10 Horror Movies That Were Definitely Inspired By The Silence Of The Lambs

The Silence of the Lambs is a different style of horror movie from what people traditionally expect from the genre. Unlike villains such as Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees, Hannibal Lector isn’t a traditional killer with supernatural abilities. Instead, he was unnerving and scary due to his psychology.

It was also an interesting twist to have the FBI work alongside a serial killer to try and capture another killer. It’s a clever movie, and the way it’s shot and the ideas it created were certainly memorable, which is why many movies since have been inspired by it.

10 The Bone Collector (1999)

A movie all about detectives searching for a serial killer who leaves behind clues for them to work with. Sound familiar? That’s because The Bone Collector certainly takes inspiration from Silence Of The Lambs in that sense, which provides tension and a real thrill throughout the movie.

The serial killer’s murders are brutal, such as opening up an area for rats to infest a body. However, it is the clues that the detectives uncover to unravel that really makes this movie feel similar, which is the most gripping element of the story.

9 Secret Window (2004)

One of the big reasons that Silence Of The Lambs was both unnerving and engaging at the same time was the intelligence that the characters had. Hannibal Lector may have been a villain, but he was also smart and that is one of the reasons that Secret Window is so good.

This movie focuses on a writer who heads to a remote lake house while dealing with divorce. However, he ends up being stalked in what becomes an eerie movie as they debate over an issue of plagiarism which turns ugly.

8 Frailty (2002)

When it comes to the idea of psychological horror movies, Frailty is a brilliant example of it. While there is the idea of demons in this one, as the ‘God’s Hand Killer’ story is played out, the movie constantly has audiences on edge with its clever dialogue and great twists and turns.

The movie focuses on ‘Dad’ who believes he has been told by God to slay demons, and that leads to him trying to explain things to his sons. One sees the best in it, the other doesn’t, and that, along with the clever dialogue, are clear links to the legendary 1991 thriller.

7 Saw Franchise (2004-2017)

Of course, the Saw franchise is mainly known for the gore and the gruesome traps and games that the characters are forced to endure. However, there is also a lot of psychology within these movies, which is where the similarity to Silence Of The Lambs becomes clear.

John Kramer might create the traps to torture others, but the thought process that goes into everything he does is where the inspiration seems obvious. He talks through every decision, and every action has a reason and a clear consequence, as is the case with Hannibal Lector.

6 Copycat (1995)

Copycat is another movie that has taken inspiration from Silence Of The Lambs, with a focus on psychology being part of this. The movie follows Helen, who is a psychologist working alongside two detectives to try and find a serial killer.

5 Split (2016)

One element of Hannibal Lector that is very interesting is how his personality changes depending on the situation. He can be calm and kind at points, yet he is psychotic at others, and that constant change is what keeps audiences on edge when it comes to him as a character.

This is something that Split took to new heights with the character of Kevin, who has over 20 different personalities. He is an excellent character that people aren’t able to predict, which is something that Lector did brilliantly, and the film remains a high point in the career of director M Night Shyamalan.

4 Zodiac (2007)

Much like Silence Of The Lambs, this movie really leans into the thriller and mystery elements to provide the intrigue, and it’s clear to see that it was inspired by that element of the movie. Of course, this is based on a true story with the Zodiac killer, and it follows Robert Graysmith as he becomes obsessed with trying to find out who is behind the murders. 

The similarities in having the murders consistently take place while people desperately try to work things out with clues and hints are what makes these movies similar. With gripping acting and excellent dialogue, it’s a movie that really forces the audience to think, which is what really connects it to Silence of the Lambs.

3 Prisoners (2013)

Much like Silence Of The Lambs, Prisoners is all about psychology, and it focuses on a villain outsmarting the police, leading protagonist Keller Dover having to take matters into his own hands. When his daughter ends up missing, Keller has to do everything in his power to locate her, which sees him become increasingly more desperate, leading to some perturbing torture scenes.

The movie includes breadcrumbs of clues throughout, and that allows the audience to try to piece things together as things progress. That idea of hints and clues is something that Silence Of The Lambs really executed to perfection, and this thrilling movie does equally well.

2 Seven (1995)

Seven is one of the greatest psychological movies of all time, and it’s one that will force audiences to think and question things from start to finish. Bringing detectives together to find a killer who is using the seven deadly sins to claim his victims, this movie is very much about mind games.

The serial killer is always seemingly one step ahead of the detectives, which is a similar feel to Silence Of The Lambs. Having the intelligence be put into the movie makes it very similar, and that’s why this movie ended up being so popular.

1 American Psycho (2000)

There are some clear similarities between Patrick Bateman and Hannibal Lector in the sense that they’re both charming, yet equally terrifying. While American Psycho happily showcases the horror and the murders that he commits, his over-the-top personality and intelligence definitely parallels the personality of Hannibal Lecter at points.

Patrick’s intelligence and psychology are things that make him a very memorable movie villain, which is one of the main reasons why Hannibal Lector was so popular. Seeing his thought process and explanations add a new element to proceedings and feel obviously inspired by Silence of the Lambs, though the most obvious influence was the Bret Easton Ellis novel on which it was based.

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