10 MORE Horror Movies That Broke All The Rules
5. Conventional Expectations - The Silence Of The Lambs
We could have a debate about whether or not The Silence of the Lambs can really be lumped in with horrors yet again, or we could accept that whilst it's largely psychological by nature rather than outright scary, the film borrows so much from the horror genre in its construction that it would be remiss to exclude it entirely. Thrillers are intent on delivering a similar emotional rollercoaster of a journey, after all, and The Silence of the Lambs is no different.
Screenwriter Ted Tally spoke about his perception of the movie and how it challenged conventions at the time with Rolling Stone for the movie's 25th anniversary:
"I had a conversation with Jonathan years ago about how this movie broke so many rules about how to make an effective Hollywood thriller. It’s very talky, it’s very intellectual. There are no car chases or explosions. The main character is a woman rather than a man. She’s never in direct physical danger until the end of the movie. It just broke all the rules."
The Silence of the Lambs challenged how films can be boxed in to categories by its very existence - using horror practises to transform 'thriller' into a new breed of movie.