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| Getting a shave from Henry star Michael Rooker |
Studied sculpture and painting at the University of Illinois - Champaign-Urbana, and received a Major in Still Photography from Columbia College. Following school, he worked in an ad agency; as a construction worker; as a silversmith; as a sailboat builder; and as a circus barker. But it was as a bartender that he met Malik and Waleed Ali, two men determined to become movie producers. They gave him $100,000 to make what would become the infamous Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer.
Henry, based loosely on the life of real life serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, revolves around a woman named Becky (Tracy Arnold), who has moved to Chicago to stay with her brother, Otis (Tom Towles). Otis' roommate Henry (A then unknown Michael Rooker), who he met in prison, immediately develops a rapport with Becky. Unfortunately, Henry is, as you may guess, slightly deranged, and pretty soon he's sucked Otis and Becky into his mad little world.
The movie was finished in 1986, but the Alis' didn't end up liking the finished product, so it took quite some time to find a willing distributor. It also didn't help that after being submitted to the MPAA, it was slapped with an "X" rating. Finally, in 1990, it was released unrated. Polarizing due to its extreme violence and subject matter, but ultimately very well received in the film community. Roger Ebert gave it a glowing review, and it has since become a classic of both the horror and independent film scenes.
McNaughton has yet to reach that level of praise since. Mostly working in the margins, he's since made the "alien head-snatcher" movie The Borrower; underrated crime comedy Mad Dog and Glory, starring Robert DeNiro as a cop, and Bill Murray as a gangster (?!); and showed us Kevin's Bacon in the ridiculously awesome erotic thriller Wild Things.
McNaughton brings a cool, detached eye to the proceedings. Henry is so effectively creepy because it seems to be told from Henry's point of view; murder is his day to day business, and he doesn't see anything odd about it. He also works really well with actors; in Mad Dog, Robert DeNiro, who is usually great, gives one of his best, most natural performances, and Bill Murray is equally amazing in his against-type role. McNaughton's use of violence is also so squirm inducing because he uses a lot of natural lighting to give you a strong sense of being grounded in reality. You're enjoying your time with his collection of murders, but you're unsure if he's ever going to let you leave.
Essential Films: Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer, Mad Dog and Glory
You Can Skip: Firehouse
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