Henry: Guns are easy to get... I can make a phone call and get a gun. Anybody can get a gun, Otis. "He's not Freddy. He's not Jason. He's real."Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is a dirty, raw and dark film. It isn't anything like the average slasher. This wasn't made for fun and it isn't fun; it's disturbing. The
film makes live an everyday life of a serial killer. The movie wasn't quite as graphic as I thought it would be, but it's still in your face. There are murders and rapes, disgusting moments and chilling moments. The movie reminds me of a more serious Man Bites Dog. We are thrown into Henry's life. Henry has already been to jail; he killed his mother; with a knife, no with a baseball bat, or wait was it a gun. I don't know because Henry doesn't even know. That gives some pretty deep insight into the psyche of this man. He's an illiterate, who came from an abusive upbringing and he has mommy issues. He's the very description of a serial killer. He can't get close to anyone and he definitely can't love anyone. The movie doesn't really have a plot. If I had to give it one though, I would say it's basically Henry killing and then also teaching his pal, Otis, to kill also. He also gets into a bit of a relationship with Otis' sister. That's about as deep as the movie goes plot wise, but it goes very deep into the psyche of a serial killer and puts some chilling ideas and images into the viewers mind. The last scene of this movie was one of the more chilling scenes I have seen; not because it shows us anything, but because it doesn't. It makes for a perfect ending. Henry... isn't really a movie meant to be watched as pure entertainment or for fun. Nothing about it says, "Like me." But it is very good at what it's trying to do. In my eyes this is sort of an Anti-Slasher. All the other slashers do is have chase scenes followed by violent murders. Slashers are normally meant to not be taken seriously and try to be fun, just in a violent way. Henry... is the opposite. The point isn't to entertain and the violence isn't what it is trying to sell. It's powerful, scary stuff. People like this are roaming our streets. Real life is always scarier than a huge, supernatural, moron like Jason.
October 10, 2011
62%
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97%
Top Critic
