History NightmareFuel / TheSilenceOfTheLambs

--->'''Lecter:''' [[DeadlyEuphemism I'm having an old friend for dinner]].

** The moment right before that is possibly the most terrifying moment in the film. Starling stumbles upon a bathroom with a tub inside. [[NauseaFuel It's filled with sludge, blood, and the decomposed corpse of an older woman]]. [[FromBadToWorse Then the lights go out]]. What's even worse is that while the film implies the victim is the previous tenant Mrs. Lippman, the book states that there she apparently died down in Florida with Gumb. There is ''absolutely no context'' given in the novel about who this \is, or why she's been covered in plaster in the tub, just the mother of all [[DeadHandShot Dead Hand Shots]] for Clarice to take in before lights out.

* The poster for the film itself, which is Creator/JodieFoster's face altered into a NightmareFace, [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou looking directly at the viewer]]. Her face is [[UncannyValleyMakeup abnormally pale white]] and partially shrouded in darkness, her eyes have a [[RedEyesTakeWarning piercing, pale blood red color]], and...in place of where her mouth would normally be, [[UncannyValley you instead see a large yellow/black moth with a]] ''[[ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth white skull]]'' on its body[[note]]Which, considering how Buffalo Bill kills his victims, [[FridgeBrilliance is actually a great use of foreshadowing]][[/note]]. It's even creepier if one notices that the skull on the butterfly, [[EasterEgg upon closer inspection]], is actually [[TheWormThatWalks seven nude women arranged to look like a skull]]--a extremely small version of an human arrangement that's part of a famous photograph of Creator/SalvadorDali.

--->'''Lecter:''' Did you breast-feed her yourself?\\

'''Lecter:''' Toughened your nipples, didn't it? Amputate a man's leg and he can still feel it tickling. Tell me, Mom--when your little Catherine is on the slab, [[KickTheDog where will it tickle]] ''[[KickTheDog you?]]''

** An often-overlooked moment is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5dA92wqmME Hannibal's first appearance in the film]]. Clarice is walking along the corridor to Hannibal's cell and the camera switches to her point of view as she approaches...and Hannibal is just ''standing there,'' perfectly straight, in the middle of his cell looking ''right at her'' from the instant she comes into his view. He was ''waiting for her''. (Anthony Hopkins told Jonathan Demme that lecter should be able to 'smell her approaching'.)

** An often-overlooked moment is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5dA92wqmME Hannibal's first appearance in the film]]. Clarice is walking along the corridor to Hannibal's cell and the camera switches to her point of view as she approaches...and Hannibal is just ''standing there,'' perfectly straight, in the middle of his cell looking ''right at her'' from the instant she comes into his view. He was ''waiting for her''.

[[caption-width-right:251: [[NothingIsScarier He's watching you.]]]]

** The moment right before that is possibly the most terrifying moment in the film. Starling stumbles upon a bathroom with a tub inside. [[NauseaFuel It's filled with sludge, blood, and the decomposed corpse of an older woman]]. [[FromBadToWorse Then the lights go out]]. What's even worse is that while the gray hair in the film implies the victim is the previous tenant Mrs. Lippman, the book states that there she apparently died down in Florida with Gumb. There is ''absolutely no context'' given in the novel about who this person is, or why she's been covered in plaster in the tub, just the mother of all [[DeadHandShot Dead Hand Shots]] for Clarice to take in before lights out.
** The book also differentiates this from his usual method of body disposal in the basement's outer rooms: leave a victim inside, posed grotesquely for his own amusement if already deceased, throw in quicklime occasionally to aid decomposition, and let the whole mess sit undisturbed for ''years''. Supposedly, [[AndIMustScream some of the people left forgotten down here weren't dead when he left them.]]

** The moment right before that is possibly the most terrifying moment in the film. Starling stumbles upon a bathroom with a tub inside. [[NauseaFuel It's filled with sludge, blood, and the 2-year old decayed remains of Mrs. Lipman]] (the former owner of the house. It's revealed in the book that she "disappeared" in Florida and left everything to Gumb, though in the film he states that he bought the house). [[FromBadToWorse Then the lights go out]].
** In the novel, when Catherine Baker Martin approaches Buffalo Bill to help him load the furniture, "she noticed with distaste that his chamois shirt [[WhamLine still had hairs on it, curly ones across the shoulders and beneath the arms.]]" That's not chamois leather, Catherine.

[[caption-width-right:251: [[NothingIsScarier He's watching you.]]

[[caption-width-right:251: He's watching you.]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/83_hannibal_lecter_face_mask.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Trust us, you don't want to have [[ManipulativeBastard Hannibal Lecter]] in your head.]]

** In the novel, when Catherine Baker Martin approaches Buffalo Bill to help him load the furniture, "she noticed with distaste that his chamois shirt still had hairs on it, curly ones across the shoulders and beneath the arms." That's not chamois leather, Catherine.

* The main cast were offered recordings of actual murder victims' deaths, to help get into character. Creator/JodieFoster declined, while Scott Glenn listened to only a minute of the tape. Doing so traumatized him to the point that he refused to reprise his role in the sequel ''Hannibal'', and even '''got him to change his political opinion on the Death Penalty.'''

** "It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again." Unless you insert [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAHp5lv4RQo inappropriate laughter]].

** For those who aren't used to AffablyEvil villains prior to watching this film, his first appearance can come off as this for another reason. The movie carefully builds up what kind of person Hannibal is--his cannibalism and how he once ''ate a nurse's face'' for no other reason than for his own sick amusement. The first prisoner Clarice passes in the corridor merely says hello to her in a sleazy manner; Miggs, the prisoner she passes next, utters a pungent, obscenely sexual taunt at her. And then we get to Hannibal--standing ramrod straight, making eye contact with her and uttering nothing more than a calm, perfunctory "Good morning", like a gentleman who is pleasantly surprised to receive a lady visitor. The dichotomy between his polite greeting and his known history of violence is incredibly disturbing before we even get to know the man.

* The main cast were offered recordings of actual murder victims' deaths, to help get into character. Creator/JodieFoster declined, while Scott Glenn listened to only a minute of the tape. Doing so traumatized him to the point that he refused to reprise his role in the sequel ''Hannibal''.

----

-->'''Dr. Chilton''': On the evening of July 8th, 1981, he complained of chest pains and was taken to the dispensary. His mouthpiece and restraints were removed for an EKG. When the nurse leaned over him, he did ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7wddjci65U this]]'' to her. The doctors managed to reset her jaw, more or less. Saved one of her eyes… His pulse never got above 85, even when he ate her tongue.

--> "What does your father do? Is he a coal miner? Does he stink of the lamp? You know how quickly the boys found you. All those tedious, sticky fumblings in the back seats of cars, while you could only dream of getting out. Getting anywhere, getting all the way to the F...B...I." Jodie Foster's [[EnforcedMethodActing shocked reaction is genuine]] and rightfully so. It shows that Dr. Lecter is not someone to be taken lightly and that he knows how to get inside someone's head.
** An often-overlooked moment is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5dA92wqmME Hannibal's first appearance in the film]]. Clarice is walking along the corridor to Hannibal's cell and the camera switches to her point of view as she approaches... and Hannibal is just ''standing there,'' perfectly straight, in the middle of his cell looking ''right at her'' from the instant she comes into his view. He was ''waiting for her.''
** For those who aren't used to AffablyEvil villains prior to watching this film, his first appearance can come off as this for another reason. The movie carefully builds up what kind of person Hannibal is-- his cannibalism and how he once ''ate a nurse's face'' for no other reason than for his own sick amusement. The first prisoner Clarice passes in the corridor merely says hello to her in a sleazy manner; Miggs, the prisoner she passes next, utters a pungent, obscenely sexual taunt at her. And then we get to Hannibal-- standing ramrod straight, making eye contact with her and uttering nothing more than a calm, perfunctory "Good morning", like a gentleman who is pleasantly surprised to receive a lady visitor. The dichotomy between his polite greeting and his known history of violence is incredibly disturbing before we even get to know the man.

--> '''Lecter:''' Did you breast-feed her yourself?
--> '''Martin:''' Yes, I did.
--> '''Lecter:''' Toughened your nipples, didn't it? Amputate a man's leg and he can still feel it tickling. Tell me, Mom-- when your little Catherine is on the slab, [[KickTheDog where will it tickle]] ''[[KickTheDog you?]]''
** The (in)famous line "A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti", and Hopkin's improvised hiss. It's creepier in the film as Lecter makes a point of slamming the door and standing up perfectly straight before facing Clarice; in the novel, it's almost conversational.
** The scene where [[spoiler:Hannibal beats the prison guard to death. Dr. Lecter's NightmareFace during his escape is creepy as well. When hes bashing the guards' heads in [[http://i.imgur.com/BYFu7.jpg he almost looks bored by the violence, he is truly emotionless and dead inside.]] It's only outmatched by his brief SlasherSmile which is [[http://i.imgur.com/bRmew.jpg truly disturbing.]]]] After an hour of pleasantries, winks, smiles and tears, it's unnerving to see this man, who we've heard horrible things about but haven't witnessed any of it, live up to his label of "true psychopath." It's debatable if he looks bored or if he is entranced by the killings, but it's scary either way.
** A later scene where other guards storm the prison room and find [[spoiler:said prison guard suspended in a backlit crucifixion position with a big hole in his stomach, innards missing.]] Together with the music, a Revolting Moment of Awesome... The whole part was terrifying. [[spoiler: While transporting the surviving guard (who suffered severe facial lacerations) in the elevator, blood starts dripping down and he realizes he's on the roof of the the elevator. After he ignores the warnings of the SWAT team on the floor above, they shoot him in the leg without him even flinching. As soon as they open the hatch from inside the elevator, it cuts to the ambulance, where the guard sits up and we find out Hannibal had taken his clothes, and was using his face ''as a mask''. It's one of the most horrific examples of a GrandTheftMe ploy imaginable.]]

--> '''Lecter:''' [[DeadlyEuphemism I'm having an old friend]] [[IAmAHumanitarian for dinner]].
* Buffalo Bill is also insanely creepy.

** The moment right before that is possibly the most terrifying moment in the film. Starling stumbles upon a bathroom with a tub inside. [[NauseaFuel It's filled with sludge, blood, and the 2-year old decayed remains of Mrs. Lipman]] (the former owner of the house. It's revealed in the book that she "disappeared" in Florida and left everything to Gumb, though in the film he states that he bought the house). [[FromBadToWorse Then the lights go out.]]

** The worst part is that Buffalo Bill is based on six REAL serial killers. One of them, Ed Gein, [[RippedFromTheHeadlines actually did what Buffalo Bill wanted to do]] and [[spoiler: murdered women so he could skin them and wear the skin]].
* The creepy storage garage, in which Starling finds [[spoiler: a man's severed, pickled head]] wearing makeup, inside a car under sheet wraps that was supposedly untouched for several years.
* When Starling and Crawford go to fingerprint and process the "floater." A blink-and-you'll miss it moment, but floaters are described as having TheUnsmile on their faces when they're found, as a result of fish and turtles [[FacialHorror nibbling on them]].
* The poster for the film itself, which is Jodie Foster's / Agent Starling's face altered into a NightmareFace, looking [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou directly at the viewer]]. Her face is [[UncannyValleyMakeup abnormally pale white]] and partially shrouded in darkness, her eyes have a [[RedEyesTakeWarning piercing, pale blood red color]], and...in place of where her mouth would normally be, [[UncannyValley you instead see]] [[ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth a large yellow/black moth with a]] ''[[ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth white skull]]'' on its body[[note]]which, considering how Buffalo Bill kills his victims, [[FridgeBrilliance is actually a great use of]] {{foreshadowing}}[[/note]]. It's even creepier if one notices that the skull on the butterfly, [[EasterEgg upon closer inspection]], is actually [[spoiler:[[TheWormThatWalks seven nude women arranged to look like a skull]]-a extremely small version of an human arrangement that's part of a famous photograph of Creator/SalvadorDali]].
* A production example: The main cast were offered recordings of actual murder victims' deaths, to help get into character. Creator/JodieFoster declined, while Scott Glenn listened to only a minute of the tape. Doing so traumatized him to the point that he refused to reprise his role in the sequel ''Hannibal''.

** The scene where [[spoiler:Hannibal beats the prison guard to death. Dr. Lecter's NightmareFace during his escape is creepy as well. When hes bashing the guards' heads in [[http://i.imgur.com/BYFu7.jpg he almost looks bored by the violence, he is truly emotionless and dead inside.]] It's only outmatched by his brief SlasherSmile which is [[http://i.imgur.com/bRmew.jpg truly disturbing.]]]] After an hour of pleasantries, winks, smiles and tears, it's unnerving to see this man, who we've heard horrible things about but haven't witnessed any of it, live up to his label of "true psychopath." Its debatable if he looks bored or if he is entranced by the killings, but its scary either way.

** Also an example of ChekhovsSkill: We find out in ''Literature/{{Hannibal}} that he's a master at post-hypnotic suggestion.

** The moment right before that is possibly the most terrifying moment in the film. Starling stumbles upon a bathroom with a tub inside. It's filled with sludge, blood, and the 2-year old decayed remains of Mrs. Lipman (the former owner of the house. It's revealed in the book that she "disappeared" in Florida and left everything to Gumb, though in the film he states that he bought the house). Then the lights go out.

[[caption-width-right:350:''Trust us, you don't want to have [[ManipulativeBastard Hannibal Lecter]] in your head.'']]

--> '''Lecter:''' I'm having an old friend for dinner.

** A later scene where other guards storm the prison room and find [[spoiler:said prison guard suspended in a backlit crucifixion position with a big hole in his stomach, innards missing.]] Together with the music, a Revolting Moment of Awesome... The whole part was terrifying. [[spoiler: While transporting the surviving guard (who suffered severe facial lacerations) in the elevator, blood starts dripping down and he realizes he's on the roof of the the elevator. After he ignores the warnings of the SWAT team on the floor above, they shoot him in the leg without him even flinching. As soon as they open the hatch from inside the elevator, it cuts to the ambulance, where the guard sits up and we find out Hannibal had taken his clothes, and was using his face ''as a mask''.]]

* [[NightmareFace The poster for the film itself]]. An [[UncannyValleyMakeup abnormally pale white]] female face (presumably that of Jodie Foster) partially shrouded in darkness, which has [[RedEyesTakeWarning pale blood red eyes]], a nose, and...[[ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth a large yellow/black moth with a]] ''[[ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth white skull]]'' on its body, [[UncannyValley in place of where a human mouth would normally be]][[note]]which, considering how Buffalo Bill kills his victims, [[FridgeBrilliance is actually a great use of]] {{foreshadowing}}[[/note]]. It's even creepier if one notices that the skull on the butterfly, [[EasterEgg upon closer inspection]], is actually [[spoiler:[[TheWormThatWalks seven nude women arranged to look like a skull]]-a extremely small version of an human arrangement that's part of a famous photograph of Creator/SalvadorDali]].

* [[NightmareFace The poster for the film itself]]. An [[UncannyValleyMakeup abnormally pale white]] female face (presumably that of Jodie Foster) partially shrouded in darkness, which has [[RedEyesTakeWarning pale blood red eyes]] (which are colored yellow-orange on alternate versions), a nose, and...[[ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth a large yellow/black moth with a]] ''[[ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth white skull]]'' on its body, [[UncannyValley in place of where a human mouth would normally be]] (which, considering how Buffalo Bill kills his victims, [[FridgeBrilliance is actually a great use of]] {{foreshadowing}}). It's even creepier if one notices that the skull on the butterfly, [[EasterEgg upon closer inspection]], is actually [[spoiler:[[TheWormThatWalks seven nude women arranged to look like a skull]]-a extremely small version of an human arrangement that's part of a famous photograph of Creator/SalvadorDali]].

[[caption-width-right:350:''Trust me, you don't want to have [[ManipulativeBastard Hannibal Lecter]] in your head'']]

** His introduction;

-->'''Dr. Chilton''': On the evening of July 8th, 1981, he complained of chest pains and was taken to the dispensary. His mouthpiece and restraints were removed for an EKG. When the nurse leaned over him, he did ''this'' to her. ''([[TakeOurWordForIt shows picture]])'' The doctors managed to reset her jaw, more or less. Saved one of her eyes… His pulse never got above 85, even when he ate her tongue.

[[caption-width-right:350:''Trust me, you don't want to have [[ManipulativeBastard Hannibal Lector]] in your head'']]

** The (in)famous line "A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti", and Hopkin's improvised hiss. It's creepier in the film as Lecter makes a point of slamming the door and standing up perfectly straight before facing Clarisse; in the novel, it's almost conversational.

** Lecter's sense of smell. "You use Evyan skin cream...and sometimes you wear L'air du Temps—but not today." That moment is both weirdly erotic and incredibly creepy.