Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
He's not Freddy, he's not Jason...he's real.
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
Budget
$111 000
Revenue
$609 939
Director
Scenario
Composer
Steven A. Jones
Producer
Actors
Michael Rooker
Henry
Tracy Arnold
Becky
Tom Towles
Otis
Mary Demas
Dead Woman / Dead Prostitute / Hooker #1
Anne Bartoletti
Waitress
Elizabeth Kaden
Dead Couple - Wife
Ted Kaden
Dead Couple - Husband
Denise Sullivan
Floating Woman
Short description
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer follows a drifter named Henry who settles into a down-at-heel Chicago apartment with Otis, a man he knew from prison. Otis makes a living through small-time crime, while Henry, outwardly unremarkable, kills people more or less at random, varying his methods so as not to be caught. When Otis's sister Becky arrives from out of town and moves in with them, she and Henry form a mutual attraction, even as Henry's other life continues. The film draws on the crimes attributed to Henry Lee Lucas and his companion Ottis Toole.
John McNaughton directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Richard Fire, and produced it with Steven A. Jones and Lisa Dedmond. It was his first feature, followed by Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll and The Borrower in 1991. Michael Rooker plays Henry, Tracy Arnold plays Becky, and Tom Towles plays Otis, heading a credited cast of 33.
Made independently on a small scale, the film has held a durable reputation since its 1986 release. On IMDb it holds 7 out of 10 from around 44,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.7 out of 10 from roughly 800 votes. A critics' rating of 8 out of 10 from 66 reviews places professional assessment higher than the general audience scores on both platforms, indicating that reviewers have consistently regarded it more favourably than the wider viewing public.
What's left behind the scenes
- John McNaughton initially intended to shoot the entire film with a handheld camera. He hired Jean de Segonzac as his cinematographer, who was considered one of the best in the world at working with handheld cameras. Unfortunately, a week before filming began, de Segonzac had to leave the project, leaving McNaughton without a cinematographer. Ultimately, he invited Charlie Lieberman, and together they decided to abandon the idea of shooting everything handheld.
- Michael Rooker (who played the main character) used the image of Henry in the music video "All Wrapped Up" by American Head Charge.
- The film is based on the confessions of serial killer Henry Lee Lucas.
- The scene in the living room, where Tom Towles' character films Michael Rooker and Tracey Arnold's characters, was improvised.
- Work on the film was completed in 1986, but it wasn't released until 1989. One of the reasons for this delay was that the producers originally expected John McNaughton to make a conventional slasher film. They didn't know what to do with the darker and more complex film (it should be noted that the original script had many more scenes of violence than ultimately made it into the film) that McNaughton shot, and they suspected that the film's box office potential would be lower if it wasn't simply aimed at teenagers.
- This film received an X rating from the Motion Picture Association of America. Along with "The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover" and "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!", this film was instrumental in the introduction of the NC-17 rating system.
- During the filming of the movie, even when off set, actor Michael Rooker remained in character. He didn't communicate with any of his colleagues or crew members. Director John McNaughton gave him a separate makeup room, unique among the actors. Costume designer Patricia Hart (date of death – April 10, 2011) recounted that every morning she and Rooker traveled to the set together, and she was never able to understand whether he was an actor or the character, because he would periodically start reminiscing about the past, and his childhood, but not Rooker’s, but Henry’s. He became so immersed in the role that when the actor’s wife found out she was pregnant, she didn't tell him until the end of filming.
- Even when not on set, Michael Rooker remained in character. He didn’t communicate with any of his colleagues. Director John McNaughton gave him a separate dressing room, unique among all the actors. Costume designer Patricia Hart recounted that she and Rooker traveled to the set together every morning, and she could never tell whether he was an actor or the character, because he would periodically begin to recall the past, but not his own, but Henry’s. He became so immersed in the role that when the actor’s wife discovered she was pregnant, she didn’t tell him until the end of filming.
- John McNaughton originally intended to shoot the entire film with a handheld camera. He hired Jean de Segonzac as the cinematographer, who was considered one of the best at working with handheld cameras. But a week before the start of filming, de Segonzac had to leave the project.
- The Motion Picture Association of America gave this film an "X" rating (persons under 17 are not admitted). This film, along with Peter Greenaway's crime drama "The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover" (1989) and Pedro Almodóvar's melodrama of the same year, "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!", led to the introduction of the "NC-17" rating (persons 17 and under are not admitted, but this does not necessarily mean the film is obscene or pornographic).
- Work on the film was completed in 1986, but it was only released in 1990. One of the reasons for this delay was that the producers expected John McNaughton to shoot a typical slasher. They didn't know what to do with a darker and more complex film, and suspected that the film's box office potential was low.
- The four murders shown at the beginning of the film replicate murders that Henry Lee Lucas (1936-2001, an American criminal, serial killer, robber, cannibal, and arsonist) actually committed – at least, according to his own confessions.
- When he came to the audition, Michael Rooker introduced himself as a technician, and he auditioned for the role wearing technician's clothing. He got the role, but never parted with the outfit throughout the entire filming process. He only had one jacket, so he consistently took it off before "killing" anyone, so as not to get it covered in blood.
- During the film's premiere at the 1989 festival, nearly half of the audience left the theater during the screening. After the film ended, a deathly silence fell over the auditorium. The audience simply didn't know how to react to what they had seen.
- The scene in the living room, where Tom Towles (1950-2015) films Michael Rooker and Tracey Arnold’s characters, was improvised from beginning to end.
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Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
