The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A young FBI trainee must seek the counsel of a brilliant, cannibalistic psychiatrist to catch a serial killer.
The story
Clarice Starling, a young FBI trainee at Quantico, is recruited by Behavioral Science Unit chief Jack Crawford to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant and cannibalistic psychiatrist imprisoned at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Officially conducting a psychological survey, Starling is actually meant to draw out insights that could help capture "Buffalo Bill", a serial killer who murders young women and removes their skin. To catch him, she seeks the advice of the imprisoned Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial murderer.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Clarice Starling, a young FBI trainee, is tasked with interviewing the imprisoned cannibalistic psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter to gain insights into the capture of 'Buffalo Bill,' a serial killer who skins his victims. Lecter agrees to help only in exchange for a transfer from his current facility. During their interactions, Lecter demands personal details from Starling, and in return, he provides information on Buffalo Bill's identity and motives. As the investigation progresses, Starling follows clues provided by Lecter, eventually identifying the killer as Jame Gumb. She tracks him to a basement where he holds a kidnapped girl, Catherine Martin. Starling confronts and kills Gumb, rescuing the girl. Following the resolution, Lecter is seen in a remote location, and Starling is promoted within the FBI.
- First release year
- 1991
- Runtime (minutes)
- 118
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jonathan Demme
- Writers
- Ted Tally · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Jodie Foster · Clarice Starling; Anthony Hopkins · Hannibal Lecter; Scott Glenn · Jack Crawford; Ted Levine · Buffalo Bill
- Genres
- psychological horror; thriller
- Themes
- cannibalism; identity; gender; psychology
- Tone and mood
- tense; dark
- Premise and plot tags
- serial killer; FBI investigation; psychological thriller
- Source material / true-story basis
- Thomas Harris's 1988 novel
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film is widely acclaimed as one of the greatest and most influential films, noted for its performances and status as a horror masterpiece.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 86 · scale: 100 · review count: 20
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Director · Win; Silver Bear · Best Director · Win; Edgar Award · Best Motion Picture Screenplay · Win
- Production trivia
- It is the only horror film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.; The character Hannibal Lecter was named the number one film villain of all time by the American Film Institute.; The film's score was performed by the Munich Symphony Orchestra.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…