The Silence of the Lambs review.
The only horror movie to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, The Silence of the Lambs stands as both a watershed moment for the genre and one of its best films. Iconic characters, expert direction and a script that doesn’t miss. Horror has rarely enjoyed this much talent.
Classic movie reviews will contain spoilers.
The Silence of the Lambs
Directed by Jonathan Demme
Screenplay by Ted Tally
Starring Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn and Ted Levine
The Silence of the Lambs Review
Some places remain desperate to hold on to the notion that The Silence of the Lambs is not a horror movie. If you look at IMDB right now the three genres listed are “Crime”, “Drama”, and “Thriller”. Most of the world has relented and acknowledged that it’s a horror movie…but back in the 90s it was a much more hotly debated topic. Not because it’s a remotely arguable point…because people who hate horror simply liked the movie too damned much.
An FBI cadet goes to an imprisoned cannibal for help tracking down a serial killer who skins women. Call me old fashioned but that’s a horror movie. The history of Best Picture nominations for horror movies is very short. The Exorcist broke through first, followed quickly by Jaws. Over a decade and a half later we got The Silence of the Lambs. The Sixth Sense got a nomination at the end of that decade. More recently, Black Swan and Get Out saw their names in the mix.
The list of Best Picture winners in the horror genre is much smaller. It’s just The Silence of the Lambs. I’ll save my argument that Parasite totally becomes a horror movie after a certain point for another day and just stick with the accepted six. IMDB also fails to list Jaws, Black Swan and The Sixth Sense as horror films. If Jordan Peele wasn’t so insistent that he made a horror film…I’m sure they’d take that away from Get Out as well. There is no way they could get around The Exorcist.
So, what the hell is going on here? Horror was so looked down upon by critics that these acclaimed films couldn’t possibly fit in the genre. No…they’re thrillers! Who cares if they have ghosts or gore. So what if it’s a creature feature or about serial killers. Horror has seen itself attain more respect from modern critics…but there is still work to be done. The term “Elevated Horror” is a compromise. It’s a way for critics to give horror movies they like high marks…but separate it from what they consider the dreck. Can you imagine any other genre having to get an asterisk when they make movies considered too good?
The truth is even having this discussion does a disservice to the masterwork that is The Silence of the Lambs. It is one of the best movies to ever win best picture. Every single aspect of the film is top notch. Anthony Hopkins creates a character so memorable that it remains a part of pop culture discourse over three decades later. Hannibal Lecter remains the go to movie villain to which all great ones are compared. Jodie Foster gives us a heroine up to his challenge. Clarice Starling paints a memorable picture as the cadet who is fighting an uphill battle for respect while caught between one monster and the search for another.
Pacing, plot, dialog…performances, score, script…direction, editing, characters. The Silence of the Lambs nails every single aspect. This is a movie that doesn’t just hold up…it dares someone to make a tighter, more memorable “thriller”. It’s also a bit of lightning in a bottle. I’m a fan of Manhunter but I’d never argue it’s in the same league as The Silence of the Lambs. I very much enjoyed the TV show Hannibal…but it’s not on this level. The Red Dragon/Hannibal prequel/sequel set can’t touch it. We will never see a perfect movie. But Jonathan Demme and company get us as close as anyone.
Which puts this review into an interesting position. It’s difficult to discuss a film like The Silence of the Lambs without it turning into Chris Farley interviewing Paul McCartney on Saturday Night Live. Remember Buffalo Bill? That was awesome. Hey, remember when Lecter escaped wearing another man’s face? It was pretty awesome.
Time is likely better spent discussing why this movie is the one who broke through…and why it holds up to this day where so many Best Picture winners do not. The easy answer is “everything”. The easier answer is “craft”. The talent on display in front of the camera is perfectly captured by the talent behind it. The level of care put into adapting the Thomas Harris novel is virtually unmatched in the annals of horror history. There have been an incredibly large number of talented filmmakers to make horror films. But lining up actors and a screenplay of this level is far rarer to the genre.
Horror directors have proven time and again to be among the most creative and stylish in the game. It’s what makes even a lessening lack of respect so frustrating. Think of how many great horror movies you’ve seen. Movies that have no chance at scoring the kind of recognition The Silence of the Lambs did. Think of the great performances…creative screenplays…effective scores. A genre that creates moments and memories that last long beyond whatever period piece won an Oscar 15 years ago. Winning Best Picture isn’t what makes The Silence of the Lambs a great movie. But it is part of what makes its legacy so important. Call it what you want to…this is the horror movie that broke the system.
Scare Value
Everything about The Silence of the Lambs holds up. It is as effective today as it was upon its release. The horror genre has seen plenty of commercial and even critical success in its history…but no movie can match its accolade and award pedigree. It’s unforgettable, and likely, unmatchable in its embrace by the Hollywood awards machine.
5/5
The Silence of the Lambs Link
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The Silence of the Lambs Trailer
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