Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Part 2 (1998)

What makes it different from others?

just watch it!

Captivating movie !

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Yeah, yeah, I know. Different director, and a different Henry, even. Not quite what I had in mind, either. Perhaps a bit insulting, if you're like me, and you think highly of Henry 1, that is, unless you're, once again, like me and have extremely low standards for Horror, and are used to that sort of inconvinence, because there sure is whole lot of it. So, as far as half-ass sequels with different directors, and an all together different feel goes, this one is actually pretty good. Good, but not awesome, at least not compared to the original, which. by the way, is a masterpiece, but let's try not to hold that against Chuck Parello's underdog of a sequel. Henry 2 picks up some time after the events of the original. Henry is broke, desperate, and completely out of his mind. Henry ends up with a job cleaning porta-potties, and soon gets friendly with a co-worker and his wife (Kai and Cricket), resulting in a place to crash for a few days. Polite at first, Henry makes himself right at home after discovering Kai's hobbie... firebug. Naturally, Henry wants to play, and soon Henry introduces Kai to his own games, quickly turning this regular joe firebug into a bloodthirsty killer. But as we all know, Henry is only capable of playing well with others for so long.I take it we weren't supposed to notice that the new Henry is about a foot shorter than Michael Rooker. In that case, forget I said anything. Henry 2 Mask Of Sanity is a much better stand-alone movie than one may think, and also has a lot going for it in the violence and terror department, despite being in the shadow of Henry one. for those who can really appreciate a quality sequel, Troll 2 is waiting. And as for Henry 2, this may sound strange, but this movie really is a worthy sequel. 7/10

Henry 2 is one of those rare gems that are so bad that their good.I laughed out loud quite a lot in this film at some of the hammy acting.Anyone watching this that takes it seriously and compares it to the original really needs to chill.I have read a few uptight reviews on here really bashing it but i guess they dint take it with a pinch of salt.Henry 2 is the best comedy iv'e watched in a while,with killing too!I thought the guy who played him did a good job even though he was a 5 foot midget,his sidekick did OK as well.OK,its not Oscar winning acting by any means but it's just a good entertaining, popcorn movie.Don't listen to the haters,just put your tongue in cheek and enjoy the ride!

No matter how brilliant and stunning the screenplay would have been, this sequel to `Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer' was doomed to automatically lose 99% percent of its power. Why? Because Michael Rooker didn't reprise his role of the relentless serial killer. The way he gave image to Henry made clear that no one could ever equal him. Actually, when I first saw `Portrait of Serial Killer' (at much younger age than generally recommended) and not knowing who Rooker was, I really was convinced he was a real madman! Neil Giuntoli was the rather unknown actor given the thankless task to play the `new' Henry Lee Lucas. And he obviously tries his best. In fact, he tries a little too hard! Throughout the entire movie, it seems like he's trying to be Michael Rooker instead of Henry Lee Lucas. `Mask of Sanity' lacks the rawness of the original. The original was a brutal, stone-cold documentary completely lacking humanity. This sequel is `friendlier' and basically easier to get into. Henry is still at large after his initial killing spree and homeless. He accepts a job as a toilet cleaner and goes to life with one of his colleagues. Henry fools around with a suicidal teenager (she looks like a younger version of Jennifer Love Hewitt with binoculars attached to her head) and deserves a little extra money as an arsonist. Soon, his appetite for murder rises again and he finds a new partner in the man he lives with. Mask of Sanity is a rather redundant sequel without any mentionable aspects. The acting is okay while the tension level is rather weak. The disturbance-elements featuring in the original have entirely vanished, and that was exactly what made the original immortal. The ending is left open for another sequel, although I hope that'll never come.

The original "Henry" was a great slasher film that aimed higher than the genre: it examined the psyche of the serial killer, so that the movie was more than just scary, it was genuinely disturbing. The movie's effectiveness could be credited to the masterful performance by John Rooker in the title role (in a less skittish world, he would have been Oscar nominated) and by the no nonsense direction of John McNaughton, which included one of the most chilling closing shots of all time. I happened to come across the present sequel in Blockbusters and, noting that it had a different actor in the title role and a different director (as well as an almost non-existent theatrical release), I checked it out with low expectations. Well, I was surprised. The movie is much better than it has a right to be. It copies the tone and content of the original pretty closely (including ultra-graphic gore), but at least it gets it right. And Neil Giuntono gives a perfectly good performance as Henry (like Rooker, he effectively underplays the role). The lower working class milieu that Henry finds himself a part of is as vividly captured as it is unsympathetic. If you liked the original "Henry," or if you're a fan of the psycho-killer genre, this sequel is definitely worth checking out. If you're not into this kind of movie (even when well done), then obviously you should pass.