When the Lambs Go Silent - still an unsurpassed horror film.

The film "When the Lambs Go Silent" is justifiably one of the greatest unavoidable classics of world cinema. Brilliant acting, script and direction, tense dialogues and a detailed psychological aspect of the film's story brought this achievement the five biggest Oscars and fame that never fades.

Aside from all the criticism and awards, what makes this film imperishable is that it is simply the first and unrepeatable.

Without worn-out phrases that need to intimidate viewers a few more times, without clichéd horror moments, without copying already a thousand times chewed testimonies about serial killers and FBI agents who are on their heels. Simple: a masterpiece.

Clarice Starling (J. Foster) is a young FBI agent who is still undergoing training. One day, her superior, Jack Crawford (S. Glenn), calls her and entrusts her with an unusual task. As Clarice has a bachelor’s degree in psychiatry, Crawford wants to help him solve a case of a mass murderer who massacres female victims and then removes a piece of their skin.

The focus of this film classic is undoubtedly based on the dialogues between the young agent Clarice and the forensic psychologist (later serial killer) Hannibal Lecter. Namely, in order for Clarice to reach the infamous killer Buffalo Bill, he has to go through a series of conversations with Hannibal, who has information that is of key importance for this chase.

However, the eloquent and lucid Lector is not easy to win, because he uses the quid pro quo method. In translation, it requires the exchange of information - Clarice Hannibal feeds the darkest secrets of her childhood in exchange for a little insight into the psychotic mind of this killer.

During these conversations, Sterling tells Lector about the tragic death of her father, after which she was taken to a sheep farm, which, whether really or hallucinatory, she often listened to in the morning as they screamed like screams. This event is so etched in her memory that she admits that sometimes the same sounds still accompany her.

Despite the fact that Clarice was mentioned that she should not share any personal information with Lektor, this game of riddles and riddles turns out to be effective. Clarice comes up with enough necessary information, eventually manages to catch Buffalo Bill, but in the meantime Lector escapes from the hospital and the film ends with a famous scene in which Lector calls Sterling and asks her:

Tell me, Clarice - have the lambs stopped screaming?

Certainly the conversations between the two main actors of this film are one of the items that make the film so high quality. Almost never before this film has there been such an intense non-sexual connection between a man and a woman in one realization. Their manipulative play and intellectual-psychological outplay cause us to shudder and leave us in awe.

In particular, we should not forget the fact that the maestro Anthony Hopkins appears in the role of Hannibal Lecter in the film for just over 15 minutes. Still, that much was enough for a skilled actor to create the right template for all the following eerily intelligent, cautious and sinister anti-heroes.

It is also interesting that in the scene in which Hannibal and Clarice meet, the actors who play them - Anthony Hopkins and Jody Foster - actually met for the first time, which certainly contributes to uncertainty and excitement. When the two main characters meet, the film suddenly turns from a detective thriller into a dark fantasy and a real horror.

Even the smallest detail contributes to the frightening impression - Hannibal's doctor's white clothes, which instill additional fear in the bones, then his at the same time snobbish and creepy mysterious setting, and on the other hand the slightly frightened but ready reactions of the inexperienced, yet resourceful Sterling.

Nothing in this film is simply expected. All those typical scare-jump moments by which horror movies are recognizable are missing here. The effect of horror here is built on the relationships between people, on the situations in which they find themselves, on the environment - but only when it is in the service of reinforcing an already strong impression.

When the Lambs Go Silent - still an unsurpassed horror film.