In her efforts to catch the psychopathic serial killer Buffalo Bill, rookie FBI agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) adopts a high-risk strategy in visiting the imprisoned, dangerous and highly intelligent psychiatrist Dr Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) for his insight. Triggering a deadly psychological game of cat-and-mouse, where Lecter always seems to have the upper hand, the tension levels ratchet up as their goals become increasingly intertwined.

Masterfully directed by Jonathan Demme, who passed away earlier this year, The Silence of the Lambs remains one of the great, most popular and influential thrillers of recent decades. A huge box office success, it was showered with awards, including the ‘big five’ Oscars®; Best Picture, Director, Actress, Actor and Adapted Screenplay. It is still the only Best Picture winner that could be deemed a horror movie.

The Silence of the Lambs blurred the lines between the crime thriller and horror genres like never before. With only a few graphic scenes, the violence was largely psychological and Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter instantly became one of the most terrifying villains in cinema history. Surprisingly, he is only on screen for a total of 16 minutes in the entire film and despite the intensity of their disturbing relationship, Jodie Foster recently revealed that she and Hopkins didn’t actually speak to each other on set, as the character petrified her so much.

In what is generally thought to be the best performance of her career to date, Jodie Foster brought a new kind of female hero to the screen in her compelling portrayal of the vulnerable but determined agent Clarice Starling.

Last year The Silence of the Lambs celebrated its 25th anniversary; this year, the chance to see this all-time classic thriller – still as vital and horrific as ever – on the big screen, in a new 4K remaster, cannot be missed.

Re-released as one of the highlights of the UK-wide season BFI THRILLER: Who Can You Trust?

**Please note: this is a change to the film schedule as it appears in our Nov-Dec print programme.**