7. Hannibal Lecter - The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
Lecter is an astoundingly clever forensic psychiatrist who also happens to be a cannibalistic serial killer. He is serving nine consecutive life sentences for murder in a mental hospital, a place he detests. Lecter is a tool for the FBI to profile and then hopefully catch Buffalo Bill, a prolific but elusive serial killer. They send a trainee called Clarice Starling in to talk to Lecter and he eventually agrees to profile Buffalo Bill if they transfer him to another facility away from asylum boss - Dr Chilton whom he despises. A senator's daughter is abducted by Buffalo Bill making his capture even more urgent. Lecter, ever the game player, gets Clarice to give away information about her bleak upbringing in return of snippets of information about Buffalo Bill. Wily old Lecter escapes his imprisonment by killing the guards and, after she is inducted into the FBI, Lecter rings Clarice from overseas and says he won't chase her down if she reciprocates. Hannibal Lecter is one of the most interesting Horror icons in this list. He is very witty, urbane and he possesses an intellect the size of Greenland. The verbal to-ing and fro-ing Lecter has with Clarice is fascinating dialogue and the amount of mind games he plays with characters in the film would twist your head. Lecter cannot have a normal talk or fact, he has to wrap everything up in riddles which makes his character as effective as it is absorbing. Much more exciting than your average horror icon.
My first film watched was Carrie aged 2 on my dad's knee. Educated at The University of St Andrews and Trinity College Dublin. Fan of Arthouse, Exploitation, Horror, Euro Trash, Giallo, New French Extremism. Weaned at the bosom of a Russ Meyer starlet. The bleaker, artier or sleazier the better!
