Halloween Chills: Where To Find Them.

I know I mentioned that I was going to do a Halloween post on Vampires and their evolution on film but once I did some research and discovered that not only have there been 266 Vampire films made since Nosferatu, I haven't seen about 90% of them. (Sorry Twilight kids, I'm going in a different direction!)  The one good thing that came out of my intentions was sitting down and watching a two hour special that ran on The History Channel recently about Prince Vlad Dracul III.

Moving forward I still wanted to do a Halloween post and since I saw Paranormal Activity 3 (which was going to be my one scary film during Halloween week) I had decided to discuss it but there was one problem. I didn't find the film scary and it was actually a big disappointment after seeing the first two in the series and loving both.  When you go into a film knowing it will be a prequel to the first two you expect answers and feeling like you can go back and watch the first two one day, having all of the missing puzzle pieces in place.  Not so! I just feel like I did after seeing the first season of LOST, well except that PA3 lacked decent writers, and a good plot.  Perhaps others will feel differently about it so I won't include any spoilers here.

Okay, I'm now running out of post ideas and it's October 29th but I found myself watching a Bravo special which showed the Top 15 Scarier Movie Moments.  Still wanting to find at least one scary film to watch over Halloween weekend, I paid close attention to the clips.  Three films in particular peeked my interest and they were at the top 5 of the scariest. Hmmm, do I dare watch any of these? I'm feeling pretty brave these days for some reason.

Now, I stay away from slasher films at all costs but the three films that caught my eye were "Maniac" (1980) which is about a serial killer who runs around New York on a murderous rampage.  The second film was "Frailty" (2001) which follows the story of two boys during the mid-70's after their crazy father starts getting orders from God to kill demon's.  The last one and the one at the top of the 'scariest film' list was "Henry: Portrait of A Serial Killer" (1986)  Loosely based on real life serial killer Henry Lee Lucas and his equally depraved sidekick Otis Toole.

Did I choose "Maniac" (looks terrifying)?

Frailty (which had an all star cast)

Or did I lose my mind completely and watch "Henry: Portrait of A Serial Killer"?

So which of these super scary films did I decide to watch if any? First, let me say that I asked Nate from Forgotten Classic of Yesteryear his opinion since he watches a lot of scary movies and he had actually seen "Maniac" and "Henry".  To put it simply he said "I wouldn't watch any of them!"  Well, now I was even more intrigued so I went and read several reviews for "Henry" specifically.  When a reviewer writes things like "It made me physically ill", It's one of those things that once you've seen it, you can never un-see it", but the description that came up the most was "DISTURBING"!

I thought about it for at least 24 hours but in the end I watched both "Frailty" and "Henry". Dunn Dunn Dun. Now, let me just say that I've been reading books on True Crime for quite a few years and I enjoy all of the true crime show on television so "Henry" caught my interest for that reason. It was loosely based on serial killer Henry Lucas, as I stated earlier. My heart was racing before I even started the film and I honestly expected to have to turn it off within a couple of minutes.  I didn't and I actually watched the film twice. I know, I'm strange!  Perhaps graphic images don't bother me due to many years of working in the ER and being exposed to some very traumatic injuries. I know it sounds crass but eventually you get desensitized to it.  Of course patients don't jump out at you wielding machetes though. At least not in my experiences.

The lead is played by then unknown actor and Chicago native, Michael Rooker with Tom Towles playing Otis and Tracy Arnold playing the very flawed Becky, Otis's younger sister.  The film was written by Richard Fire and John McNaughton and Directed by McNaughton. Made on a shoe string budget of $100,000 in and around Chicago, it feels like a documentary, using the cinema verite style works very well for this film.  I'll give you my take on the film but fair warning, the film is not for the squeamish and the scenes are graphic. Also, this is not a snarky review.

The musical score is chilling and it fits, gives the viewer a warning that something really bad is going to happen.  And in the first few scenes we see dead bodies splayed out in water, in tall grass, different places all while Henry is shown driving around Chicago in his clunker of a car.  Even though we don't see Henry actually kill any of these people, it's understood that he's been very busy when not working his menial job or getting drunk on cheap beer in his seedy little walk up apartment.

Henry has no motive or pattern, he just kills at random which is why he was able to escape capture. A typical day in the Chicago streets.

Henry! You've passed this guy on the street day after day. He's worked on your car, chatted with you in line at the grocery store. You might even live next door to him right now.

You just don't know he's a monster because you've never had the misfortune of being in his path on that one night of the week that he feels the urge to kill.

While you and I spend our free time doing something like watching a movie or gardening, Henry spends his days stalking his future victims. (Her husband came outside so she lived a couple more days)

Sometimes it's as easy as driving along a lonely highway where an unsepecting hitchhiker falls into your lap.

Henry doesn't live alone. He lives in a cramped little apartment with Otis, a disgusting little creeper that he met in prison. Otis's little sister shows up after she leaves her abusive husband and little girl. She's damaged goods. I like her immediately but I feel very uncomfortable watching her brother make sexual advances towards her. 

This one makes my skin crawl and he's not even the psychotic serial killer!

Henry is emotionally dead after surviving a childhood of physical and sexual abuse at the hands of his prostitute mother. His stint in prison was for killing her.  

As the film progresses we see Becky develop feelings for Henry, most likely because she's so flawed, terrorized by her brother and in need of protection but Henry isn't capable of reciprocating her feelings or sexual advances.  The film takes an even darker turn when the two guys pick up a couple of hookers and Henry, without provocation snaps both of their necks then dumps them both in a heap in the back of a filthy alley.  This sparks something in Otis who looks up to Henry.  He gets tips on how to avoid getting caught (they're both on probation after all) before finding a random motorist to shoot.  

In one scene the two wind up looking to buy a new television from a back alley salesman who winds up dead in the cruelest way.  

They acquire a video camera which sets up the most disturbing scene in the movie. After they break in to a families home, brutally killing the family after violating the wife (all while videotaping their horrific crime), they then play the murders back over and over from their couch at home.  

Not long after and a couple of murderous nights later, Henry walks in on a drunken Otis in the process of raping his sister. A fight ensues and Otis winds up dead.  There's a pretty gruesome scene where Henry dismembers Otis's body in the bathtub. (I'll save you the graphic images) 

Of course Becky, now on the run and completely traumatized takes off with Henry.  In a very sad scene she tells him she loves him then he responds with "I guess I love you too"

After an all night drive where Henry manages to make Becky feel safe by telling her they're headed to his sisters ranch in California where they will eventually send for her daughter, they wind up at an out of the way hotel. The next morning Henry is seen leaving alone. Eventually he stops on the side of a road.

Bone chilling music starts and we're left with this image as the film comes to an end.

I certainly understand why this film had an impact on so many. I wouldn't really categorize it as a horror film as much as a chilling thriller. In the style that it was filmed and with the very realistic killing scenes you feel like you're watching a week in the life of a serial killer.  That in itself will keep you awake at night, make you more cautious when going out alone but you'll always have that uneasiness knowing that there are serial killers just like Henry Lee Lucas walking the streets among us, killing at random.  To me THAT is what's so horrifying about this film.  

Fortunately, there was a 30 minute long interview with the director John McNaughton at the end of this copy. He talks about his style choices when making Henry as well as the casting process. When Michael Rooker came in to read for the part of Henry he was dressed in the brown coat over the blue work pants as he read for the part in character.  This startled the director a little bit but he knew immediately that Rooker was the right choice.  Also, he anticipated the film being made to go directly to VHS. It was after the film was shown at the Telluride film festival that he knew it would eventually get a theatrical release. (The film actually sat on a shelf and it wasn't released in cinemas until 1990.) McNaughton also discusses first hearing about the real life serial killer, Henry Lee Lucas and he does admit that the film is based loosely on his life after meeting up with Otis Toole. 

I'm really not sure if I should recommend this film or not for those who enjoy good thrillers because you might be one of those people who is truly traumatized and scarred by this film.  I wasn't and I'm one of the biggest scaredy cats on the planet.  All in all, I tested myself this Halloween after a wasted few hours trying to get a good scare from Paranormal Activity 3 then searching for a good film.  I'm already looking forward to next year. Going to go set my house alarm now. 

Oh, and I'll be reviewing "Frailty" at a later date. It was another really good thriller.

Happy Halloween everyone and please feel free to share what you were watching over Halloween week as well as if you've seen any of the films I mentioned. 

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