FIRST TIME WATCHING: The Silence of the Lambs

Would you do a Hannibal reaction follow-up for Halloween?

DC

I feel how you feel when walking out in public. I'm a pagan, and I like to dress with pagan icons like jewelry. When people look at me, I tend to get in a fighting mood to scare them away and keep my distance. It's a vicious world out there.

I know you don't particularly care for scary... but Crimson Peak (Directed by Guillermo Del Toro) is visually stunning, is available on Netflix right now, ANNNND it has Tom Hiddleston:)

Brookie

Great reaction Natalie. I can only join in with the peeps surgesting Se7en on top of this one. It is one of my all time favorites and would love to rewatch it with you 🙂

For all the Silence of the lamb fans and Star Wars fans; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giVps5WtrUU And yes it loops but well put together music video.

If you're all about cinematography in horror/-esque films you should try The Evil Dead. Sam Raimi uses the camera as basically a silent character in the film.

Deezer4u

Red Dragon from 2002 is a cool mystery to untangle if you enjoyed this sort of suspense <3

Rob Lowe

I love it too! Always catches me by surprise!

Jay Robert

Ya know it's funny. Had a Girlfriend ten years ago who couldn't go from the door of our condominium to the parking lot without me; for fear of being attacked by serial killers and rapist. But! Puting $5,000 car purchase on her $100,000 credit card (maxing it out) didn't cause her to lose a wink of sleep.

Aaron Taft

Natalie, I really hope you'll consider watching the film, Manhunter, from 1986. It It is from the same author, Thomas Harris and based on his book, entitled Red Dragon. It is the prequel to Silence of the Lambs. They changed the title from Red Dragon to Manhunter in the 1986 adaption, which was superior to another version of Red Dragon which was made in the 90s. Don't watch that one. Manhunter was directed by Michael Mann who is a great director and known in the industry as a perfectionist. His other films include, Thief, with James Caan, and Heat. In any event, the Lecter character first appears in Manhunter and was played by another brilliant actor, Brian Cox. The film is very well done, with a great plot, and interesting detective work. In no way does it achieve what Silence of the Lambs did, but it is still a very entertaining thriller that will stick with you. Thanks for listening. James Jmiles4739@gmail.com

You really need a VKunia question-counter! By my count you reached tripple digits in the YT-edit alone - not counting intro/outro 🤣

Great reaction here and I still consider it to be a psychological thriller with horror elements. Cape Fear is another film I would put in the same category. Copycat is a serial killer film that would be a great reaction and stars Sigourney Weaver and Holly Hunter. Kiss The Girls is another strong film in the thriller genre starring Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd.

Justin S.

I just watched this one on Youtube. Reminded what a great film it was, I should rewatch in full! I've mentioned it a couple of times elsewhere, but if you want a brilliant film that received lots of positive attention, check out PAN'S LABYRINTH. Written/Directed by Guillermo Del Toro, and I think generally regarded as his best film! It's a Spanish historical drama mixed with dark fantasy... with a little bit of horror here and there. :)

Marc Ammundsen

No surgery for Bill, he just tucked it.

Matthew Shaver

Now you should react to the other Hannibal Lecter films & series: Hannibal (2001), the prequel to Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon (2002), which is a remake of Manhunter (1986), Hannibal Rising (2007), which is set when Hannibal was a kid and a young man during and after WWII, Hannibal (TV series) (2013 - 2015), and Clarice (TV series) (2021 - present).

Matt D

Definitely a great suggestion for Natmares 2021.

Thundarr100

Hi Natalie, if you're interested in movies that have won the Oscar for film of the year, why not try PARASITE? It's the first foreign pic film to win the OSCAR for best picture. Get a little culture..... 😂

hockeywitch

You need to watch the prequel Red Dragon with Anthony Hopkins, Ed Norton, Ralph Fiennes, and Phillip Seymore Hoffman.

Justin Credible

I agree its a scary film, considering around 2% of the population are psychopaths. Even though only a small fraction would also have the intelligence to continue to get away with it its still a terrifying fact of life.

Cripkie

It was sooo fun watching you react to this movie! Couple of notes: - The movie heavily shows the disparity between men and women. Clarice is always shown as being "lesser", or just as a sexual object by men - this is not a coincidence. Coupled with the themes of transsexuality and sexual abuse, it gives a heavy undertone to the entire movie. There's a ton of shots where Clarice is portrayed either as an underling or simply as a sexual object, but in the end she's the hero of the day. I find it great filmmaking by Demme. - If you enjoy spooky scary thrillers like this, I recommend "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", by David Fincher. It's not as visceral, but it has a lot of the same detective-scary-feels to it. - "Buffalo Bill" was not a transgender. That's just a thing guys can do. Just ask Tyler ^^

Henkan

poor tyler.....

In the funeral home, they're rubbing Vick's Vapor Rub under their nose (or something similar). We had jars of the stuff in anatomy lab in med school. It's to cover some of the smell, in our case the formaldehyde but in an autopsy probably just the body itself. We did have someone pass out from the smell and... experience... early on in anatomy lab. It can be one of the weed out classes since it's hard to know how you'll react to it until you experience it. It's... quite an experience.

If you haven't seen Se7en, that's an incredible film with similarities to this; and the series Mindhunter on Netflix is a great one about how the FBI's criminal profiling started in the Behavioral Science unit. The series is especially good if you want to gain an understanding behind serial killer psychology, with a portrayal of real killers they interviewed like Son of Sam, Ed Kemper, and Charles Manson

Peter Hudson

If you haven't seen Se7en, that's an incredible film with similarities to this; and the series Mindhunter on Netflix is a great one about how the FBI's criminal profiling started in the Behavioral Science unit. The series is especially good if you want to gain an understanding behind serial killer psychology, with a portrayal of real killers they interviewed like Son of Sam, Ed Kemper, and Charles Manson

Peter Hudson

Didn't know Lector's influence was that doctor in Mexico, I always heard Bundy was a big influence because he tried to help with the Green River Killer investigation

Peter Hudson

I knew this one would scare you, but figured you'd like it. Definitely one of my favorite movies.

Robert Avila

Also, Hannibal Lecter is entirely a fictional character...inspired by several real serial killers...and his character’s also Lithuanian (Lithuania being an Eastern European country if you’re not in the know), something that I think Hopkins pointed out was odd in the casting process. Lol, idk if you’re thinking of the other famous Hannibal, the one who crossed the European Alps mountains with a bunch of elephants? 😂

Jack Mellor

It’s classification as a psychological thriller over a horror, is more to do with the fact that the movie’s main intention is to keep you hooked and tense with the hunt for Bill and the dynamic between Lecter and Clarice, over outright scaring the viewer, in spite of the few moments of brutal savagery. Kinda like the Stephen King movie Misery (if you’ve ever seen that) that’s more of a thriller than a horror movie too. Silence of the Lambs is an exceptional masterpiece of a movie. You should definitely give some of the other Lecter stuff a watch, although the movies that came after it lost a lot of the elegant sophistication that SotL brought to the table. You should give the NBC Hannibal show a watch, with Mads Mikkelsen as Lecter, excellent show.

Jack Mellor

If no one has mentioned it yet, the character of Hannibal Lector was based on Alfredo Ballí Treviño. Google him.

Brad Morin

Is there always gonna be at least one person per post asking why the movie is blurry? lol

Donovan Sparks

Lol - it's not April 1st. The head was a cameo by the film's producer, Ed Saxon.

John Graziano

That was a real human head in that jar..thanks to the local coroner's office.

Celeste Collins

That was actually vapor rub. Vaseline has an odor but not strong enough to overpower the smell of rotting flesh. The camphor in vapor rub does the trick.

serendib

Love this movie! Also there is a very good show called Hanibal about Lectors story before he is caught. I haven't seen Clarise yet but i think it's about what she does after this film.

john collins

I don’t know if it’s been mentioned, but they put the Vaseline on their top lip to block the smell of the dead body. When I was an EMT, we’d do that whenever we had to go into a residence, and there was a body.

Danny Miller

Great reaction! I think you should see Fargo and Sling Blade if you haven't seen them already. Both are Oscar winners from 1996. Fargo is a quirky crime drama from the Coen Brothers, and Sling Blade is an offbeat drama written, directed by, and starring Billy Bob Thornton. Both have fascinating characters and situations.

Kevin Townsend

I dunno. I've always classified it as a suspense/thriller. I think that's how we nauturallly classify crime films with more psychology horrific elements. After watching with Nat I realize that a film life this veers more into horror if you have more connection to the horror within reality. But yeah I can see this as horror now.

Seebackward

I only saw this movie a few years ago, after I'd watched the TV series Monk. I was shocked and amused to find out that the same actor who played Captain Stottlemeyer in Monk played Buffalo Bill!

Michael G. Munz

Rear Window: BEST Hitchcock movie. ...Now I need to watch it again.

Michael G. Munz

"It puts the lotion on its skin or it gets the hose again," said Pooh.

Michael G. Munz

She can't post the full movie because of copyright. You're supposed to watch along with your own copy at home.

PAKMan

People who say Silence of the Lambs isn't a "horror" movie think of horror only as jump-scare-ghost-movies.

Myles Away

why are the movies she is watching blurry?

Other movies like this that I think you'd like (if you haven't seen them yet) are Seven, The Sixth Sense, The Fly (1986), and Misery. they're not horror per se, but they in the thriller/horror genre.

BNJ

If you liked this movie (in spite of the terror) you should watch Se7en. It stars Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt and directed by David Fincher. very creepy and the cinematography is similar to Silence of the Lamb.

Lewis Hobbs

Such an unsettling creative movie, Silence of the Lambs. It’s funny, Hopkins won best actor for maybe 25 minutes of screen time? That’s how big a shadow he cast and that the focus drifted and stayed on him after his escape given he WASN’T what the story was about. Easy to forget that watching, I suppose. Another thing - yes, the show Clarice is about Starling, but because of rights issues, they can’t mention or show Lecter at all. Dunno if that is hurting the show or not, but an interesting fact. Artistic suspense/horror? One word - Hitchcock. I’m dead serious, there is little better, regardless of movie, timeframe or cast. People gravitate toward Psycho, naturally, but I personally love Strangers on a Train, Shadow of a Doubt, Dial ‘M’ for Murder and North by Northwest. But as I said, it’s hart to make an error with Hitch. You’ve seen most of the rest that I know of or that is in my wheelhouse to be honest. At the risk of being creepy (swear I’m just funning you here), but I gotta close with... I’d love to stay and chat more but... I’m staying golden with more material. Bye.

Matthew Periolat

well the whole point of these types of movies is to make the view feel scared, uncomfortable, and vulnerable, so that's what they do.

BNJ

I also would love to see you react to the Scream movies, they're scary, but also funny in a very self-aware, meta way. Not award winning, but everything about them is referencing or making fun of the horror/slasher genre, even the not so great acting :). I also agree that Red Dragon is the best of the other Hannibal Lector movies, great cast, fun seeing more of Lector and also Chilton, not as good a movie as Silence of the Lambs, and less scary, I think. On a completely different note, have you seen RED with Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman and a ton of other great actors? It's so much fun, would love to see your reaction to it! RED2 is also great, and has Anthony Hopkins in it, too :)

KnittingHaven

If you skim through SotL and look at the compositions, Clarice is often in the center of the frame while larger/taller men are all about her, and they tend to focus their attention on her or each other, while Clarice is focused on the task ahead. Consider that with Hannibal's line "we covet what we see". Especially in the scene in the beginning, when she gets in the elevator: the men are all sizing her and each other up, whereas she only has her eye on the prize -- and when she get s off the elevator, she's the only one left. Do you think Hannibal got the idea to wear the cop's face from Clarice's case file? He said everything she needed to catch Buffalo Bill was in there. Do you think she may have inadvertently given him the strategy for escape? I like to think so; I don't think it's that far of a reach, especially when soon thereafter we see Buffalo Bill sewing skin and wearing someone's scalp and hair on his head.

Vidcutter

fun little trivia - one of the s.w.a.t. members at the elevator scene is singer Chris Isaac

Hubbs30

You see Natalie, Silence of the Lambs is mostly a family movie.

Martin Firth

The issue with most movies that involve a killer stalking people is that the protagonist never does what you as the viewer want them to do in that moment. Having said that, one of my most satisfying movie experiences was a movie which the protagonist does exactly what you would hope they would do throughout the entire film. The movie is called Freeway and it stars a very young Reese Witherspoon and Kiefer Sutherland. It is quite graphic as I recall, lots of blood but so worth a watch. Its a loose interpretation of Little Red Riding Hood. I am not sure how popular of a movie it was but it might be worth adding to a poll to see if other may also like to watch you experience it.

Since you mentioned you love Ridley Scott, consider reacting to his sequel to this movie, "Hannibal" from 2001. It's not as well regarded as SotL but the soundtrack and locations are beautiful and the performances are stellar. There's also 2 film adaptations of a book that takes place before this one, and a prequel film set decades before. And before there was the bland police procedural series "Clarice", there was a perfect TV series adaptation of the books also titled "Hannibal" starring Mads Mikkelsen as Lector.

Fawks

Wow, Nat's reaction when she realized that it was Clarise at Bill's door, and not the feds, was worth every penny of every Patreon subscription.

Thomas Yanez

I'm guessing Ari Aster is out of the question. But how about The Witch by Robert Eggers?

Opti_Frog

I'm so glad you didn't suspect Lecter switched clothes with the cop...your reaction was great!

jason

This reaction was worth the price of admission. HAHA "Leon The Professional" "Se7en" "Fargo" "Snatch"

Lee Ventura

Oh - and I still think Nat would have lost her mind watching Hereditary - I was so disturbed by that film. Get out is not as graphic but still a thriller.

This_Jedi_crafts

Oh - and I know I'm blabbering on, now - but I recently listened to a female friend of mine, on a feminist bent, going on about how poorly women are portrayed in film and how they always bear the brunt of abuse. THEN (being a horror/ thriller junkie) I happened to come upon (and watch) something like three films in a row (in Netflix) where women were constantly being chased, tricked, tortured and I was like "it's enough - no more films with this kind of content." So, when you were going on about being paranoid - I totally get it. Women deal with enough (on SO many fronts) - we (or I) really don't need to see them being abused or chased or driven crazy in films.

This_Jedi_crafts

I'm itching to watch this right now, but its midnight and I have a sneaking suspicion Nat will wake up my neighbors if I do.

Jon B

...oh - and Vertigo (of course - Kim Novak)!!

This_Jedi_crafts

Maybe if you want to pursue viewing films that are as suspenseful but not necessarily as graphic - maybe Hitchcock - something like Rear Window? ...or North by Northwest.

This_Jedi_crafts

Damn, Nat! I don't think you let out a scream like during Natmares in October. I just hope it didn't scare anyone else inthe house. :-)

Bruce Bromley

Was going to save this for tomorrow but couldn't wait 🙂 great reaction Nat it's ok some of us were wrong about it not being scary 😂 it was definitely tense and anxiety inducing that's for sure. brilliant acting all round in this one Anthony Hopkins was incredible , oh btw i loved the little bit of take me home country roads by John denver you sang 🎶 your little sing alongs are great. another great jodie Foster film I'd recommend is THE ACCUSED jodie is amazing in that one, lastly have a happy Easter Nat enjoy the weekend and as always stay golden 💛

Ian

nope 😂 too gruesome

Natalie Gold

I would love to see lots more reactions to things that scare the hell out of you :)

Future Boy

He didn't have the surgery. He just tucked it between his legs, lol.

Tucci

Of course he wouldn't go after Clarice.

Derik Knutson

Amazing reaction, Natalie. I guess this movie now has won a Nattie Award to go along with the Acadamy Awards. I really think this is one of your best reactions. Edge-of-her-seat Natalie is quite a thing to watch. It may interest you to know that Hopkins and Foster were not the first choices of the director for their parts. Michelle Pfeiffer and Meg Ryan turned the role down because of how gruesome it was. Sean Connery was the first choice for Lecter, but also turned it down for similar reasons. When Hopkins first saw the title he thought it was a Children's story, but he read a few pages then immediately wanted the part. Have a golden weekend, Natalie, then you can go back to Game of Thrones where nothing bloddy or horrible or violent ever happens... :-)

Alan Kobb

Great reaction to a fantastic movie. Others have answered a few of your questions but I thought I would mention that the head in the jar in the hearse was submerged in a preservative (like what Clarice puts in the little jar with the cocoon in it). A couple movies I associate with this that might make for good reaction videos: "The Untouchables," as well as "Seven" and "The Usual Suspects" (sadly tarnished by Kevin Spacey). In addition, "Ex Machina" and "Cabin in the Woods."

G. T. Blackwell

Scream is a great/fun horror movie, that I think you would really like. It hasn't won a ton of awards, but its very meta (before meta was a thing), and it's really really well made. It would be a great reaction.

Jon Hoover

Oooooo!!!! Can we do the Saw series next?!?!?!?!?!

Jon Hoover

All right. last one and I'm done- Foster and Hopkins are of course amazing, but Ted Levine is so creepy (and good) in this as BB that I can't watch anything in him without hearing Bill. I loved "Monk" but it was so hard not to hear Bill anytime Levine spoke.

Christopher Boscarino

Loved Hopkins as Hannibal and I thought np one could do better. That is until Mads Mikkelsen came along in the NBC series from a few years back.

Bruce Bromley

Lector is a fictional composite of several real serial killers. Buffalo bill is based off Ed Gein. Gein has been the bases for many fictional serial killers. (Psycho for one.)

Christopher Boscarino

Serious note though, My wife was the one who made me realize the difference between how men and women see the world- Men see a guy who needs help, they aren't afraid to offer help. Women can never be sure if that person is a danger or not. I'm surprised people didn't think this would scare you. It scared the hell out me when it came out and I'm a guy. Still watched it three times in theaters though. It's a masterpiece.

Christopher Boscarino

Thor and Loki's dad has a real dark side :(

Christopher Boscarino

If you're willing to go down the "Hannibal Lecter" rabbit-hole one more time, I would recommend "Red Dragon" with Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Anthony Hopkins, and Ralph Fiennes... The antagonists were well played in that movie and I consider it superior to "Manhunter" from which it was remade and definitely better than "Hannibal". Also; these characters were from the writings of Thomas Harris; primarily "Red Dragon", "Silence of the Lambs", and "Hannibal" (in chronological order). There was one other book but I wasn't as enthusiastic about that one. No rush...

Michael Labs

If you need a palate cleanser after this movie. You should watch National Lampoons Loaded weapon. It's parody of this movie and others.

I think I'll have to wait for the condensed Safe For YouTube version...

Troy B.

Haven't seen this all the way through since it was in theaters way back in the day. Saw it with friends somewhere in Hollywood after a day at Universal. What better reason to watch it from start to finish again with someone who's taking this masterpiece in for the first time?

Ortizmo2000

Well I just finished the reaction and it was awesome! 😄 This movie turned your brain upside down and your reactions at the most important moments were just magical! 😆 And if you still don't know why they put some cream under their nose, it's to be able to better support the cadaveric smells, and if the old man didn't have any it's because in general the forensic doctors after a while are so used to it that they don't need it anymore. On the other hand, I'm sorry for having contributed to say that it was only a thriller, you're probably too "sweet" 😜 And I think it's a shame, that you lived moments where people were following you in the street, I really hope that one day this kind of thing won't happen to any woman (I know this kind of place is surely heaven). Be safe, be careful and stay golden! 💛

Calo Grsf

I completely agree, Nat, it sure is more horrific than just your average thriller. I hadn't seen it for years and years – and thankfully, I simply forgot about the more horrific aspects of the movie. It seems what _stays_ with the viewer is the conversations between Lecter and Clarice – and that's quite probably why people on Patreon and Discord classified it as more of a thriller than a horror movie, because those are the aspects staying with the viewer most.

Patrick Armbruster

Just finished the movie. It’s funny that you mention Ridley Scott, he directed the sequel to this film, Hannibal. It is considered a serious misfire in his career. The first movie in the series, Manhunter, later remade as Red Dragon(the actual title of the book) is also very good. I like both versions, but it’s unfortunate that Red Dragon is directed by Brett Ratner, who it seems is not a great person.

JediLounger

Parasite is another amazing thriller that won Best Picture, not as scary but amazing, please watch!

Danny

Am I the only one that forgets, each new movie, that Natalie has a real potty mouth? I love it, but I forget every time.

Jon Hoover

"This is why I am a dick to men on the street." As a father of a daughter, good for you! How Bill tricked that girl is not fantasy. It's how Ted Bundy lured a lot of his victims to their deaths as well. Also, sorry if you felt lied to. I would absolutely say this movie is tense/intense. But a lot of it really is just a crime thriller with a couple very violent moments. It's also why I said it does tend to bleed over into the horror category as well.

Jomero

wait 16 minutes!? Really!? That's crazy! He definitely got in my head haha

Natalie Gold

A "Winomy"

Celeste Collins

Also consider Manhunter, for a different take on Lecter (it's the same story as Red Dragon). Shot in 1986 by Michael Mann, stars Brian Cox as Hannibal.

Thanks agent Golden! tsssstsss haha I'm glad you watched this one, one of my favourite film! So much tension in this movie, it's funny to see you having stress moment 😜 By the way, the weirdest part of this story is that Buffalo Bill was partly inspired by Ed Gein, who used the skin of his victims or cadavers to make furniture, clothes and other not very nice things... And Hannibal Lecter was inspired by several true serial killers as Alfredo Ballí Treviño, Ed Kemper, Ed Gein and Ted Bundy. Otherwise, I hope you're fine, stay golden! 💛

Calo Grsf

Really looking forward to this one. Interesting fact about the movie: Anthony Hopkins holds the record for the shortest amount of screen-time for a Best Actor winner for this film. He's only on screen for a total of 16 minutes, but the power of his performance makes it feel like a lot more. Also, it's one of only three movies to win "The Big Five" at the Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best (Adapted) Screenplay. Thanks for all you do, Nat. Cheers!

Andy Jordan

I remember when my parents watched this for the first time. Back when it first came out, they had rented it on VHS and were a good way into the movie. Hopkins was on the screen and my Mother suddenly jumped up and ran to make sure the door was locked. The story quickly made its way into the family mythology lol. I did not really understand it until I really watched the film years later.

JediLounger

Happy Friday, Natalie! 😊 I'm not waiting to watch this one at night. This one is going to be watched here shortly, while it's light outside, and before I eat lunch. LOL! It's been awhile since I've seen this movie, but I do remember how scary it it. Watching your reaction should cut down on the scariness a little. Looking forward to watching this one. Have a great day today! Until the next video, Stay Golden! 💛

Randee Carreno

Spooky, I hope you had a nice meal after :)

Kelvin

That show is great but season 3 is a little bit [cuckoo clock noise].

Joe Blankenship

I know this movie scares the shit out of some people, myself a little, because we're working with human horror that really happens, not monsters or aliens or magic. But, even so, it is such a well made movie, it is so good. I hope the horror doesn't outweigh the simple quality of the film for Nat.

Thomas Yanez

Natmares in April. It's never too early to start Nat 💛 Watching this movie in the theatre when it came out was just so tense. The sound design and camerawork are so good. Jonathan Demme's movie before this was Married to the Mob, starring Michelle Pfeiffer, and she was due to play Clarice in this movie, but turned it down after finding the script too violent. Demme uses a lot of close-ups in all his movies, and he uses a lot of the same actors in the smaller roles. The brooding score is by Howard Shore, who went on to score one of your favourite trilogies, The Lord of the Rings, and it's follow up The Hobbit. This movie certainly draws you in Nat, and I really enjoyed watching you reacting to the case unfolding. So many great moments, and watching Lecter's escape with you was as terrifying as it was the first time around, and your reaction to the ambulance scene and the house entry were jaw-dropping. And I agree with you Nat. We've been debating the genre of this movie over on Discord, and I say again, it is most definitely a horror movie. As a suggestion, definitely check out Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. Thanks for an incredible video today Nat, and an amazing week of reactions. You are the best. Have a great Easter weekend and stay safe 💛

Darryl Low

Thanks for the heads up Nat volume is lowered 😀 epic film I have high hopes your reaction will be equally so 💛

Ian

You should watch Red Dragon as well, for the channel or on your own. It's the prequel to Silence of the Lambs. It stars Anthony Hopkins, Ed Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Ralph Fiennes.

Justin Credible