Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

"He's not Freddy, he's not Jason...he's real."

1986 1h 23m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 808

CrimeHorrorThrillerDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Arriving in Chicago, Henry moves in with ex-con acquaintance Otis and starts schooling him in the ways of the serial killer.

“He's not Freddy, he's not Jason...he's real.”

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Cast

Michael Rooker
Henry
Tracy Arnold
Becky
Tom Towles
Otis
Mary Demas
Dead Woman / Dead Prostitute / Hooker #1
Anne Bartoletti
Waitress
Elizabeth Kaden
Dead Couple - Wife
Ted Kaden
Dead Couple - Husband
Denise Sullivan
Floating Woman

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John McNaughton
Writers: Frank Coronado, Richard Fire, John McNaughton
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

83 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 5.5× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

40 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John McNaughton, shot by Charlie Lieberman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Robert McNaughton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Elena Maganini shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John McNaughton directs. Charlie Lieberman behind the camera. Robert McNaughton scores. Elena Maganini cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

183 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Made its money back 5.5× over at the box office.
440 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
5Part of the "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Directed by John McNaughton, shot by Charlie Lieberman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Robert McNaughton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Elena Maganini shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Michael Rooker and Tracy Arnold and Tom Towles carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "He's not Freddy, he's not Jason...he's real.".
11IMDB entry: tt0099763 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 13 themes, including "chicago, illinois", "prostitute", "rape", "psychopath".
13Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Charlie Lieberman
Original score: Robert McNaughton
Editing: Elena Maganini
Costume design: Patricia Hart
Makeup / hair: Michael J. Alonzi
Runtime: 83 min · 1h 23m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $111,000
Box office: $609,939
Return: 549% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)

Awards

Sitges Film Festival Best Feature-Length Film award

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer Collection

A crime psychological thriller film series about a serial killer who seemingly operates with impunity. The character of Henry is loosely based on real life serial killer Henry Lee Lucas.