Horror movies are considered the cult favourites in Hollywood. They draw a large audience and succeed at the box office most of the time; only a few manage to reach the Oscars.
In 92 years of Academy Award’s history, only 18 horror films won Oscars in any category. And then there is Silence of the Lambs which won Oscars in five categories and is the only horror film to win the best picture in Oscars.
The plot of this cult classic revolves around Clarice Starling, a young FBI trainee, and Dr Hannibal Lecter, a convicted cannibalistic serial killer.
Ordered by her FBI superior, Jack Crawford, she interrogates Dr Lecter to investigate the real identity of a serial killer who kills young women and skins victims - Buffalo Bill.
Although a detestable cannibalistic killer, Hannibal Lecter shows a fantastic wit and charisma while being interrogated.
He doesn’t give clues about Buffalo Bill easily; instead, he negotiates with Clarice for quid pro quo. This means Clarice has to share some of her information to acquire information from him.
In their first meeting, Lecter defeats Clarice with his guileful speech and ability to cause fear even he is confined to his cell. Clarice shares some of her vulnerable memories for quid pro quo on their third meeting.
Former clinical psychiatrist Lecter manages to cure Clarice of her childhood trauma, which she sees as lambs.
He helps her as her past trauma haunts her while she tries to save Buffalo Bill’s last victim, Catherine Martin. This shows Hannibal Lecter can sympathise even though he is a wretched person.
Dr Hannibal Lecter is a complex yet most fascinating person in this film. He can subdue his victims with his exemplary speech skills alone.
Even though he was restrained and tied up while being interrogated by Senator about her daughter’s whereabouts, he asserts dominance and instiled fear by his sheer speech. For such influence, he was named the #1 film villain of all time by the American Film Institute.
He shows an outstanding level of intelligence and strategy when he escapes from the Tennessee courthouse. He manages to subdue and kill two guards by lockpicking his handcuffs, distracts the chasing guards with one of his mauled victims, and escapes from the ambulance by posing as one of the injured guards.
The conversation between Hannibal and Clarice was outstanding and full of wit. Hannibal’s sly and intelligent speech and witty remarks by Clarice captivate the audience.
The phenomenal acting by Sir Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal and Jodie Foster as Clarice won them Academy Awards as Best Actor and Best Actress respectively.
Adapted from the 1988 novel by Thomas Harris, the film was also inducted as the ‘100 greatest films in the past 100 years’ by the American Film Institute.
After 3 decades of its release, the film still remains as chilling and the horror-loving cinephiles continue to listen to Hannibal’s calm and strong dialogues -
"Well, Clarice. Have the lambs stopped screaming?"
