HENRY: PORTRAIT of a SERIAL KILLER Will Be Available on VHS Exclusively Through Dark Sky Selects on November 19

THE FILM THAT REWROTE THE RULES ON CINEMATIC VIOLENCE RETURNS ON A COLLECTABLE VHS FOR THE FIRST TIME

HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER

The Acclaimed Thriller, Starring Michael Rooker Will Be Available On VHS Exclusively Through Dark Sky Selects on November 19^th.

“As fine a film as it is a brutally disturbing one.” – Sheila Benson, Los Angeles Times

New York, NY – 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, for the first time, the film will be available as a collectable VHS nationwide exclusively via Dark Sky Selects (darkskyselects.com) on November 19, 2024. Pre-orders for the VHS will be available on darkskyselects.com beginning October 31, 2024.

HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER is a chilling profile of a cold-blooded killer that, 38 years after its historic festival premiere, has lost none of its power to shock. The film, loosely based on a true story, has been hailed as one of the most disturbing and terrifying examinations of mass murderers ever filmed. Henry (Michael Rooker, The Walking Dead) is a psychopathic drifter who has coldly murdered a number of people for no particular reason and without any remorse. Leaving bodies in his wake, Henry makes his way to Chicago, where his he settles into the run-down apartment of his drug-dealing former prison friend and occasional roommate Otis (Tom Towles).

Also moving into the space is Otis’s younger sister Becky (Tracy Arnold), who is fleeing her abusive husband. As she fends off her brother’s incestuous advances, Becky finds herself attracted to Henry – unaware that he, along with Otis, are continuing their murderous rampage.

Director John McNaughton completed the film in 1986, and it was shown at that year’s Chicago International Film Festival. But it wasn’t until 1990 that a U.S. distributor was brave enough to give it a wide release. The film’s violence, and the clinical, detached portrayal of Henry by the unforgettable Michael Rooker, originally earned it the MPAA’s highly restrictive NC-17 rating.

The response from both critics and the public was as visceral as the film itself, and it went on to gain praise as one of the most compelling and disturbing films of modern cinema.

HABOUT DARK SKY SELECTS

Dark Sky Selects is committed to delivering a meticulously curated selection of high-quality, limited edition film releases and exclusive merchandise to the collector's market. As an extension of MPI Media Group and Dark Sky Films, Dark Sky Selects hails from nearly five decades of experience in genre films, as a specialty label dedicated to preserving the legacy of iconic titles like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, and modern classics like The House of the Devil. Our mission is to provide premium, collector-focused products that honor our cinematic heritage and ensure its preservation for future generations