Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer Review: The 40-Year-Old Horror Film That Still Disturbs

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Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer Review: 40th Anniversary

Content note: This review discusses a film about a serial killer, with disturbing violence. It describes the film’s themes only, without graphic detail. Reader discretion is advised.

Most horror movies let you look away. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer doesn’t. It watches a killer go about his days with no music, no jokes, and no thrills, and that’s exactly what makes it so hard to forget.

John McNaughton’s film is turning 40. A restored 4K version returns to theaters this month, and a new disc edition follows soon after. So is it still worth watching? Here’s our review.

Story: A Drifter, a Roommate, and a Chicago Winter

Henry (Michael Rooker) has just arrived in Chicago. He rents a room from Otis (Tom Towles), a gas station worker he knew in prison. Otis’s sister Becky (Tracy Arnold) soon moves in too. She’s escaping a bad situation of her own.

On the surface, Henry seems quiet and ordinary. He has a day job. He’s polite with Becky. But he is also a killer, and Otis slowly gets drawn into his world.

The film is loosely inspired by the confessions of Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole. Lucas later took back many of his claims. The movie is not a true story, and it doesn’t try to be a history lesson. It’s a character study of a man who kills without feeling anything.

What Makes Henry Different From Other Slasher Films

Slasher movies usually give you a mask, a gimmick, or a catchphrase. This film gives you nothing like that.

Roger Ebert pointed out that Henry has no humor, no campy in-jokes, and no colorful anti-hero. The camera simply follows the killer through bars, apartments, and gray Chicago streets. It treats violence as serious and ugly, not as entertainment.

Empire’s essay makes a similar point. The film’s detachment is the scariest thing about it. Henry doesn’t see his crimes as wrong, so the audience can’t easily hate him or feel sympathy. That uneasy middle ground is where the movie lives.

Michael Rooker’s Quietly Terrifying Debut

This was Rooker’s first feature film, and the performance still stands out. He plays Henry with a flat, calm stare that suggests nothing on the surface and a lot underneath.

Tom Towles is equally unsettling as Otis. He’s messier and more impulsive, and the contrast between the two men gives the story its tension. Tracy Arnold gives Becky a sad, believable warmth that makes her one of the film’s few human anchors.

A Film Built With Almost No Money

McNaughton shot the film in the winter of 1985 and 1986 on a tiny budget of roughly $120,000 to $125,000. He used unknown actors from Chicago’s Organic Theater Company.

The low budget works in the film’s favor. There are no flashy effects. The rough look gives the story a documentary feel, as if the camera happened to catch these events.

McNaughton has said he chose the subject because the real-life case was frightening in itself. He didn’t have money for monsters or special effects, so he made the horror about a person.

The Movie That Fought the Censors

The film’s history is almost as famous as the film itself. The MPAA reportedly refused to rate it and said it didn’t know where to begin cutting. The film sat on a shelf for years and was eventually released without an R rating.

Director Errol Morris helped bring it to the Telluride Film Festival, and Martin Scorsese was a fan. Many critics have since praised it as one of the most honest American horror films. Others found it too harsh to endure. That divide has followed the film for four decades.

One sequence in particular turns the camera around on the viewer and asks what we’re doing as we watch. It’s the film’s most discussed moment, and it’s the reason the movie is still debated in film schools.

Is It Too Disturbing to Watch?

For many people, yes. This is a heavy, unpleasant movie. The violence is shocking, and the film refuses to soften it.

Ebert described it as a film meant to illuminate, not entertain, and he warned that many viewers would be horrified. That’s still fair advice.

If you dislike extreme horror, skip this one. If you enjoy serious, challenging cinema and can handle disturbing material, it deserves your attention.

How to Catch the 40th Anniversary Release

The restored 4K version, newly scanned from the original 16mm negative, plays in select Regal Cinemas on October 14, 2026, as part of the Screams on Screen series. It’s a one-day event, so check your local Regal for showtimes.

Dark Sky Selects also releases a limited-edition 4K UHD disc and steelcase on October 27, 2026. The film runs only 83 minutes, which makes it a tight, unrelenting watch.

The Verdict

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is a bleak, powerful, and deeply uncomfortable piece of filmmaking. It isn’t fun, and it isn’t meant to be. But as a low-budget classic that changed how horror looks at violence, it earns its place in film history.

Rating: 4/5 (for viewers who can handle extreme, disturbing material)