Scariest Movie Ever

Rating: 10/10 (20 February 2010)

For me Silence of the Lambs is the all time scariest movie, because its realistic. I'm more afraid of a sadistic serial killer than a monster that doesn't exist. The whole movie is eerie, especially the dialog. This movie is so well written and the scene when Clarice Starling first meets Hannibal there was no scary music or suspenseful build up to a fright, but i was still scared. The types of things Lecter talks about, eating people, murder, dismemberment, he doesn't even flinch at it. I think this movie has one of the greatest scripts ever, one of the greatest characters ever, one of the greatest plots ever and the all time greatest title ever, if you don't understand why its called "The Silence of the Lambs" I won't explain but if you watch the scene where Clarice talks with Hannibal in his new cell they explain it subtly.
Through out the whole movie I was really confused about what to think about Hannibal, I wanted to hate him because he is a murderer that eats his victims, but I always wanted the best for him... strangely. I really wanted him to escape from captivity and on some weird level I felt like Lecter and Clarice were friends. At the same time though, I found him extremely frightening. I guess thats what makes him such a bad ass character. The other antagonist in the film was a serial killer called Buffalo Bill who is murdering girls and skinning them. I found this character unbelievably scary because of his mystery. Some directors try and make the villains scarier by giving them more screen time to see what horrible things they are capable. I think when a character is seen more through out a film, a sense of familiarity is formed with the character. Demme made it so you didn't see much of Buffalo Bill, thus more mysterious and scary. Any scenes with him in it are extremely disturbing, like the infamous "Put the Lotion on the Skin" scene.
The whole plot is compelling and it's very rare for a film to make you feel like the main character was always in trouble. The way the whole mystery is unraveled is clever and well put together. If you are more into a cheap scare film with jumps and sh*t your pants moments I would suggest not watching this movie but if your into realistic horror and psychedelic thrillers The Silence of the Lambs is well worth watching. A nearly perfect film.