Yet another trio of Dark Sky Films titles have made their way onto Screambox, joining previously dropped classics Willow Creek, Minor Premise, and The Deeper You Dig (details), as well as Ghost Killers vs. Bloody Mary, Landlocked, and Possum (details).
First, the criminally underseen babysitter thriller Emelie, a taut thriller that will definitely surprise many of you.
I was blown away by Michael Thelin‘s debut feature which is highlighted by star Sarah Bolger, who delivers a chilling performance that would make any parent check twice before hiring a new babysitter.
In the film… “After their regular babysitter Maggie can’t make it, the Thompson family turns to her friend Anna to supervise their children while the parents celebrate their anniversary. At first, Anna seems like a dream come true to the kids, allowing them to eat extra cookies and play with things that are usually off-limits. Still, as her behavior becomes increasingly odd,...
First, the criminally underseen babysitter thriller Emelie, a taut thriller that will definitely surprise many of you.
I was blown away by Michael Thelin‘s debut feature which is highlighted by star Sarah Bolger, who delivers a chilling performance that would make any parent check twice before hiring a new babysitter.
In the film… “After their regular babysitter Maggie can’t make it, the Thompson family turns to her friend Anna to supervise their children while the parents celebrate their anniversary. At first, Anna seems like a dream come true to the kids, allowing them to eat extra cookies and play with things that are usually off-limits. Still, as her behavior becomes increasingly odd,...
- 10/27/2023
- by Brad Miska
- bloody-disgusting.com
Fresh content is added to the JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel every day of the week, and we’re getting this week started with a new episode of the series Wtf Really Happened to This Horror Movie? This episode digs into the true events that inspired the incredibly intense and unsettling film Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (watch it Here) – and you can find out all about it in the video embedded above!
Wtf Really Happened to This Horror Movie? is sort of a spin-off from our show Wtf Happened to This Horror Movie. Wtf Really Happened to This Horror Movie? dives into movies that were based on or “inspired by” true stories, real people, and actual historical events so we can try to separate fact from fiction.
Directed by John McNaughton from a screenplay he wrote with Richard Fire, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer has the following...
Wtf Really Happened to This Horror Movie? is sort of a spin-off from our show Wtf Happened to This Horror Movie. Wtf Really Happened to This Horror Movie? dives into movies that were based on or “inspired by” true stories, real people, and actual historical events so we can try to separate fact from fiction.
Directed by John McNaughton from a screenplay he wrote with Richard Fire, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer has the following...
- 9/19/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
To mark the release of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer on 18th April, we’ve been given a copy to give away on 4K Ultra HD.
Recently released from prison, the nomadic Henry finds temporary abode in the rundown Chicago lodgings of a former jail acquaintance and small-time drug dealer, Otis (Tom Towles). Hiding behind his unremarkable employment as a pest exterminator, Henry leads a double life, prowling the streets by night on a brutal and apparently motiveless killing spree. As the bodies mount up, Otis finds himself inducted into Henry’s dark secret world, but when Otis’ sister Becky (Tracy Arnold) moves in, herself fleeing from an uncomfortable domestic situation, it quickly becomes apparent that two’s company, but three’s a crowd.
Buy Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer now here: https://www.arrowfilms.com/blu-ray/henry-portrait-of-a-serial-killer-4k-ultra-hd-limited-edition/13633197.html
Please note: This competition is open to UK...
Recently released from prison, the nomadic Henry finds temporary abode in the rundown Chicago lodgings of a former jail acquaintance and small-time drug dealer, Otis (Tom Towles). Hiding behind his unremarkable employment as a pest exterminator, Henry leads a double life, prowling the streets by night on a brutal and apparently motiveless killing spree. As the bodies mount up, Otis finds himself inducted into Henry’s dark secret world, but when Otis’ sister Becky (Tracy Arnold) moves in, herself fleeing from an uncomfortable domestic situation, it quickly becomes apparent that two’s company, but three’s a crowd.
Buy Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer now here: https://www.arrowfilms.com/blu-ray/henry-portrait-of-a-serial-killer-4k-ultra-hd-limited-edition/13633197.html
Please note: This competition is open to UK...
- 4/13/2022
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
“If you shoot someone in the head with a .45 every time you kill somebody, it becomes like your fingerprint, see? But if you strangle one, stab another, and one you cut up, and one you don’t, then the police don’t know what to do. They think you’re four different people. What they really want, what makes their job so much easier, is pattern. What they call a modus operandi. That’s Latin.”
Henry, Portrait Of A Serial Killer screens Midnights this weekend (November 18th and 19th) at The Moolah Theater and Lounge (3821 Lindell Blvd, St. Louis, Mo 63108) as part of Destroy the Brain’s monthly Late Night Grindhouse film series.
Read my interview with Michel Rooker, star of Henry, Portrait Of A Serial Killer Here
John McNaughton’s 1988 masterpiece Henry, Portrait Of A Serial Killer is a work of genius provided you can make it all the way through.
Henry, Portrait Of A Serial Killer screens Midnights this weekend (November 18th and 19th) at The Moolah Theater and Lounge (3821 Lindell Blvd, St. Louis, Mo 63108) as part of Destroy the Brain’s monthly Late Night Grindhouse film series.
Read my interview with Michel Rooker, star of Henry, Portrait Of A Serial Killer Here
John McNaughton’s 1988 masterpiece Henry, Portrait Of A Serial Killer is a work of genius provided you can make it all the way through.
- 11/15/2016
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Following its theatrical re-release this fall, the 4K restoration of John McNaughton's Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer will be unleashed on Blu-ray and digital platforms this December from Dark Sky Films, giving horror fans the chance to bring Henry home for the holidays...
Press Release: It was a true game-changer, a film so upsetting in its blunt depiction of an amoral murderer that it made the slasher films of its time look like cartoons by comparison. Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer became a lightning rod in heated debates about cinema and censorship but has only grown in stature since its first showing in 1986. Now, on the 30th anniversary of its momentous debut, it returns in a 4K restoration on digital platforms and blu-ray on December 6th, following a nationwide theatrical release.
Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer is a chilling profile of a cold-blooded killer that, 30 years after its historic festival premiere,...
Press Release: It was a true game-changer, a film so upsetting in its blunt depiction of an amoral murderer that it made the slasher films of its time look like cartoons by comparison. Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer became a lightning rod in heated debates about cinema and censorship but has only grown in stature since its first showing in 1986. Now, on the 30th anniversary of its momentous debut, it returns in a 4K restoration on digital platforms and blu-ray on December 6th, following a nationwide theatrical release.
Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer is a chilling profile of a cold-blooded killer that, 30 years after its historic festival premiere,...
- 11/1/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
To a wide collection of even studied cineastes, let alone your average moviegoer, the name John McNaughton may not ring many a bell. Splitting his career between films like Wild Things or 2013’s The Harvest and television efforts like his stint on Homicide: Life in the Streets or John From Cincinnati, McNaughton is the definition of the modern film making journeyman. However, there’s one credit to his name that’s not remembered simply for campiness or even its influence on today’s fascination with true crime narratives.
His first fiction feature, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is not only one of the director’s most highly regarded works, but with its focus on the internal struggle of its monstrous protagonist, it’s still one of horror cinema’s most entrancing experiments. Newly restored thanks to Dark Sky Films, the film is starting a new run in theaters around the country,...
His first fiction feature, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is not only one of the director’s most highly regarded works, but with its focus on the internal struggle of its monstrous protagonist, it’s still one of horror cinema’s most entrancing experiments. Newly restored thanks to Dark Sky Films, the film is starting a new run in theaters around the country,...
- 10/22/2016
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
This year marks the 30th anniversary of John McNaughton's Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, and Dark Sky Films will celebrate the seminal film's birthday with a theatrical release of the movie's 4K restoration on October 21st. Before that day arrives, though, star Michael Rooker and McNaughton will bring Henry home tonight with a screening and Q&A at the event where it premiered 30 years ago: the Chicago International Film Festival. Ahead of the special occasion, Daily Dead caught up with McNaughton to reflect on the making of his cult classic and the creation of one of cinema's most cold-blooded killers.
The performances and the way you shot Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer make it feel so real while watching it. It feels like we found a tape from a real-life killer. When you were making the movie, was that one of your biggest objectives, to make it seem as real as possible?...
The performances and the way you shot Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer make it feel so real while watching it. It feels like we found a tape from a real-life killer. When you were making the movie, was that one of your biggest objectives, to make it seem as real as possible?...
- 10/14/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer‘s nature has long prevented the mainstream exposure some horror films of its era (e.g. The Evil Dead) were able to attain, but earned more respect than just about any other for its uncompromising vision of aggression and hatred. The specter of John McNaughton‘s feature will undoubtedly grow larger this fall, when Henry returns with a 30th-anniversary restoration and theatrical run from Dark Sky Films.
And it may have paid off solely for the quality of this new edition, which rather clearly supersedes any footage you can find — an important component for a work whose sense of atmosphere has long been a source of its acclaim. What better way to appreciate Michael Rooker‘s legendary performance than in the clearest form possible?
See it below, as well as Siskel and Ebert‘s rave review from 1990:
Henry (Michael Rooker) is a psychopathic...
And it may have paid off solely for the quality of this new edition, which rather clearly supersedes any footage you can find — an important component for a work whose sense of atmosphere has long been a source of its acclaim. What better way to appreciate Michael Rooker‘s legendary performance than in the clearest form possible?
See it below, as well as Siskel and Ebert‘s rave review from 1990:
Henry (Michael Rooker) is a psychopathic...
- 9/28/2016
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
After premiering at the Chicago International Film Festival on October 14th, the 4K restoration of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer will be re-released in at least 20 cities starting on October 21st, courtesy of Dark Sky Films, and a new 30th anniversary trailer teases the latest look at the cult classic.
To see if the 4K restoration of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer will be playing in a theater near you, visit Dark Sky Films' official website.
Press Release: It was a true game-changer, a film so upsetting in its blunt depiction of an amoral murderer that it made the slasher films of its time look like cartoons by comparison. Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer became a lightning rod in heated debates about cinema and censorship but has only grown in stature since its first showing in 1986. Now, on the 30th anniversary of its momentous debut, it...
To see if the 4K restoration of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer will be playing in a theater near you, visit Dark Sky Films' official website.
Press Release: It was a true game-changer, a film so upsetting in its blunt depiction of an amoral murderer that it made the slasher films of its time look like cartoons by comparison. Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer became a lightning rod in heated debates about cinema and censorship but has only grown in stature since its first showing in 1986. Now, on the 30th anniversary of its momentous debut, it...
- 9/27/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Chicago International Film Festival 2016’s “After Dark” Lineup Includes The Autopsy Of Jane Doe, Raw
The Chicago International Film Festival 2016 announced its full lineup, and it includes Julia Ducournau's Raw, the previously announced 4K restoration of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, The Eyes of My Mother, and The Autopsy of Jane Doe, starring Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch.
Press Release: Chicago (September 13, 2016) The Chicago International Film Festival today announces Opening and Closing Night selections, as well as the full slate of films included in the Festival’s U.S. Indies, Spotlight: Musicals and After Dark categories. Chicago will play host to gala screenings of Damien Chazelle’s La La Land and Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival as respective bookends to the 52nd Festival, opening on October 13th and closing on October 27th. A full list of these newly announced programs is below and at www.chicagofilmfestival.com. Tickets for these events and all film screenings go on sale September 21st for Cinema/Chicago members...
Press Release: Chicago (September 13, 2016) The Chicago International Film Festival today announces Opening and Closing Night selections, as well as the full slate of films included in the Festival’s U.S. Indies, Spotlight: Musicals and After Dark categories. Chicago will play host to gala screenings of Damien Chazelle’s La La Land and Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival as respective bookends to the 52nd Festival, opening on October 13th and closing on October 27th. A full list of these newly announced programs is below and at www.chicagofilmfestival.com. Tickets for these events and all film screenings go on sale September 21st for Cinema/Chicago members...
- 9/21/2016
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Dark Sky Films has announced the 4K restoration of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, with a theatrical re-release that will include a red-carpet premiere and Q&A with Michael Rooker and director John McNaughton during the Chicago International Film Festival:
It was a true game-changer, a film so upsetting in its blunt depiction of an amoral murderer that it made the slasher films of its time look like cartoons by comparison. Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer became a lightning rod in heated debates about cinema and censorship but has only grown in stature since its first showing in 1986. Now, on the 30th anniversary of its momentous debut, it returns in a 4K restoration rerelease nationwide via Dark Sky Films, with major theatrical engagements to begin on October 21, 2016.
The film will come “home” on October 14, 2016, as Dark Sky partners with the Chicago International Film Festival for a large-scale event...
It was a true game-changer, a film so upsetting in its blunt depiction of an amoral murderer that it made the slasher films of its time look like cartoons by comparison. Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer became a lightning rod in heated debates about cinema and censorship but has only grown in stature since its first showing in 1986. Now, on the 30th anniversary of its momentous debut, it returns in a 4K restoration rerelease nationwide via Dark Sky Films, with major theatrical engagements to begin on October 21, 2016.
The film will come “home” on October 14, 2016, as Dark Sky partners with the Chicago International Film Festival for a large-scale event...
- 8/26/2016
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Special Mention: Werckmeister Harmonies
Directed by Bela Tarr and Ágnes Hranitzky
Written by László Krasznahorkai and Bela Tarr
2000, Hungary / Italy / Germany
Genre: Emotional Horror
Bela Tarr is a filmmaker whose work is a highly acquired taste, but as a metaphysical horror story, Werckmeister Harmonies is an utter masterpiece that should appeal to most cinephiles. The film title refers to the 17th-century German organist-composer Andreas Werckmeister, esteemed for his influential structure and harmony of music. Harmonies is strung together like a magnificent symphony working on the viewer’s emotions over long stretches of time even when the viewer is unaware of what’s going on. Attempting to make sense of Tarr’s movies in strict narrative terms is not the best way to go about watching his films; but regardless if you come away understanding Harmonies or not, you won’t soon forget the film. Harmonies is a technical triumph, shot...
Directed by Bela Tarr and Ágnes Hranitzky
Written by László Krasznahorkai and Bela Tarr
2000, Hungary / Italy / Germany
Genre: Emotional Horror
Bela Tarr is a filmmaker whose work is a highly acquired taste, but as a metaphysical horror story, Werckmeister Harmonies is an utter masterpiece that should appeal to most cinephiles. The film title refers to the 17th-century German organist-composer Andreas Werckmeister, esteemed for his influential structure and harmony of music. Harmonies is strung together like a magnificent symphony working on the viewer’s emotions over long stretches of time even when the viewer is unaware of what’s going on. Attempting to make sense of Tarr’s movies in strict narrative terms is not the best way to go about watching his films; but regardless if you come away understanding Harmonies or not, you won’t soon forget the film. Harmonies is a technical triumph, shot...
- 10/30/2015
- by Ricky Fernandes
- SoundOnSight
Top 100 horror movies of all time: Chicago Film Critics' choices (photo: Sigourney Weaver and Alien creature show us that life is less horrific if you don't hold grudges) See previous post: A look at the Chicago Film Critics Association's Scariest Movies Ever Made. Below is the list of the Chicago Film Critics's Top 100 Horror Movies of All Time, including their directors and key cast members. Note: this list was first published in October 2006. (See also: Fay Wray, Lee Patrick, and Mary Philbin among the "Top Ten Scream Queens.") 1. Psycho (1960) Alfred Hitchcock; with Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam. 2. The Exorcist (1973) William Friedkin; with Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Jason Miller, Max von Sydow (and the voice of Mercedes McCambridge). 3. Halloween (1978) John Carpenter; with Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence, Tony Moran. 4. Alien (1979) Ridley Scott; with Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt. 5. Night of the Living Dead (1968) George A. Romero; with Marilyn Eastman,...
- 10/31/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer
Stars: Michael Rooker, Tom Towles, Tracy Arnold | Written by John McNaughton, Richard Fire | DIrected by John McNaughton
Yet another film that courted controversy, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer was, at the time of its initial release, held up as an abhorrent movie that did not deserve to be in the homes of the British public. Now some two decades later the film is released on Blu-ray in high definition and uncut, courtesy of StudioCanal UK.
Shot on a ridiculously low budget by director John McNaughton (the rest of whose work sadly never lived up to the promise of this film), the movie is loosely based on the real life crimes of serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, and sees Michael Rooker play Henry, a psychologically damaged man who, together with his ex-con acquaintance Otis (Tom Towles), embarks on a killing spree of the most vicious and grisly kind.
Stars: Michael Rooker, Tom Towles, Tracy Arnold | Written by John McNaughton, Richard Fire | DIrected by John McNaughton
Yet another film that courted controversy, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer was, at the time of its initial release, held up as an abhorrent movie that did not deserve to be in the homes of the British public. Now some two decades later the film is released on Blu-ray in high definition and uncut, courtesy of StudioCanal UK.
Shot on a ridiculously low budget by director John McNaughton (the rest of whose work sadly never lived up to the promise of this film), the movie is loosely based on the real life crimes of serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, and sees Michael Rooker play Henry, a psychologically damaged man who, together with his ex-con acquaintance Otis (Tom Towles), embarks on a killing spree of the most vicious and grisly kind.
- 10/28/2011
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Films based on real life crime sprees are often some of the most intense an unsettling pieces of cinema, particularly with their ability to depict just how senseless and erratic such criminals actually are. John McNaughton’s infamous low budget chiller Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, which makes its way on to Blu-ray and DVD this week, is certainly one such film. Follow the jump for our review…
Loosely based on the real life crimes of American serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, John McNaughton’s haunting docudrama sees Michael Rooker take on the role of Henry, a demented man who arrives in Chicago to move in with an ex-con acquaintance, Otis (Tom Towles). Otis’ kid sister Becky comes to live with her older brother after a falling out back home, deciding to head out to the big city to find a new life. We follow...
Films based on real life crime sprees are often some of the most intense an unsettling pieces of cinema, particularly with their ability to depict just how senseless and erratic such criminals actually are. John McNaughton’s infamous low budget chiller Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, which makes its way on to Blu-ray and DVD this week, is certainly one such film. Follow the jump for our review…
Loosely based on the real life crimes of American serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, John McNaughton’s haunting docudrama sees Michael Rooker take on the role of Henry, a demented man who arrives in Chicago to move in with an ex-con acquaintance, Otis (Tom Towles). Otis’ kid sister Becky comes to live with her older brother after a falling out back home, deciding to head out to the big city to find a new life. We follow...
- 10/26/2011
- by Stuart Cummins
- Obsessed with Film
To mark the release of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer 25th Anniversary on Double-Play, Studio Canal have given us three copies to give away. It stars Michael Rooker, Tracy Arnold, Tom Towles and is directed by John McNaughton.
Based on the harrowing true story of one of America’s most notorious mass-murderers, Henry Lee Lucas (portrayed with a dead-eye passivity by a scarily resonant Michael Rooker), John McNaughton’s Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer builds to a disquieting and horrific climax and provides a sobering, nightmarish glimpse into a deranged and damaged mind. On its initial release, America’s MPAA gave the film the notorious X-rating, claiming that they “wouldn’t know where to begin cutting”. While in Britain, Chief Censor James Ferman took a whole year to give the film a certificate. “One of our psychologists said the film was remarkably accurate,” he argued, effectively giving it its best review.
Based on the harrowing true story of one of America’s most notorious mass-murderers, Henry Lee Lucas (portrayed with a dead-eye passivity by a scarily resonant Michael Rooker), John McNaughton’s Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer builds to a disquieting and horrific climax and provides a sobering, nightmarish glimpse into a deranged and damaged mind. On its initial release, America’s MPAA gave the film the notorious X-rating, claiming that they “wouldn’t know where to begin cutting”. While in Britain, Chief Censor James Ferman took a whole year to give the film a certificate. “One of our psychologists said the film was remarkably accurate,” he argued, effectively giving it its best review.
- 10/21/2011
- by Competitons
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Independent British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment are currently gearing up to release a Double Play 25th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray/DVD of John McNaughton's Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986), starring Michael Rooker, Tracy Arnold, and Tom Towles. As you may recall, Henry made it's Blu-ray debut just 2 years ago from Dark Sky Films, but for some strange reason the video transfer was left in the 1.33.1 fullframe mode. However thi…...
- 8/30/2011
- Horrorbid
Chicago – Twenty-three years after it was made, and nineteen years after its limited theatrical release, “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer” is as potent and relevant as ever. Filmmaker John McNaughton, along with writing partner Richard Fire, proved that true horror is found not in manufactured scares that jolt the audience like a theme park ride, but in the corrupted mind and soul of an evil being. The film truly is a human “portrait,” since it is more interested in behavior than plot. McNaughton used the true story of a Texas killer named Henry as his inspiration for this masterwork, which still stands as one of the finest and most unsettling independent films ever made.
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.5/5.0
There are definite echoes of “Psycho” in the film’s unforgettable opening sequence, where the camera focuses on Henry’s recent victims with a quiet horror that evokes memories of Marion Crane’s...
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.5/5.0
There are definite echoes of “Psycho” in the film’s unforgettable opening sequence, where the camera focuses on Henry’s recent victims with a quiet horror that evokes memories of Marion Crane’s...
- 10/6/2009
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
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