While it’s a violent film that must be seen by all who’d appreciate it, the UK version has been censored – cuts including a zoom-out shot of a dead woman with a milk bottle broken and stuck in her breast, as well as the scene in which Otis and Henry rewatch their own murder video again and again.

Murder “highlights” include the pair going to buy a TV and Henry’s reaction to Otis finding his sister more than a little stimulating towards the end of the film. Which seems odd that Henry’s labelled a serial killer because he doesn’t have a singular method. We’re treated to Henry’s theories on murder such as “you strangle one, stab another, one you cut up and one you don’t”, in order to avoid being captured by the authorities, because the mistake that most murderers make is to have a style that can identify them. Far from being politically correct, we’re shown Henry ( Cliffhanger‘s Michael Rooker) either killing someone, the after effects of him having killed someone – complete with the audio implications in the background, or the inbetween chats with his best friend Otis ( Tom Towles) and Otis’ sister Becky ( Tracy Arnold). The film shows that films can be made about senseless killings without their being a reason to it, especially without having a daft, corny twist at the end. Not completely uncut, but less censored than before, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is still one of the most chilling films ever made. ( Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Mad Dog & Glory, Normal Life, Wild Things, TV: Homicide: Life on the Street) Extras: Trailer, Director Filmography, Interview with Director.

Dom Robinson reviews Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer Distributed by

Henry portrait of a serial killer cast