Unusual horror film

Rating: 10/10 (15 March 1999)

I'm not an expert in the horror genre, but I do know the reputation it earned thanks to the "slasher" films which were so prevalent in the 70's and 80's, which could be described by the "M" word; misogynistic. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS is one of those rare horror films(hell, one of those rare films) which features a strong heroine who's also believable. And Jodie Foster is the perfect actress to play it, conveying all the strength, toughness, resourcefulness, and vulnerability of Clarice Starling. And while "Buffalo Bill" may kill women, none of the women portrayed in the film, from Brooke Smith as the one in the pit, to Diane Baker as her senator mother, and Kasi Lemmons as Clarice's partner, are seen as just victims (even Smith, once she gets over her initial terror, tries to fight back). It's one of those rare things, a feminist horror film.
Of course, Jonathan Demme and Ted Tally, working from the novel by Thomas Harris (the best thriller novel of the 80's) do remember this is a horror film as well, and give us THE most terrifying villain of the 90's. No, not Buffalo Bill, though Ted Levine is effective in the role, but Dr. Hannibal"the Cannibal" Lecter, played to mesmerizing perfection by Anthony Hopkins. Hopkins said one of the ways he tried to create Lecter's effect was trying not to blink, and that certainly does the trick. But he also uses his voice, his lack of body movement, and his face to create terror, and while he pretends to give away nothing, in fact, without meaning to, betrays feelings for Clarice (just look at the look of sadness he has before he tells Clarice Dr. Chilton has come for her before he can give her what she needs to catch Buffalo Bill).
Yet while Demme is quite good at the horror, he avoids the mistake most serial killer works have made today, and that's being too clinical. People get so wrapped up in the science that they forget about the human beings who are turned into these monsters, and who are killed by them. He also avoids being overly lurid; most of the actual violence occurs off-screen, and in the one case (the jail cell) where it doesn't, we don't have big close-ups of the victims, but mostly shots of Lecter, which is frightening enough.
By the way, two misconceptions to clear up; first of all, this film does not glorify Lecter. It merely recognizes that sometimes, when you have to fight evil, you have to confront it. Secondly, when this film was released, there were complaints that it was a homophobic film. Buffalo Bill is not gay, and it states clearly that he was rejected when he tried to have a hospital make him a transsexual, so his behavior, not his desire, is what is portrayed as abhorrent.