The Silence of the Lambs

Movie review by Charles Cassady Jr., Common Sense Media
The Silence of the Lambs Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 17+

Thriller that made the serial killer a superstar.

R 1991 118 minutes
Rate movie

Parents say

age 15+

Based on 39 reviews

Kids say

age 14+

Based on 131 reviews

Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Rate movie

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Silence of the Lambs is a horror film that won Best Picture and got condemned by both sides. Family-values advocates like Michael Medved called it too gruesome and disgusting (albeit well made) to deserve the Academy Award. Gay-rights activists said it stereotyped transgender people as freakish monsters. Still, kids may be curious. The movie concerns extreme psychopaths and the graphic atrocities they commit, including references to twisted sexual urges and perversities. Much of the worst violence is offscreen, in autopsy photos or just discussed -- but that's close enough, and we witness some representative brutality and horror near the climax. The murderous psychologist-serial killer Hannibal Lecter is something of a "gentleman" killer, contrasted with the grotesque "Buffalo Bill," who is shown at one point fully nude. There is an oppressive atmosphere of menace, especially towards women.

Community Reviews

MannyReviews
MannyReviews Adult
May 10, 2021
age 17+

Iconic Horror flick that is too disturbing for kids

This film is an iconic horror film that is still scary even today. It's not so much in your face scary as it is disturbing. I didn't rate it 17 plus for violence because there are only a few very violent scenes and almost no language. I rated it 17 plus because the story is just so disturbing and complex. It's not as disturbing as Saw or the Human Centipede, but it still does have a certain scariness to it in the sense that this could actually happen in the real world, and many things like it have happened. Wait until your child is at Least 16 if not 17 to watch it, and definitely don't watch it with mom.
tuxswarm
tuxswarm Adult
March 6, 2021
age 15+
This movie has a few gory scenes and it contains pictures of murdered victims without their skin. The plot is interesting and Hopkins is an excellent actor ( his character looks extremely dangerous and smart) Enjoy!!!
See all 39 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), a young, idealistic FBI trainee sent in to consult on a case with Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant but diabolical therapist who's been caged for eight years. Clarice's quarry is a mystery slayer tagged with the nickname "Buffalo Bill," because the victims -- all plus-sized women -- turn up partially skinned. Lecter won't cooperate with the veteran FBI agents on using his Sherlock Holmes-like powers (and some insider info) on figuring out Buffalo Bill's whereabouts. But Clarice appeals to the deadly doctor, who feeds the young woman vital clues in trade for personal details about the wounds in her own past.

Is It Any Good?

Anthony Hopkins plays Lecter with magisterial authority and aplomb, resulting in a box-office smash that won the Best Picture Oscar and made Hannibal Lecter a much-imitated screen icon. Apart from the visceral suspense and grisly police antics, this film's strength is its girl power; a very sympathetic heroine interacts with the serpentine Lecter and then goes out to fight another human monster, in environments heavy with male-oriented threat and authority (indeed, you can say that the horrendous Lecter treats Clarice with more courtesy and respect than the so-called "normal" men around her). The Silence of the Lambs thus has a complicated sense of virtue and evil coming to bargain with each other.

While the unfortunate consequence glorified a villain in the public mind, the narrative does indeed possess a moral center. Too bad you have to go through the autopsy scenes to reach it.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the heroine Clarise Starling, whose plight is actually the core of the film's drama and humanity (Hannibal Lecter just steals every scene and subplot he's in). She's an ambitious but vulnerable orphan, a young woman trying to persevere in an often- grisly career fighting the worst kind of crime, in an environment dominated by men -- even the "normal" ones are pretty creepy. Why do you think Clarice fascinates Lecter so much?

  • Does the movie glamorize violence and glorify a villain?

Movie Details

Our Editors Recommend

  • Hannibal Poster Image

    Hannibal

    Thoroughly distasteful. Not for kids.

    age 17+
  • Hannibal Poster Image

    Hannibal

    Graphic Hannibal Lecter retread is compelling and dark.

    age 16+
  • The Shining Poster Image

    The Shining

    Kubrick's suspenseful horror classic is violent and dark.

    age 16+

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate