Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
Release: September 24, 1986

HENRY PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER, loosely based on the case of Henry Lee Lucas, a confessed serial killer, is a terrifyingly intimate journey into the twisted life of a murderous psychotic. As the blank-eyed Henry (Michael Rooker) drifts from place to place, he selects victims at random, slaughters them, and captures the brutality on videotape. When he is joined by his deranged roommate, a loudmouthed ex-convict named Otis (Tom Towles), the almost unfathomably malevolent acts multiply. John McNaughton's film, in the tradition of such classic studies of homicidal personality as PEEPING TOM and TAXI DRIVER, goes further than both of these movies in its flat refusal to tell the killer's story on anything other than the killer's terms. McNaughton is able to present the world Henry aimlessly traverses as Henry sees it--almost unendurably bleak and meaningless--and in doing so he allows his film to go as deep into the nightmarish mind of a killer as anything ever committed to celluloid.

Trailers
Posters
Quotes
TV Salesman: "So what can I do for you, gentlemen?"
Otis: "Boy, it's hot in here. Isn't it?"
TV Salesman: "I'm kind of cold."
Otis: "We want a TV."
TV Salesman: "How much you got to spend?"
Henry: "[to Otis] What do you got?"
Otis: "Fifty bucks."
TV Salesman: "[pointing to the B&W TV] I can let you have that set over there for fifty bucks."
Otis: "Well, turn it on. We want to see if it works."
TV Salesman: "What's the matter? Don't you trust me?"
Otis: "Uh uh."
TV Salesman: "[grabs TV plug and hands it to Otis] Here. Plug it in, down there."
Otis: "Here?"
TV Salesman: "Yeah, down there. Real good. I see you've had some college. [TV turns on playing static and in black-and-white] Like you can see it, works real good. Just takes a while to warm up."
Otis: "It's black-and-white."
TV Salesman: "Of course, it's black-and-white. What do you expect for fifty bucks? Fucking 3D for Christ's sake?"
Otis: "Well, how much is color? We want color."
TV Salesman: "You can't get color for fifty dollars."
Henry: "That's okay, let's see what you got."
TV Salesman: "What have I got? You want cable-ready? You want remote control? You want UHF? You want thirteen-inch? You want nineteen-inch? I bet you'd love to have a nineteen-inch. You want Sony? You want Zenith? Do you want a GoldStar?"
Henry: "What can we get for a hundred-and-fifty?"
TV Salesman: "[points to one of the other TV sets off-camera] We'll let you have this set for a hundred-and-fifty. It's worth three-hundred. But here, take a look at this. For an extra seventy-five, you can take this six-hundred dollar set."
Otis: "[Otis picks up the video camera] What's this?"
TV Salesman: "It's a camcorder."
Otis: "What?"
TV Salesman: "It's a video-tape recorder and camera rolled into one. You just pop in a cassette and you're ready to go."
Otis: "You can make your own movies with that?"
Henry: "What else would you do with this? How much you want for it?"
TV Salesman: "It's worth a grand. I'd take half."
Henry: "Five-hundred bucks?"
TV Salesman: "Yeah. Half of a grand is five-hundred dollars."
Otis: "That's a little more than we were planning to spend. I think we should just take the TV."
TV Salesman: "Okay, which one do you want?"
Otis: "The fifty dollar one."
TV Salesman: "The fifty dollar one... You guys come in here, I show you this, I show you that and you creeps got a lousy fifty dollars to spend? You should've stopped me a long time ago. Take the fifty dollar set and get the hell out, I'm a busy man."
Henry: "Well, we were really counting on a color set."
TV Salesman: "[growing angry] What's the matter, you got shit in your ears? The black-and-white is fifty dollars! Take it or leave it!"
Henry: "Sorry for wasting your time. Come on, Otis."
TV Salesman: "Don't give me sorry you dumbass. Did I stutter? Give me the fifty dollars and GET OUT!"
Henry: "I'll give you FIFTY BUCKS! [stabs his hand with a soldering iron; then he stabs his body, strangled his neck with a power cord and smashed his head with a black-and-white TV] Otis, plug it in. [Otis plugs in; TV Salesman electrocuted with the broken TV screen on his head]"
Added By: Clint_Olson
Becky: "I got a job today."
Otis: "Oh, yeah? Doing what?"
Becky: "At a beauty parlour."
Otis: "A beauty parlour?"
Becky: "I'm a shampoo girl."
Otis: "What's that?"
Becky: "What's it sound like, you dummy?"
Otis: "How the hell should I know. You ever seen me in a beauty parlour?"
Becky: "I give shampoos... A woman gets her hair shampooed before she gets it cut, and I do it."
Otis: "They pay you for that?"
Becky: "Of course they do. Besides, I used to do it some back home after I met Leroy. Do you like it better than dancing naked?"
Otis: "Don't start with me, Otis."
Henry: "You used to dance naked?"
Otis: "Sure, all the time around the house."
Becky: "Otis!"
Otis: "Best little naked dancer you ever saw."
Becky: "You never!"
Otis: "[chuckles]"
Henry: "Were you really a dancer?"
Becky: "I danced some, in a club. And, I wasn't naked! I wore a costume. But, I guess it wasn't very much."
Otis: "When you gonna dance for us?"
Becky: "When the pope pees in his hat, Otis."
Otis: "[giggles, to Henry] Ain't she got a mouth on her?"
Becky: "I better have something on me to defend me from a pig like you."
Otis: "[snorts like a pig]"
Becky: "Otis..."
Henry: "Them's pretty earrings you got on, Becky."
Becky: "Thank you, Henry. At least there's one gentleman at this table."
Otis: "Oh, I'm sorry, honey. Now don't get mad. I was just having a little fun with you, that's all."
Added By: Clint_Olson
Becky: "Oh, wait, I got something to show you. Wait. [Becky gets up from the table, exits to other room and comes back holding a white t-shirt with 'I love Chicago' printed over it] Ta-da!"
Henry: "Nice."
Otis: "Real nice. Put it on."
Becky: "Right now? Ok, but turn around first... turn around. [Otis and Henry turn their heads. Becky undresses, struggling with buttons on shirt sleeves. Otis slowly turns his head. Becky stops him, waving her hand in front of his face. Otis turns back again. Becky unbuttons her shirt, takes it off and throws it over Henry's shoulder. She puts on a white t-shirt with 'I love Chicago' printed over it] Ok. You can look. [Otis and Henry turn to Becky, looking at t-shirt]"
Henry: "What does it say on there?"
Becky: "I love Chicago."
Henry: "[nods] Looks good, don't it, Otis?"
Added By: Clint_Olson
Henry: "You telling me you never killed anybody before?"
Otis: "I ain't saying that."
Henry: "Then you've killed before, right?"
Otis: "Well, maybe I didn't have no choice."
Henry: "You didn't have no choice here neither. Did you?"
Otis: "Huh?"
Henry: "Did you?"
Otis: "I don't know. It ain't the same."
Henry: "It's always the same... and it's always different."
Otis: "What do you mean?"
Henry: "It's either you or them one way or the other. Ain't that right? [pause] Open your eyes, Otis. Look at the world. It's either you or them. You know what I mean."
Otis: "Yeah."
Henry: "Good. You wanna beer?"
Otis: "Okay."
Henry: "Okay. [Henry walks out of frame. Sound of fridge doors opening offscreen. Henry returns, carrying a beer can. He rips it open, sits back next to Otis and takes a sip. Otis looks at him. Henry swallows, let's out a sigh] There was only one left. [Henry offers the can to Otis, who takes it and drinks]"
Added By: Clint_Olson
Otis: "[Otis sticks his head out the window of a moving vehicle as Henry drives, filming various women with a video camera until it hits something, busting the lens off; gets angry at Henry] Oh! Look what you did! Aw, God! Aw, Jesus! Look at it, it's ruined! Damn, Henry, you oughta look where you're driving!"
Henry: "Who the hell told you to stick your head out the window anyway?"
Otis: "You could've killed me!"
Henry: "Oh, that's right. Blame it on me."
Otis: "Aw, this fuckin' camera! [Otis tosses the camera out the window into the gutter, completely destroying it]"
Henry: "What'd you do that for?"
Otis: "It wasn't any good anymore."
Henry: "Could've fixed it."
Otis: "Shit, the lens was busted right off!"
Henry: "Could've fixed it!"
Otis: "How do you know? You a camera repairman? You should've said something."
Henry: "You didn't give me a chance, Otis. You threw the fucker right out the window!"
Otis: "It ain't my fault it broke."
Henry: "Oh, right."
Otis: "[tension begins to settle] We can go back and get it if you want."
Henry: "[chuckles sarcastically] Yeah."
Otis: "[after a brief moment of silence] You wanna get a beer?"
Henry: "Not particularly."
Otis: "I want a beer."
Henry: "[immediately hits the brakes and reaches over Otis to open his door] If you want a beer so bad, Otis, go ahead and get one!"
Otis: "[snarkily] All right, I will! [exits the vehicle, closes the door and says through the window] See you later?"
Henry: "Yeah. [Henry drives off while Otis stands there stranded in the street as he watches him]"
Added By: Clint_Olson
Henry: "What are you doing?"
Otis: "[rewinding the video they've just watched] I want to see it again."
Added By: Clint_Olson
Otis: "[tries to fix the TV, the reception messes up further. Finally, Otis can't take it no more] Ah, shit! [kicks the TV set, destroying it and sending smoke in air] Fuck... [Henry walks in on Otis and the broken TV]"
Henry: "[scoffs] What did you do that for?"
Otis: "I guess I got carried away."
Henry: "Well I guess you did, Otis."
Otis: "Shit, I got to have a TV..."
Henry: "Well, let's go shopping."
Added By: Clint_Olson
TV Salesman: "So what can I do for you, gentlemen?"
Otis: "Boy, it's hot in here. Isn't it?"
TV Salesman: "I'm kind of cold."
Otis: "We want a TV."
TV Salesman: "How much you got to spend?"
Henry: "[to Otis] What do you got?"
Otis: "Fifty bucks."
TV Salesman: "[pointing to the B&W TV] I can let you have that set over there for fifty bucks."
Otis: "Well, turn it on. We want to see if it works."
TV Salesman: "What's the matter? Don't you trust me?"
Otis: "Uh uh."
TV Salesman: "[grabs TV plug and hands it to Otis] Here. Plug it in, down there."
Otis: "Here?"
TV Salesman: "Yeah, down there. Real good. I see you've had some college. [TV turns on playing static and in black-and-white] Like you can see it, works real good. Just takes a while to warm up."
Otis: "It's black-and-white."
TV Salesman: "Of course, it's black-and-white. What do you expect for fifty bucks? Fucking 3D for Christ's sake?"
Otis: "Well, how much is color? We want color."
Added By: Clint_Olson
TV Salesman: "You can't get color for fifty dollars."
Henry: "That's okay, let's see what you got."
TV Salesman: "What have I got? You want cable-ready? You want remote control? You want UHF? You want thirteen-inch? You want nineteen-inch? I bet you'd love to have a nineteen-inch. You want Sony? You want Zenith? Do you want a GoldStar?"
Henry: "What can we get for a hundred-and-fifty?"
TV Salesman: "[points to one of the other TV sets off-camera] We'll let you have this set for a hundred-and-fifty. It's worth three-hundred. But here, take a look at this. For an extra seventy-five, you can take this six-hundred dollar set."
Otis: "[Otis picks up the video camera] What's this?"
TV Salesman: "It's a camcorder."
Otis: "What?"
TV Salesman: "It's a video-tape recorder and camera rolled into one. You just pop in a cassette and you're ready to go."
Otis: "You can make your own movies with that?"
Henry: "What else would you do with this? How much you want for it?"
TV Salesman: "It's worth a grand. I'd take half."
Henry: "Five-hundred bucks?"
TV Salesman: "Yeah. Half of a grand is five-hundred dollars."
Otis: "That's a little more than we were planning to spend. I think we should just take the TV."
TV Salesman: "Okay, which one do you want?"
Otis: "The fifty dollar one."
TV Salesman: "The fifty dollar one... You guys come in here, I show you this, I show you that and you creeps got a lousy fifty dollars to spend? You should've stopped me a long time ago. Take the fifty dollar set and get the hell out, I'm a busy man."
Henry: "Well, we were really counting on a color set."
TV Salesman: "[growing angry] What's the matter, you got shit in your ears? The black-and-white is fifty dollars! Take it or leave it!"
Henry: "Sorry for wasting your time. Come on, Otis."
TV Salesman: "Don't give me sorry you dumbass. Did I stutter? Give me the fifty dollars and GET OUT!"
Henry: "I'll give you FIFTY BUCKS! [stabs his hand with a soldering iron]"
Added By: Clint_Olson
Henry: "The most important thing is to keep moving, that way they might never catch up to you. I'm gonna have to pack up and be on the move, too, pretty soon."
Otis: "Where you going?"
Henry: "Nowhere. You wanna come? We could be back this way in about a month."
Otis: "I'm not supposed to leave the state without telling them."
Henry: "So who's gonna know? As long as you show up when you're supposed to?"
Otis: "What if they check up on me at work?"
Henry: "Well, no plan is perfect."
Added By: Clint_Olson
Becky: "I can't ever remember really liking my daddy. I wanted to, I really did. One time he bought me - when I was about five - he bought me an ice cream cone and I dropped it. And he slapped me and made me pick it up and eat it. I never liked my daddy. One time, when my mama was at work, and I was about 13, he'd come into my room and he, uh, told me to take my shirt off' 'cause he wanted to see how I was developed."
Becky: "And when I wouldn't, he got really mad and he-and he hit me. And he told me he had a right because he was my daddy and I was his daughter and, uh, he fed me and let me live in his house and he could do whatever he wanted... and he did. Then he started coming into my room a lot after that, and I didn't fight him because when I did, he just hit me."
Becky: "I was afraid I was gonna have a baby and that my baby would be deformed. But I never got pregnant. I tried to tell mama, but she didn't wanna hear about it. She pretended not to believe me but I knew she did. It sure is good to talk - to talk to you, Henry, because I know you're not judgemental or anything like that. I never would have married Leroy in the first place if I hadn't wanted to get away from daddy so bad."
Henry: "Didn't get along with your daddy, huh?"
Added By: Clint_Olson
Henry: "Don't do that Otis - she's your sister."
Added By: Clint_Olson
Otis: "Adios, motherfucker."
Added By: Clint_Olson
Henry: "Guns are easy to get... I can make a phone call and get a gun. Anybody can get a gun, Otis."
Added By: Clint_Olson
Otis: "Where you going?"
Henry: "Nowhere - you wanna come?"
Added By: Clint_Olson
Becky: "I don't want to talk about Leroy!"
Otis: "Okay, we don't have to talk about him! You hungry?"
Becky: "Yeah."
Otis: "Good, I'm hungry too. I wonder if Leroy's hungry. (laughs)"
Added By: Clint_Olson
Henry: "It's always the same and it's always different."
Added By: Clint_Olson
Henry: "If you shoot someone in the head with a .45 every time you kill somebody, it becomes like your fingerprint, see? But if you strangle one, stab another, and one you cut up, and one you don't, then the police don't know what to do. They think you're four different people. What they really want, what makes their job so much easier, is pattern. What they call a modus operandi. That's Latin. Bet you didn't know any Latin, did you kid?"
Otis: "Big fucking deal."
Henry: "What?"
Otis: "Nothing."
Henry: "It's like a trail of shit, Otis. It's like the blood droppings from a deer you shot, and all they've got to do is follow those droppings, and pretty soon, they're going to find their deer."
Otis: "Why don't you use a gun?"
Henry: "You can use a gun. I'm not saying you can't use a gun. Just don't use the same gun twice."
Added By: Clint_Olson
Henry: "Otis, plug it in."
Added By: Clint_Olson
Becky: "Did you really kill your mama?"
Henry: "I guess I did."
Becky: "How'd it happen?"
Henry: "I stabbed her."
Becky: "Otis said you hit her with a baseball bat."
Henry: "Otis said that?"
Becky: "Yeah."
Henry: "Well, he's mistaken."
Becky: "Well don't tell him I told you. He made me promise. [pause] She must have treated you real bad."
Henry: "She was a whore. My mama was a whore. But I don't fault her for that. It ain't what she done, but how she done it. Long as I can remember, she'd bring men up to the house. My daddy was there too, but it didn't matter none to her. She'd make me watch."
Becky: "That's creepy."
Henry: "She'd beat me too. A lot. She'd beat me when I wouldn't watch it. And sometimes she'd beat me, and make me wear a dress, and watch her doin' it. Then they'd laugh at me."
Becky: "She made you wear a dress?"
Henry: "You think I'm lyin?"
Becky: "I feel like I know you, like I've known you for a long time. I feel like I've known you forever and ever."
Henry: "Yeah. I killed my mama. One night. It was my 14th birthday. She was drunk, and we had an argument. She hit me with a whiskey bottle. I shot her. I shot her dead."
Becky: "I thought you said you stabbed her."
Henry: "Oh yeah, that's right, I stabbed her."
Added By: Clint_Olson
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