"Did you really kill your momma?" is not one of the routine courtship inquiries you would expect to hear.

But the blossoming romance between convicted killer Henry and the sister of his best buddy Otis isn't what you call routine.

Henry (Rooker) did for his abusive hooker of a mother when he was 14 while Otis and Becky (Arnold) were both products of a severely broken home.

Their stories when first released as Henry: Portrait of Serial Killer in the mid-80s generated acres of newsprint dedicated to the censorship question.

Back then, the grainy, documentary-style treatment of the life of a motiveless murderer was revolutionary enough to stir up the more conservative elements.

However, the evolution of digital video and current vogue for shooting movies using a variety of film stock renders the original run-of-the-mill.

That's not to say Henry doesn't shock - the scene where he films himself and Otis slaying a family chills with its similarities to a home movie.

But what was once innovative now appears old hat and some of the acting, particularly Towles as Otis, undermines any authenticity.

To put it mildly, Towles can't act to save his life, which is a bit of a mixed blessing if you're the right hand man to a serial killer.

As a portrait, this ain't no Dorian Gray.

Tim Evans