Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer came out in 1986 as a true independent release. The film which was directed and co-written by John McNaughton (Wild Things, The Harvest) is coming out on VHS for the first time, the film will be available as a collectable VHS nationwide exclusively via Dark Sky Selects.
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is a psychological horror film about the random crime spree of a serial killer who operates with impunity. It stars Michael Rooker in his film debut as the nomadic killer Henry. Tom Towles as Otis, a drug-dealing prison buddy that Henry is staying with along with Tracy Arnold as Becky, Otis’s sister, who is who is fleeing her abusive husband.
The characters of Henry and Otis are loosely based on convicted real life serial killers Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole.
The film back in the day was very conversely and was lightning rod in heated debates about cinema and censorship. It still is today! The film gain praise as one of the most compelling and disturbing films of modern cinema. This way more than a slasher films of the 1980s.
The film was shown at the 1986 Chicago International Film Festival. It wasn’t until 1990 that a U.S. distributor was brave enough to give it a wide release. The film’s violence, and the clinical, detached portrayal of Henry by the unforgettable Michael Rooker, originally earned it the MPAA’s highly restrictive NC-17 rating.
So now (October 31, 2024), 38 years after its historic festival premiere, you can pre-order the collectable VHS tape at darkskyselects.com beginning October 31, 2024.
Author note: Ok, never thought I would be writing about a VHS release these days, but never say never!
