Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer [20th Anniversary Special Edition]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Though the title makes Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer seem like a cut-rate slasher flick, the film is actually one of the most disturbing and terrifying examinations of mass murderers ever filmed. Loosely based on the story of confessed murderer Henry Lee Lucas, the film follows Henry (Michael Rooker) as he selects innocent victims--occasionally with his roommate Otis (Tom Towles)--and kills them, capturing their murder on videotape. Many of these murders rank among the most brutal and violent ever portrayed on film. The violence and the clinical, detached portrayal of Henry and his horrifying actions make Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer a disturbing, thought-provoking film, but it certainly isn't one for every taste. Finished in 1986, the film wasn't released until 1990, when it was greeted with both positive reviews and considerable controversy. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: All
• Number of Discs: 2
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Screen: Color
• Subtitle: English
• Features:
  • • Feature film
    • Feature-length commentary with director John McNaughton
    • Theatrical trailers
    • Still gallery
    • "Portrait: The Making of Henry" documentary
    • "The Serial Killers: Henry Lee Lucas" documentary
    • Deleted scenes and outtakes with commentary by John McNaughton
    • Original storyboards

AWARDS

• Independent Spirit Awards

•     Nominated Best Actor - 1990 (Michael Rooker)
•     Nominated Best Director - 1990 (John McNaughton)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1990
•     Nominated Best Screenplay - 1990 (Alex McNaughton, Richard Fire)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actor - 1990 (Tom Towles)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actress - 1990 (Tracy Arnold)

• Telluride Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 1989

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  John McNaughton

• Producer:

  John McNaughton, Waleed B. Ali

• Screenwriter:

  Richard Fire, John McNaughton

• Cinematographer:

  Charlie Lieberman

• Composer (Music Score):

  Robert McNaughton

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Robert McNaughton

• Songwriter:

  Robert McNaughton

• Composer (Music Score):

  Ken Hale, Steven A. Jones

• Songwriter:

  Steven A. Jones

• Editor:

  Elena Maganini

• Art Director:

  Rick Paul

• Co-producer:

  Lisa Dedmond, Steven A. Jones

• Executive Producer:

  Waleed B. Ali, Malik B. Ali

• Costume Designer:

  Patricia L. Hart

• Makeup:

  Berndt Rantscheff

• Special Effects:

  Jefferey Lyle Segal

REVIEW:

• Nothing if not disturbing, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer was a response to the slasher movies of the 1980s. There are none of the special effects or plot conventions of such horror series of the time as Friday the 13th, Halloween, and Nightmare on Elm Street. Instead, the movie is almost completely detached and non-judgmental towards its subject, as hollow a creation as you're ever likely to find as the focus of a movie, played with a chilliness of blizzard-like proportions by Michael Rooker. There is no humanization of Henry. He has no passion, no reasoning, no existential quandary. The vacuous feeling is reminiscent of Peter Bogdanovich's 1968 rooftop killer movie, Targets. Henry was finished in 1986, but the MPAA refused to give it anything less than the dreaded 'X' rating. It sat on the shelf for three years until filmmaker Errol Morris sponsored the movie at the Telluride Film Festival. The reaction at the time was volatile, and, even with the subsequent success of such gruesome movies as Silence of the Lambs, Henry may remain a bit too authentic for most tastes. ~ Brendon Hanley, Rovi