Henry – Portrait of a Serial Killer

In 1985, at the zenith of the slasher film, John McNaughton was asked to deliver horror barware for very little money. What he finally presented to the producers not only shocked them, but also the US Youth Protection Agency. For years, they refused to classify Henry - Portrait of a Serial Killer and instead threatened to give it the dreaded X-rating, which is actually reserved for porn films. The story of Henry, who murders with his former cellmate Otis as naturally as emotionlessly, was therefore only shown at film festivals and on the midnight movie circuit for a long time, until it was finally allowed to be released regularly in cinemas in 1990, after more than four years in exploitation limbo. McNaughton's almost documentary-like portrait, based on the life and deeds of serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, is still an outstanding, disturbing work on the banality of evil, carried by a once-in-a-century performance from Michael Rooker, who was still completely unknown at the time. (Markus Keuschnigg)

Introduction by Markus Keuschnigg on 31 October 2024

Photo: Austrian Film Museum