10 Psychological Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die
3. The Silence Of The Lambs
No list about psychological horror films could be complete without mentioning the notorious corpse-muncher Hannibal Lecter.
Whilst not the first big-screen appearance of the cultured cannibal, The Silence of the Lambs is by far the best cinematic rendition of Thomas Harris' serial-killer saga, which has only been bested by the truly sublime TV show.
The now-famous story of Clarice Starling's hunt for the skin-loving serial killer Buffalo Bill is a timeless tale that still feels fresh and exciting, despite it being such a prominent fixture in modern pop culture. Every aspect of the film is so well-crafted, from Jonathon Demme's masterful direction to the beautifully framed cinematography.
Also, we can't talk about this film without singling out the two central performances from Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster, both of whom have arguably never been better than they are here.
The Silence of the Lambs is a tour-de-force of psychological horror, a film so good that it won a staggering five Oscars back in 1991. A frankly astonishing achievement for a horror film that has yet to be replicated, and given the Academy's disdain for the spooky side of cinema, we doubt it'll happen again for quite some time.