LogFAQs > #924570532

1. The Silence of the Lambs

Johnbobb - 1
KBM - 1
Charon - 2
Karo - 2
Genny - 3
JONA - 3
Inviso - 5
Snake - 8
Scarlet - 10

Johnbobb - How does a single movie manage to provide two of the best horror villains of all time while also balancing the character development of one of the best female movie protagonists in film history? While ALSO being intelligent, captivating and horrifying in equal amounts? A movie like this really doesn't come around often.

KBM - Not only my favorite '90s horror movie, but one of my Top 5 favorite films of all time. Anthony Hopkins is, of course, iconic in the role of Hannibal Lecter, but I would argue Jodie Foster's is even more impressive; quite possibly the best work of her career, perfectly underplaying the gradually building dread as the psychological horror amps up more and more. The rest of the cast is also great, with Ted Levine fittingly creepy as Buffalo Bill the sequence where he stalks Clarice with night-vision goggles still ranks among the most terrifying scenes in history for me. Top it all off with a script that elevates the source material and beautifully atmospheric direction from Jonathan Demme at his best, and you've got a more-than-deserving Big Five Academy Award winner; rarely have the Oscars gotten the awards more right than they did in 1991. Incidentally, in a way this could be considered a sequel to Michael Mann's criminally underrated 1986 thriller Manhunter, based on the first novel in the Hannibal Lecter series, Red Dragon. It was remade pretty well under the original title with Anthony Hopkins reprising the role (and this being the version more people are familiar with), but for my money Manhunter is the creepier and more stylish picture and deserves to have more of a following. Give it a watch if you're as big a fan of Silence of the Lambs as I am.

Charon - Legendary acting and intense characterization help make this film one of the landmark achievements of the 90's. Each character, big or small, is acted to such a high degree that it's hard not to appreciate it. The film paints an interesting picture in giving us Buffalo Bill as the despicable villain we're meant to hate so that when Lecter gets his happy ending we aren't left with that sense of "bad horror" where the villain is victorious at the end. Though he is clearly a villain, he isn't an antagonist to our protagonist, which makes Silence pretty unique. In my opinion, Hannibal Lecter is one of the best portrayed characters in film and it's truly difficult to imagine anyone doing a better job than Hopkins does here with him.

Karo - In an effort to catch a serial killer, a young FBI trainee seeks the help of convicted psychopath Hannibal Lecter, who has his own agenda in mind. Lecter is of course the big star here, and while he has sadly far too little screentime the movie is more than just the genteel cannibal dinner hour. The character of Clarice in particular is very well done. A lot of the movie brings to mind the ubiquitous crime serial shows of the upcoming decades, though this film reaches a perfection of the genre that CSI: Alaska or whatever can only dream of achieving.

Genny - Although I wouldn't go as far as to say The Silence of the Lambs is the greatest horror film of all time I can see why someone would hold that opinion. As a solid thriller, it confronts the viewer with the knowledge that society can be just as sinister as the monsters it creates. Of course Foster and Hopkins' performances are stellar, but I'd like to acknowledge the underrated portrayal of Ted Levine as Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb, who really sold that role and made the character almost as iconic as Hannibal Lecter. 9.5/10
---

I've decided to put my fears behind me. I'm not going back.
https://i.imgtc.ws/2Q88rI4.gif - https://i.gifer.com/E07R.gif