Originally filmed in the Winter of 1986 but trapped in ratings system Hell for three years, Henry finally saw the light of a projector in 1989.
The terrifying story of a heartless serial killer, it was told in such a flat, unforgiving and realistic fashion that it inspired angry debates among critics and viewers alike. Loosely based on the real-life exploits of mass murderer Henry Lee Lucas, the film actually uses a ”slice-of-life” approach to create a docu-drama of chilling horror.
Unlike your typical slasher film, with their cardboard killers {wearing ridiculously recognizable face masks}, Henry does not employ campy humor {Hannibal} do-drugs-and-have-sex-then-die tactics, and over-the-top FX to make it’s point. It’s main point is made all too painfully clear. Henry is a monster of a man who kills total strangers efficiently and without remorse. The film contains scenes of heartless and shocking violence, committed by a man who totally lacks the feeling of common humanity.
In one scene {which prompted walkouts and vomiting with some viewers} Henry and his old prison buddy Ottis Toole {his friend in real life} invade the home of a suburban family and videotape their murders, one of which is a small boy. Ottis tries to rape the dead woman’s corpse, but Henry, who has at least a microscopic amount of respect left inside, stops the vile act, also sparing the viewer. The scene, nonetheless, is excruciatingly hard to watch or stomach.
At first a mixed bag of different emotions, some vieweers were appalled while others praised the film for it’s uncompromising honesty. It didn’t sugarcoat it’s content like most slasher films do. It drove home the point that there are Henrys out there, and he could be the guy next door, your own neighbor. Just like the man himself, Henry has no passion, no reasoning, no qualms about the subject of murder.
One of the main driving forces behind the film is the chilling, balls -to-the-wall performance from Michael Rooker as Henry. His performance gave me a chill that followed me all the way home. Nothing if not totally disturbing, Henry was a much needed response to the tiresome slasher craze that had begun to grow stale by the mid to late 1980’s. Not so much a horror film as a horrific film, it was and still is a much needed breath of fresh air within a genre that still continues to grow tired, stale, and cliched. It still remains one of my top ten best films of the 80’s, and always will.
My rating: 5 Stars {out of 5}
Doc Byron
email: db5948@gmail.com
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