Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer DVD, 1986

Grim but gripping, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is a loose dramatization of the real life and crimes of Henry Lee Lucas. The killer's use of video to record his crimes throws up unsettling issues about screen violence, and the film builds to an disquieting and horrific climax. A bona-fide cult classic that took several years to be first released on video.

Henry (Michael Rooker) works as an exterminator and murders strangers for fun. He lives with drug dealer Otis (Tom Towles) and Otis's sister, Becky (Tracy Arnold), who has moved in with them to escape her abusive husband. When Henry shows Otis the ins and outs of serial killing, Otis takes to it with enthusiasm.

We may live in a nanny state, but things can't be quite so bad when we are finally allowed to see the full uncut version of one of the most disturbing effective crime ... more >

We may live in a nanny state, but things can't be quite so bad when we are finally allowed to see the full uncut version of one of the most disturbing effective crime movies made in many years. This is a film that both colludes with and disturbs the viewer, removing the safety screen that customarily exists between ourselves and such material. Not, of course, for the squeamish. < less

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