It’s no secret that I love serial killer films and this one is perhaps my favorite. I had seen this in the past and now on Bluray it looks a bit better. The film portrays real life serial killers Henry Lee Lucas, and Otis Toole during their violent murder spree on the streets of Chicago.

Henry is played flawlessly by Michael Rooker and the rest of the cast is just as good. Henry shares an apartment with his friend he met in prison, Otis. Henry currently works as an exterminator but he soon looses his job. He doesn’t seem to mind much and prefers to spend his time stalking women and brutally killing them. Otis works at a gas station a few days a week. The pair spend a lot of time drinking beer and smoking cigarettes. Otis’ sister Becky comes to live with the two, running away from an abusive husband. She instantly falls in love with Henry due to their similar fucked up childhoods. One evening Henry tells her about how he killed his mother and she relates how she was sexually abused by her father growing up. The whole tone of the film is very grimy, dark and depressing which really makes you cringe and feel disgusted. But that’s Henry’s world and we are just spectators.

Soon Otis joins Henry in the murders. They obtain a video camera and go around filming their homicides. One chilling incident involves them breaking into a family’s home and killing them all. Henry sort of schools Otis on murdering without getting caught. He says you have to change the way you kill each time, to confuse the police. You can use a gun now, a knife later, and strangle someone next. Otis is very perverted and is sexually attracted to his sister and the young kid he sells drugs to. Henry stops Otis from kissing his sister on one occasion and sternly warns him not to do it again. Don't be fooled, Henry is no gentleman and Otis is far from being a choir boy. The two make an absolutely horrifying pair. Killing is like a pass time for Henry.

One night when Henry comes home he finds Otis raping his sister and the two get into a struggle. That is the climax and the end of their friendship. I encourage you to watch the film to find out what happens to each character. By the way, each character is interesting and complex although the film is fairly simple. Michael Rooker’s performance is outstanding and John McNaughton’s directing is powerful. One feels immersed in their world of desperation and violence. I also enjoyed this film so much because it focuses on the killers completely and the police are not in the picture. I have yet to see a more compelling portrait of a serial killer.

- Jorge Antonio Lopez