John McNaughton, 1986 (83 min.)
My rating: 
IMDB
This is why serial killers should be feared.
* * *
When you watch Henry you are transported to the real world of serial killers. Henry begins with shots of death scenes with audio of the screams and violence that happened. Then we see Otis picking up his sister Becky and going to his and Henry’s apartment. Becky almost immediately falls for Henry and they talk about their past. After that the two men go out and pick up some ladies. During their make-out session, Henry kills one of them and then kills the other. Otis freaks out but then wants to get into the act. After a while, creepy shit happens between Otis and Becky…leaving the end up in the air. One of the best endings to a movie ever!
The acting is some of the best I’ve seen in a long time. Michael Rooker plays the best serial killer that’s ever been on screen. He plays Henry as a real killer, not some overly intelligent man or some dumb-as-rocks madman. Henry is just a “normal” man doing what he does: killing and moving on. Tom Towles plays the creepy friend and brother to a T. When he looks at Becky, you know exactly what he is thinking, and it’s just disgusting. When he gets excited about killing, boy, you know it. Tracy Arnold as Becky does a great job, looking confused and interested at the same time. She loves her brother, but also hates him with a passion, which she portrays extremely well.
The effects, for the most part, are really nice. Most are very little and fast. You get a glimpse and then it cuts away, or it’s not even shown. The final kill is the one where it really falls short. The dummy’s head is painfully obvious, but it is very brief and switches to a more believeable vantage point.
Watching Henry is a rewarding experience in all forms. The violence is done very realistically, the characters are just plain slimy, the locations give off the dirty feeling of the city life, and the end is top notch.
Have You Read...?
