![]() "I saw it when it came out and I was very impressed and very excited," Lowenstein said. While there were a number of horror films produced in the '80s and '90s that went on to cultivate cult audiences, the majority of films were widely panned by critics and the category was soon thought of as inferior compared to other genres. "It wasn't so much about the moments of screaming, it was a much more almost quiet sense of absolute hopeless terror."įilmmakers had blended genres long before Demme's "Silence of the Lambs." The film arrived in Hollywood at a time when the horror genre had become inundated with "creatively exhausted" slasher films, said Adam Lowenstein, professor at the University of Pittsburgh and director of the Horror Studies Working Group.Īfter the success of films like "Halloween," "Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Friday the 13th," the entertainment industry began to churn out films in the slasher subgenre. "There had been intelligent horror films, but I think there was a sense with 'Silence of the Lambs' that really did change the idea of what could constitute a horror movie. "If you define what the horror genre was before 'Silence of the Lambs,' it wasn't all goofy slashers," Thompson said. Whereas a movie like "Poltergeist" is a supernatural horror film or "Shaun of the Dead" is a comedic horror film. "Silence of the Lambs," for example is a psychological thriller in addition to being a horror film. Generally, the horror genre encapsulates any form of storytelling that is intended to scare, shock or stir up dread and terror in an audience. ![]() While the horror genre has often been synonymous with blood, gore and jump scares, it's actually a bit more broad and nuanced. "It was horror as presented by the Louvre," Dergarabedian said. "It Happened One Night" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" were the only films to previously achieve this distinction and no film has done it since. In fact, "Silence of the Lambs" swept the 1992 Oscars, becoming only the third film in history to win best film, best director, best actor, best actress and best adapted screenplay. and Canada and a total of $275 million worldwide.Īlthough not the first horror film to be nominated for the Academy Awards, or for the ceremony's best picture honor, it was the first film in the genre to win the top award. The film had long legs in theaters, running for eight months and collecting more than $130.7 million in the U.S. By the end of the weekend, it had tallied $11.6 million, according to data from Comscore.Īnd that was after running in less than 1,500 theaters, a relatively small number compared to modern day wide releases which often debut in up to 5,400 locations, explained Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. The film opened on a Thursday, garnering $1.4 million in ticket sales domestically. "I left the theater thinking I had seen a movie to be reckoned with, in a way I didn't usually feel leaving the theater." it's an alarmingly short number," said Robert Thompson, a professor at Syracuse University and a pop culture expert. "When I think back on the movies I really remember seeing in theaters, you know. Lecter, "Silence of the Lambs" quickly captured the imaginations of moviegoers. Starring Jodie Foster as Clarice and Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Senior FBI Agent Jack Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into an ongoing serial murder case and Starling could be the perfect bait to get his cooperation. Hannibal Lecter, who has been imprisoned for murder and cannibalism. The film follows a young FBI trainee named Clarice Starling who is tasked with interviewing the brilliant psychiatrist Dr. With Demme at the helm, the film was not only lauded as a cinematic work of art, but has had a lasting impact on Hollywood. Released on Valentine's Day in 1991, "Silence of the Lambs" was a low-budget sleeper hit that gradually gained widespread critical acclaim and box office success. ![]() It's based on Thomas Harris' novel of the same name, which was actually the second book he wrote centered around the prolific and eerily bewitching serial killer, a follow-up to the hit "Red Dragon." "Silence of the Lambs" is not the first film to delve into the twisted mind of Dr.
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