51 GREATEST FICTIONAL BAD GUYS
#48. HENRY from HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER.
There are few scenes in cinema that upset me as much as the family massacre in Portrait of a Serial Killer. It is jarring, sickening and too real — and I’ve only been able to sit through it once in the three times I’ve watched the movie.
Henry is not an entertaining movie. It’s not interested in giving you a sensational franchise villain, or satisfaction in the illusion of good vs evil. That’s why (and rightfully so) the movie is remembered and revered as much as it is.
Part of its compelling nature is the schism you see happening in Michael Rooker’s serial killer. He’s outgoing and charming as a predator; sullen and fragile as a human being. His “sidekick” Otis is actually worse than he is: Henry executes his victims with a workmanlike caution; Otis revels in it like a kid at the circus.
Chillingly, Henry realizes his humanity terrifies him more than anything else. This trait is echoed in Tom Noonan’s performance in Michael Mann’s Manhunter: both serial murderers find more sanctuary in the reptile than the man. Because of this, Henry is a compelling and complicated character — but not compelling enough for me to revisit on a regular basis.
Henry: “It’s always the same, and it’s always different.”
