henry Lee Lucas.
Director
John McNaughton
Producer
Lisa Dedmond, Steven A. Jones, John McNaughton
Screenwriter
Richard Fire, John McNaughton
Production Co
Maljack Productions
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 6, 2016
Runtime
1h 23m
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