The most awarded horror film of all time comes to a free streamer in time for Halloween

A few pages of reading the script for The silence of the lambs, Anthony Hopkins immediately recognized that he held a potential classic in his hands. He was right. Three decades and more, Jonathan Demme‘s chilling masterpiece remains one of the greatest horror films of all time and dominates the competition by a comfortable distance. Since its release in 1991, no other film has repeated its greatest feat, winning the Big 5 categories at the Oscars. It will forever be one of the scariest, most haunting, and most brilliant horror films ever made, making it a perfect watch for spooky season. Luckily, you won’t have to pay a dime to relive that thrill, because The silence of the lambs has been added to the Tubi menu treats this Halloween.

Although it is often referred to simply as a horror film, the film is actually a mixture of different genres. It can be considered a psychological thriller, a detective story and a horror film in one, a film about workplace discrimination, human psychology, and the evil that comes from it. The story follows Jodie Foster as young FBI intern Clarice Starling, tasked with enlisting the help of an incarcerated serial killer, Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins), to catch another serial killer, the elusive “Buffalo Bill”, who targets women. What follows is a disturbing psychological chess game, as Hannibal begins to play with Clarice’s mind, weakening her defenses by exploiting her fears and past trauma.

One of the film’s successes is the way it propelled the author Thomas Harris” chilling creation, Hannibal Lecter, to worldwide recognition on screen. This is no small feat, considering Michael Mann had already tried to bring Lecter to life in 1986 ManhunterOr Brian Cox played the character with limited success. It is only when The silence of the lambs that Lecter became an influential figure in cinema, his success also prompting more favorable criticism from Manhunter. The film’s legacy continued with a sequel in 2001, Hannibalfollowed by the prequels Red Dragon (2002) and Hannibal rising (2007).

Should ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ be remade?

While many fans would prefer The silence of the lambs remain intact, Hollywood remake fever could eventually reach even this classic. A creative has already started thinking about an idea. Recently, Hannibal series creator Brian Fuller revealed that his “dream project” would be a limited series remake starring Mads Mikkelsen taking up Lecter and Zendaya like Clarice. “My dream project is to produce a limited series of The silence of the lambs with Mads and Zendaya,” Fuller shared, teasing his plans for a modern reimagining. It’s an ambitious but risky idea. Revisiting such an untouchable masterpiece would invite scrutiny, but in today’s era of reboots and revivals, it may only be a matter of time.

The silence of the lambs lands on Tubi on November 1st.