10 One-Off Slasher Horror Movie Villains Who Must Return

10. Henry - Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer

John McNaughton’s 1986 picture is something akin to an arthouse slasher movie, and accordingly not too likely to blossom into a major franchise. But the titular killer, played with terrifying dead-eyed intensity by Michael Rooker, would have been well worth a sequel to follow him on his dreadful journey.

Like any good movie killer, Henry is given a backstory by way of explanation, but his is murkier than most. He was abused by his mother, whom he killed, but the means are never clear; we’re never quite sure what’s true and what’s Henry simply entertaining himself (the shadiness of Henry’s character reflects real life inspiration Henry Lee Lucas, who falsely confessed to murders for fun).

Rooker injects Henry with just the right amount of persuasive charisma. He leads others along with him, most notably his pal Otis, whom he grooms into another killer. Henry’s philosophy is do unto others before they do unto you, and the unglamorous nature of this nomadic murderer feels about as realistic a depiction of psychopathy as we’ve seen on screen.

A whole lot more of this would be exhausting, but it would be interesting to know where Henry wound up; on the other hand, the uncertainty is perhaps more chilling.