Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1989)

[ravenus]

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1989) - John McNaughton

Loosely based on the recorded confessions of Henry Lee Lucas, this is a fictional account, but shot in the manner of a true-life documentary.

The main characters are Henry, his roomie and ex-jailmate Otis and Otis' sister Becky who comes to stay with them after walking out on her abusive spouse. In contrast to Otis' vulgar hillbilly manner, Henry's a shy but steely type that appeals to the lonesome Becky, and she initiates a gentle courtship, sharing some of her own emotional wounds with him. But beyond the silence, Henry is a man of murderous pursuits. Otis, initially a casual bystander to some of Henry's deeds, soon becomes an enthusiastic partner, his attempts at perverse sexual acts arousing the sexually repressed Henry's distaste. Things reach a head when Otis' foul desires extend to raping his own sister, and Henry explodes in a consuming rage.

McNaughton shoots the drama in a very low-key manner. The dowdy locations and make-up shorn actors create a very credible atmosphere. Michael Rooker gives a terrific performance as Henry. The scene where he tells Becky about the circumstances in which he murdered his mother is genuinely creepy because of the bashful, repressed way he puts it across. Tracy Arnold makes a nice, vulnerable Becky. Somehow Tom Towles' Otis made a far less impact on me, although I can't pinpoint something specifically wrong with his performance, I guess it's just that I've seen him play the hillbilly in too many movies already. The other problem I had was the background score which went into this "tan ta dan" warning mode whenever Henry was off to perform one of his dark deeds. Such cue-ing works against the atmosphere that the film is trying to create. The early shots of various women apparently brutalized by Henry, accompanied by annoying ambient synth, make no impact because they're presented sans any context.

But on the whole this is a pretty good film with some powerful scenes. The part where Henry throws himself on Otis after he sees him raping Becky is a truly gripping and sordid experience. The quieter moments of the film have a genuinely creepy feel thanks to the gifted actors who really make you believe in their portrayal. The end, while not really surprising, is to be appreciated for it's restraint which gives a far greater impact than the other approach.