Michael Rooker horror Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

With Halloween quickly approaching, I thought it would be fun to look at some horror films from our favorite Walking Dead actors.

Way before Michael Rooker played Merle Dixon on The Walking Dead, he starred in a psychological horror film Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, filmed in1986 but wasn’t released until 1989.

The film was directed and co-written by John McNaughton and is loosely based on real convicted serial killers Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole.

Lucus killed his mother in 1960 and would go on to kill two others in 1983. He eventually confessed to about 600 other murders after his conviction of murdering 11 people that condemned him to death. He would later recant the confessions as a hoax except for the murder of his mother. Toole was also sentenced to death but also recanted. He even confessed to the murder of Adam Walsh.

It isn’t clear if these men are genuinely serial killers or just two drifters who confessed or two complainant interviewees.

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer movie starring Michael Rooker

This film was denied an R rating by the MPAA, stating that no cut of this film could qualify for that rating. It was finally released without a rating. The film received mixed reviews due to its shocking and disturbing content. Many reviewers stated this film is an honest look at serial killers and should make us question our fascination with them.

This isn’t a slasher film with witty humor thrown in. It is a chilling tale based on the confessions of Lucas and Toole. The film shows a drifter who kills without remorse with senseless violence. The film is a horror thriller, but this one doesn’t make light of murder but instead shows it in a very raw and authentic form.

Roger Ebert had this to say about the film:

"This is a movie that’s an obvious candidate for the proposed A (for adult) rating. It is a chilling film that – fair warning – will horrify many viewers and is intended to illuminate, not entertain. But it also is a very good film, a low-budget tour de force that provides an unforgettable portrait of the pathology of a man for whom killing is not a crime but simply a way of passing time and relieving boredom."

Be sure to check out Michael Rooker in this chilling horror-thriller this Halloween season.