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OVERALL
BEASTS
BREASTS
Director: John McNaughton
Writers: Richard Fire & John McNaughton
Cast---
Michael Rooker ... Henry
Tom Towles ... Otis
Tracy Arnold ... Becky
David Katz ... Henry's Boss
Anne Bartoletti ... Waitress
Eric Young ... Parole Officer
Runtime:83 min
Writers: Richard Fire & John McNaughton
Cast---
Michael Rooker ... Henry
Tom Towles ... Otis
Tracy Arnold ... Becky
David Katz ... Henry's Boss
Anne Bartoletti ... Waitress
Eric Young ... Parole Officer
Runtime:83 min
HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (1986)
It’s no secret that I love serial killer films and this one is perhaps my favorite. I had seen this in the past
and now on Bluray it looks a bit better. The film portrays real life serial killers Henry Lee Lucas, and Otis
Toole during their violent murder spree on the streets of Chicago.
Henry is played flawlessly by Michael Rooker and the rest of the cast is just as good. Henry shares an
apartment with his friend he met in prison, Otis. Henry currently works as an exterminator but he soon
looses his job. He doesn’t seem to mind much and prefers to spend his time stalking women and brutally
killing them. Otis works at a gas station a few days a week. The pair spend a lot of time drinking beer
and smoking cigarettes. Otis’ sister Becky comes to live with the two, running away from an abusive
husband. She instantly falls in love with Henry due to their similar fucked up childhoods. One evening
Henry tells her about how he killed his mother and she relates how she was sexually abused by her
father growing up. The whole tone of the film is very grimy, dark and depressing which really makes you
cringe and feel disgusted. But that’s Henry’s world and we are just spectators.
Soon Otis joins Henry in the murders. They obtain a video camera and go around filming their
homicides. One chilling incident involves them breaking into a family’s home and killing them all. Henry
sort of schools Otis on murdering without getting caught. He says you have to change the way you kill
each time, to confuse the police. You can use a gun now, a knife later, and strangle someone next. Otis
is very perverted and is sexually attracted to his sister and the young kid he sells drugs to. Henry stops
Otis from kissing his sister on one occasion and sternly warns him not to do it again. Don't be fooled,
Henry is no gentleman and Otis is far from being a choir boy. The two make an absolutely horrifying
pair. Killing is like a pass time for Henry.
One night when Henry comes home he finds Otis raping his sister and the two get into a struggle. That
is the climax and the end of their friendship. I encourage you to watch the film to find out what happens
to each character. By the way, each character is interesting and complex although the film is fairly
simple. Michael Rooker’s performance is outstanding and John McNaughton’s directing is powerful. One
feels immersed in their world of desperation and violence. I also enjoyed this film so much because it
focuses on the killers completely and the police are not in the picture. I have yet to see a more
compelling portrait of a serial killer.
- Jorge Antonio Lopez
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