Writer/director Chuck Parello's sequel to John McNaughton's
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
traces the murderous career of the title character after the events of the first film. Opening with scenes of woodland carnage, the film shifts to a homeless shelter where Henry (Neil Giuntoli, replacing Michael Rooker) ignores the rape of one fellow resident by another. Henry soon lands back on his feet by obtaining a job installing port-a-potties alongside straight shooter Kai (Rich Komenich) and his wife, Cricket (Kate Walsh). The kind but low-rent couple allow Henry to move into their home, where he makes the acquaintance of Cricket's dowdy, troubled niece, Louisa (Carri Lynn Levinson). As Louisa begins to develop a dangerous crush on Henry, the killer discovers that Kai is an arsonist and soon joins him on a series of jobs. When a pair of drugged-out teens witnesses one of the fires, Henry convinces Kai to help him kill the boys; soon the pair are murdering innocents to let off steam. Cricket, worried about her husband's erratic behavior and her niece's attachment to Henry, orders Kai to kick Henry out. Henry, meanwhile, rejects the sexual advances of the unbalanced Louisa, setting the stage for further bloodshed. Director Parello, who appeared in McNaughton's
Mad Dog and Glory
, and helped promote the original
Henry
, cast Giuntoli in the lead role after the actor played a serial rapist in McNaughton's
The Borrower
.