Synopsis: After being arrested, a Texas man begins confessing to the brutal murder of over 200 women. He recounts his random selection of victims and his traveling companions, his friend and friend's sister. But the police can't be sure whether to believe him or not until he locates a body and shows them some polaroids. Based on the true story of Henry Lee Lucas.
My Thoughts: This forgotten classic, which was filmed in the mid-80's, sat around collecting dust for over 5 years before finally being released by New Horizons home video in 1992. The Hannibal Lecter look-alike used for the cover art was no doubt an attempt to cash in on the popularity of Silence of the Lambs. It's not a surprise that this film has nothing to do with the Hannibal franchise what-so-ever, although it does have a few similarities to John McNaughton's Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (also based on the notorious serial killer Henry Lee Lucas). McNaughton's Henry had gained a huge cult following in the years after it's release in 1990, so it doesn't take a genius to figure out what the folks at New Horizons were thinking when they came up with the title for this movie.
The acting in the movie was average with one exception. Robert A. Burns was incredible as the lead character. His passive and unemotional portrayal of Daniel Ray really made this movie for me. Not to mention, he's a dead ringer for the real Henry Lee Lucas. Burns, who worked as an art director on some legendary horror films (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes), was also used as the art director on this film. The gritty look of Texas Chainsaw Massacre is definitely on display here. The great efforts of Burns, along with the creepiness of the film's score, make this a very underrated horror flick.
*** On a sad note, Robert commited suicide in 2004 (shortly after being diagnosed with terminal cancer). He was 60 years old.
This movie was actually released on DVD a few years back on region 2 (with the same cheesy cover). Do not buy this version! The video and audio transfers are terrible and it's been cut to shreds. Stick with the New Horizons VHS version.
My Rating: 8.5 / 10
This one's definitely worth searching for, unfortunately a VHS copy will run you about $25 on eBay or amazon. You might be better off picking up a dvd-r copy off ioffer for 5 or 6 bucks. Make sure it was taken from the unedited New Horizons VHS release and not the shitty region 2 DVD.
"click here to see the trailer"
This movie was better than the overated Henry portrait of a serial killer
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