A minor sensation when released, like a flashing sign that warns “Do Not Enter,” because Henry was from a new director, it was impossible to tell how much they were able to control the tone and how transgressive the film would get. Clearly made with a rock bottom budget, John McNaughton presented Henry’s world as banal, where murders are done without emotion, but there’s still a moral center that comes out in his dealings between friend Otis and Otis’ sister Becky. As bad as the film gets, Henry and his detachment try to keep things from falling completely into nihilism. Time has proven that what makes the film so chilling is more of a bug in John McNaughton direction than a feature. The shining star that saves the film is Michael Rooker, who makes Henry believable and speaks with an authoritative cold logic that makes you wonder how many others like Henry are currently out there.
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