The Silence of the Lambs: Difference between revisions

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In 1981 Thomas Harris (author of ''[[Black Sunday]]'') released a very dark thriller called ''[[Red Dragon]]'', about a gifted FBI profiler named Will Graham, who comes out of retirement to assist in the investigation of a [[Serial Killer]] known as "The Tooth Fairy" (for his habit of leaving bite marks on his victims; plus the press reporting that he's [[Foe Yay|gay]]). During the novel, Graham reluctantly [[Consulting a Convicted Killer|seeks help from another serial killer]], the brilliant if amoral psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter. The two had previously forced each other into mutual retirement, Graham by catching Lecter, and Lecter by nearly disemboweling Graham while trying to escape.

 

 

In 1988, Harris followed up with a sequel called '''''The Silence of the Lambs'''''. The lead was now ambitious FBI trainee Clarice Starling, sent to try and persuade Lecter to offer his insight into "Buffalo Bill" — a serial killer who abducts women, kills and skins them, and shoves chrysalitic moths down their throats. Lecter agrees to help in exchange for Clarice's most traumatic memories, and the two develop a weird symbiotic relationship.

* [[Just Desserts]]: At the end of ''Silence'', {{spoiler|Hannibal, while in hiding, informs Starling that he's "having a friend for dinner." He's staring right at Dr. Chilton as he speaks the line.}} At the climax of ''Hannibal'', {{spoiler|the boars that Mason hoped would eat Hannibal put ''him'' on their menu instead.}}

* [[Karma Houdini]]: Lecter is this in spades, though Thomas Harris admitted he had grown to like his character so much this trope became inevitable. {{spoiler|Margot Verger and Barney are minor examples, with Margot getting away with killing her brother Mason in the book and Barney knowing about it and pretty much gets away with helping bury that knowledge, though since Mason Verger is an [[Asshole Victim]] ''par excellence'', it's hard to hate them for this.}}

** At the end of the ''Hannibal'' novel Lecter even {{spoiler|finally settles down with Starling following the events of the novel}}.

* [[Karmic Death]]: Most of Hannibal Lecter's victims.

* [[Katanas Are Just Better]]: And that's why Hannibal uses one to performs his first kill on the [[Asshole Victim]] who insulted his Japanese aunt. Odd, because in the previous works, he'd been interested mostly in the Italian Renaissance. But Japan is popular these days.

* [[They Look Just Like Everyone Else]]: Hannibal Lecter in the movies, though in the books there are a [[Red Eyes, Take Warning|couple]] of [[Red Right Hand|signs]].

* [[Timeshifted Actor]]

* [[Touch of the Monster]]: In ''Hannibal'', after Clarice passes out from the gunshot wound in her shoulder, Hannibal carries her bridal-style to safety (well, safer than a pen full of flesh-eating pigs, anyway).

* [[Twofer Token Minority]]: Reba, blind and female. Also invoked by a line of dialogue in the book, which is now on the trope's quote page.

* [[Uncanny Valley]]: Intentionally invoked by the acting of Ted Levine as Buffalo Bill, when he mocks Catherine's screaming. The flat, emotionless sound, combined with his completely blank facial expression create an effect that is entirely inhuman.

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