Silence Of The Lambs

Many horror films provide their audiences with scares and screams.  Not many viewers follow what kind of model the films follow to appease their viewers.  However, after reading film theorist Carol Clover’s essay, watching one of the films she associates in the novel “Halloween”, and also watching the movie “Nightmare on Elm Street” I say almost every “slasher” or horror film follows a model similar to Clover’s.  The model that is a female is featured as a primary character and that the female tends to always overcome a situation at some point throughout the film to become victorious.

The movie that this paper is written about is known as ‘Kill Bill’. This movie is a violent story of a woman on a path of revenge. Beaten down and shot to pieces putting her into a coma, she was left for dead, only to awaken two years later to hunt down those who tried to kill her. Now both Kill Bill volumes one and two will be referenced in this paper. Though the assignment was for one movie, the story arc procession through both movies would be incomplete with only one half being told. Like any story in life, it is the individual who decides what is important and how to view it, with that being said this paper is from but one point of view.

Alfred Hitchcock is known by man names: the Master of Suspense or “Hitch”. His movies have reverbed through the cinematic world as pinnacles of their respective genres. “Psycho”, his most well-known work released in 1960, has been retrospectively dubbed one of the greatest movies of all time and the definitive horror-suspense spectacle. His movie-making techniques and unconventional trailers distinguished himself from other filmmakers of the day, rendering him one of the most controversial names in the industry. But his successes were not without their preliminary faults. In his youth, he was frequently abused and harshly chastised for his weight and height. He was sent to police stations by his father with the intent for him to stay five minutes

The Horror Genre?s contemporaries today include Eli Roth, John Carpenter, George Romero and Clive Barker to name a few but the most notable above them all, with more contributions out of any other director was Wes Craven. With a plethora of films he has created, Craven is most known for 3 in particular for helping redefine the horror genre, in particular, ?The Last House on the Left,? ?Red Eye,? and the ?Scream? franchise. All three films which have had the most successful outcomes out of any other film series including television spinoff series, sequels, remakes, and much more which helped shape and push the genre further. However, one individual that preceded Wes Craven was the ?Master of Suspense? Alfred Hitchcock and would be arguably one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Not sequestered into just one genre, it is of no surprise that Wes Craven claims Hitchcock is one of his largest influences. Alfred Hitchcock directed masterpieces such as ?Psycho,? ?The Birds,? ?North by Northwest? and ?Marnie,? all of which have been huge influences on the Horror genre and Craven. These particular films by these two great directors will be analyzed and compared to show the influence that Alfred Hitchcock had on a recent contemporary like Wes Craven and also how it shocked, frightened and developed a genre that

The Silence of the Lambs series uses many psychological terms which are brought to light as the story follows a young female FBI trainee named Clarice Starling. She must confide in an imprisoned and manipulative cannibalistic psychopath psychiatrist named Hannibal Lecter, to find and catch another serial killer by the name of Jame ‘Buffalo Bill Gumb. ‘Buffalo Bill’ was the nickname given to this serial killer because he skins his victims, just as Buffalo Bill Cody in the old west would skin the hides of Buffalos after he would kill them. Clarice Starling is not a psychopath, unlike Dr. L. and Buffalo Bill who are psychopaths like those of real serial killers like those names of Ted Bundy,

Buffalo Bill, a serial killer, killing only women, is taking over, and the F.B.I knows it. A hard-nosed woman, named Clarice Starling is an F.B.I agent in training and was asked by her boss to go and visit Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a psychiatrist who is an intelligent, calm cannibal and is put into confinement in a basement of a mental institute for being a serial killer himself. During the visit Agent Starling wanted to accomplish and understand the motives for him, the whereabouts of Buffalo Bill, and also try and understand the actions of this man. Dr. Lecter will only agree to give her information if she is willing to share some of her childhood memories that have affected her throughout her life. Not only does she have to deal with this morbid man, but she gives him details about herself that he

“Hey, what movie do you want to watch tonight?” A common phrase spoken amongst most households on a Friday night; families getting ready to watch the newest animation, blockbuster, or even a romantic comedy. Yet, most individuals pass off the idea of watch a horrific, nightmarish movie before he or she falls asleep. Well, my mother and I do just that. We always bicker over what we want to watch, like an old married couple, but our fights are over a physical horror movie like Nightmare on Elm Street (her choice pick) and a psychological horror film such as Silence of the Lambs (my choice). These two movies, though within the same genre, are completely different. A Nightmare on Elm Street is simply. But, Silence of the Lambs, is always, rather quite frightening. The superiority of Silence of Lambs emerges when the lights in your room stay on till dawn.

An old man sits in his dirty, moth-filled house waiting three days until skinning his next victim who is screaming for help and doing everything in her power to escape. While he waits, a determined FBI trainee is working to solve the case before another innocent girl dies by the infamous killer, Buffalo Bill. While reviewing all the evidence on file, a sudden discovery is made. The trainee realizes what Buffalo Bill’s purpose of killing is and where she can find him. This whole time she is searching, she is breaking the stereotype that women are weak while the insane man is on a path to discovering his true identity. In his novel, The Silence of the Lambs, Harris argues that modern women have evolved beyond passive victimhood; he further exposes

In the book silence of the lambs (Harris, 1988) as well as the movie (Demme,1991) "The Silence of the Lambs" deals with a young FBI cadet who is sent to interview a captured madman to find out about a serial killer who is stripping the skin from his female victims after they die. The FBI has had no luck with the case and agent Jack Crawford tries to throw a curve-ball to Dr. Hannibal Lecter by sending Clarice Starling. Lecter is a former doctor of Levine and holds the clues to capturing the unknown criminal. Needless to say the book and film takes many twists and turns, creating a suspenseful thriller that has no equal. At the heart of "The Silence of the Lambs" are the confrontations between Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling.

From dark, eerie locations to monstrous tragic films, the production of horror took a different turn when the American film obtained the ability to become more explicit (Geraghty). Around the 1970’s the new Hollywood horror era had developed, ultimately shifting the old horror monstrous theme to more of a disturbing and unnatural theme, which became popular in America. These new themes varied in terms of topics such as disease, possession, and mental illnesses (Geraghty), each in which portrayed graphic and detailed visualizations of disturbances in horrific context. Some of these themes were influenced by using literature as the basis for a plot and an interest in foreign horror used by film directors (Geraghty). As technology became more advanced in film, directors were able to use visual and special effects to create cinema that will indeed provide a suspenseful experience through narratives on screen for the audience. The new Hollywood era contained many elements to create a terrifying movie for their audience. For example, in a recent film called The Blair Witch Project (1999), the main character is documenting and recording supernatural events in video diaries, allowing the audience to have the perspective of the character (Geraghty). Not only does the perspective of the main character have a great effect the audience, but also the quick movements of the camera occurring in the movie does as well because it creates a terrifying effect for viewers. Due to the horror films providing a social escapism for its viewers, the people of America started to favor the horror

The Movie The Silence of the Lambs is about a young FBI agent named Clarice Starling starring Jodie Foster, who is assigned to help find the missing daughter of a Tennessee Senator and save the daughter from a psychopathic serial killer who skins his victims. Starling tries to acquire a better perception into the depraved mind of the killer “Buffalo Bill” by talking to another psychopath named Hannibal Lecter, played by Anthony Hopkins, who used to be a great psychiatrist. Sterling’s boss, FBI agent Jack Crawford thinks that Lecter, who is also a very powerful and intelligent mind manipulator, has the solutions to their questions and can help locate the killer “Buffalo Bill”. Initially, Clarice must first gain Lecter's confidence before he

As the Halloween season approaches, many horror films start to come to life. When they do, they spread immense fear to those who want a good scare. Red Dragon, the second film amongst the Hannibal Lecter series, is a movie that will not disappoint. It’s a classic tale of good vs. evil, and a test to see who can outsmart the other. In a case so tight, will the good guys finally prevail? Although the chase seems never ending, and too complicated to solve, it makes for some great entertainment that will keep us on our toes. With a movie so jampacked with excitement, it’s hard to believe that people still prefer the first film, The Silence of the Lambs. Despite the comparison, the director, Brett Ratner, does a brilliant job of piecing the Red

Horror films have gone through a massive evolution over the years. Perhaps, it is due the massive evolution of societal norms. Perhaps it is due to the mass desensitization to violence. Whatever the reason as directors and screenwriters developed in their crafts the need for bigger, better, scarier monsters, began to build. With the introduction to the supernatural, murder and gore, the masses screamed for more. Horror took an incredible turn for the better; implementing incredible scores, including romantic and sexual tension and even on screen deaths. Thriller is very frequently confused with horror, and for good reason; as they share some of the same elements. As time moved forward and with it film production; psychological thrillers

Hannibal’s terror is derived from psychological manipulation and careful control rather than manic outbursts. According to film critic Desmond Ryan, “...the true strength of Demme's movie lies in its exploration of a place beyond physical revulsion - in the darkest corners of the souls of both the hunters and the hunted” (Desmond). Hannibal outsmarts his audience, quietly taking pride in his ability to scrutinize and exploit his opponents in order to get what he wants. Furthermore, the juxtaposition between Hopkins’ character and the skin-stealing serial murderer, Buffalo Bill, (played by Ted Levine) is yet another element which enhances the malicious complexity of Hannibal, making Bill seem like a mere “dime-store criminal” with his demented intentions and relative lack of motive

The love story between two different teenagers that come from completely different worlds is the most remarkable. The Notebook is about two young teenagers who fell head over heels with each other. They got separated by Allie’s upper-class parents who insist that Noah isn’t right for her. But that obstacle didn’t stop these two young lovers from being together even if it took years. This beautiful tale has a special meaning to an older gentleman who regularly reads the timeless love story to his aging wife to help her remember what they went through and that the story that he’s reading to her was their love story. The story he reads follows two young