Welcome to FRIGHT CLUB, the horror movie battle ring where YOU vote for the winner.
I'm your host Zack Cherry, and in this week's match SILENCE OF THE LAMBS will take on HANNIBAL
in celebration of their 30th and 20th anniversaries this month, respectively.
Where SILENCE OF THE LAMBS thrust its audience into a gritty, hard-edged world
through the captivating dynamic between its idealistic heroine and calculating villain,
unexpectedly earning itself five Academy Awards
and the distinction of being the only horror movie in history to have won best picture,
Hannibal capitalizes off of its predecessors more elemental aspects
offering a sensationalized sequel set to intrigue, shock, and dazzle us in it's gothic overtures
and profligacy to earn the same type of critical recognition.
There's no denying the cultural impact these films and characters have had,
making up a franchise that now spans five decades with the upcoming release of the CBS television series CLARICE.
But while it does seem like SILENCE is the clear victor here, are there any advantages that it's disgraced sequel has over it?
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SILENCE OF THE LAMBS moves at a brisk pace once were briefed on, warned about,
and locked away into our first interaction with Dr. Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter,
making us part of the investigation and immersing us in Clarice Starling’s experience.
What truly sets the story apart are the exchanges she has with the serial killer,
which not only propel the narrative, but lend an intimate setting
for the doctor to often challenge this young cadet to rely on her instincts and break down his hidden clues,
uncovering a deeper insight to her overarching objective to write her childhood wrongs -
which seals an odd kinship between the two.
This movie also showcases some of the most successful plot twists in mainstream horror history,
in the midst of a genuine progression that climaxes appropriately
and concludes as though no loose ends are left to be tied -
even if the ending does leave room to speculate what could possibly follow.
Those questions are eventually answered in HANNIBAL though,
where our pre-established characters are introduced into comparatively bleak scenarios
with a handful of new characters -
whose dark intentions suggest a more corrupt infrastructure for our heroine to push against.
The most interesting thread arguably belonging to Inspector Rinaldo Pazzi,
in his unveiling of the incognito Doctor Lecter earlier on.
However, this subplot comes to a head halfway through the film's runtime, leaving the back half to feel very anti climactic.
Events unfold primarily in the form of action beats here,
spotlighting exchanges that detour from the solution-oriented momentum of the previous film
in favor of conversations that speculate about Hannibal Lecter's whereabouts,
and his attachment to Clarice, as she attempts to track him down.
Agent Starling finally crosses his path in the blood-soaked wake of casualties
that anyone could predict would accompany an unincarcerated Doctor Lecter, only to lose him once again,
leaving critics of this film to question whether this sequel ever proves that it's story needs to be told.
HANNIBAL'S plot kind of just meanders all over the place with several fragments of different story threads.
They're not lacking for entertainment, but each one on its own isn't substantial enough to fill a 2 hour plus runtime,
and merged together, as they are here, fail to form any sort of cohesive narrative or act structure.
Plus nothing interesting happens in the second half of the movie,
Compare that to SILENCE OF THE LAMBS where you get Lecter's escape and Clarice's faceoff with Buffalo Bill.
Round 1, without a shadow of a doubt, goes to SILENCE.
The characters in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS are such a vital asset to the success of the film
because they feel like they could be any one of us work-a-day people who keep the world in motion doing their jobs,
and each feeling like they have their own back stories whether we delve into them or not.
Even Hannibal Lecter feels like an actual person, with a questioning mind and singular sense of decorum,
not typical to your run-of-the-mill movie monster.
Allowing him the freedom to act as the de facto mentor to our heroine,
as well as the master manipulator of his own escape from a world without a view.
The simplest motivations are granted the greatest depths here.
Never beyond the audience's understanding
and always narrowing the focus of what drives our major characters forward in their pursuits.
Especially Clarice Starling,
whose character arc only gains dimension and resonance with Jodie Foster's oscar-winning portrayal.
The challenge then with HANNIBAL was of course building upon the groundwork laid by the previous movie
without Foster's participation.
Putting Julianne Moore in the unenviable position of the new Clarice,
attempting to recreate the character’s curious bond with Doctor Lecter as the sequel’s core incentive to buy a ticket.
But Hannibal actually offers up less interaction between the fugitive doctor and the now disgraced special agent,
spending the bulk of the film in the company of spiteful antagonists, defined by their own selfish agendas.
Inviting us perhaps to revel in a lush underworld of depravity.
While every sinister perspective here is of Hannibal Lecter,
the movie isn't really concerned with learning anything new about him
so much as it's framing the doctor as a figure whose simultaneously more unhinged,
romantically inclined, and quippier.
I will say of the movie HANNIBAL, I really like Gary Oldman as Mason Verger, but that's it.
The biggest issue I have here is that the way Clarice and Hannibal are written as characters
in no way resembles who they were in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.
It's not Julianne Moore's fault.
She's an incredible actor who was thrown into this with the very clear disadvantage
of working with a screenplay that was mostly disrespectful towards the character.
And in regards to Anthony Hopkins, they basically turned him into Michael Myers.
But not like original Michael Myers, more like HALLOWEEN 5 Michael Myers.
So yeah, round two goes to THE LAMBS.
There is a consistent slight grain present in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS,
even when screening it at the highest resolution possible,
leaving the viewer to believe that Jonathan Demme and his creative team
had the intention of evoking a uniform unfriendly look.
Color rarely pops in this world, even when it's clearly there.
But the imagery is memorable in its grim aesthetic, which itself is only boosted by a haunting, moody score by Howard Shore
that envelops the audience in a kind of ceremony or rite of passage,
as if we're being welcomed by the faces the greet us on our descent into hell.
But that is a key influence in the film's design as well,
since the most dangerous figures of the movie exist in the literal bowels of the structures that house them.
With the two most ominous environment still feeling real in an otherwise typical looking world.
But while SILENCE OF THE LAMBS is austere, HANNIBAL is surprisingly sleek with a smooth finish to it
that inspires an almost CSI: Anytown sensibility, giving it more of a predominant crime-drama feel.
The backdrop gets a relative upgrade as we move beyond the remote and suburban landscapes of the first film
into some territories with higher tax brackets, showcasing a strange glamour in the characters attire and various locales.
All set against some beautiful quarrel voices in Hans Zimmer's chimey, kinetic score.
The driving Melodies, lavish finery, and scenic environments contradict the baser urges of most of the characters,
emphasizing an interesting lack of class in these greedy figures who value and crave power above all,
only to perish in the most undignified ways.
I know this is starting to sound really unfavorable towards HANNIBAL,
but I mean you knew what this was when you opened the video.
The fact that this is Ridley Scott directing is astounding to me
because when you consider the movies $87 million budget,
it's like the studio just wanted to have the most expensive director.
Not because he was expensive, but because he cost more.
We saw this just last week when we were talking about THE INVISIBLE MAN,
you don't need an inflated budget in order to make something that looks good.
They were basically just paying for the name brands here, and the finished product is all style and no substance.
Round 3 stays with SILENCE.
A film's Oscar standing should never measure it's worth,
and while some may assign an air of prestige to SILENCE OF THE LAMBS today, the movie’s artistic and financial success
can really be attributed to a full commitment in every conceivable aspect at every stage of the filmmaking process.
It's unfortunate that the type of antipathy a woman can experience from the men around her
is so rarely handled with the care and attention it's given here.
And even more unfortunate that the reverse angle of the male gaze, that's masterfully employed by Jonathan Demme -
putting any audience member in Clarice's shoes -
still feels relevant to our society today.
But this film maintains a singular ability to juggle tension, introspection, and brutality
through the eyes of its female protagonist in a way that's palatable enough to appeal to mainstream audiences,
and compelling enough to continually draw new generations of horror fans year after year.
Sadly, critics of this sequel observe its return of the male gaze to the men of the story,
providing a less nuanced framing of clarice's continual struggle against the trappings of a patriarchic institution,
as she jolts and shudders, reeling from a past that's beckoning to her.
But in spite of its subsequent mixed reviews, the film achieved the highest opening box office receipts in horror history.
A record it would hold until the debut of IT in 2017.
And while surpassing the worldwide gross of SILENCE OF THE LAMBS by over $75 million,
it still remains baffling when you consider how differently each movie handles its subject matter.
It's pretty clear that HANNIBAL was just meant to be a money vehicle and it definitely served its purpose well.
In fact, Thomas Harris only wrote the novel because the studio had already paid him for the movie rights.
But I find it hilarious that they missed the Oscar mark so bad
that the film did not receive even one nomination despite the caliber of talent behind it.
It's kind of pathetic, but more reason that I'm giving the fourth round to SILENCE again.
As is the case with most films that lean into the psychology and the real world implications of their horror,
the kills themselves in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS don't linger,
but instead cap off their suspenseful build ups with gruesome reveals.
Even the off-screen kills feed the dread of the audience, giving us a deeper understanding of what the movie’s villains are capable of.
The violence, though minimal, is more real.
And the anticipation of what will happen next is rooted in the precision of the person lurking beside you,
which It makes it scarier.
The blood and body effects work well enough for the movies purposes,
but if you're looking for a gallery of gore, you better look elsewhere.
HANNIBAL ups its gore factor for sure, relying more heavily on the shock value of its kills,
boasting more blood and more grizzly spectacles that you'd probably come to expect from a horror sequel 10 years out.
But we don't get to know over half of the people who get picked off, and chances are we don't like the ones we do know.
Putting these victims on equal footing with a more disposable slasher-esque style,
reaching an almost satirical level, even if the results are effectively brutal.
So if the movie juggles a little CGI with a little animatronic innovation,
it's all just to showcase Hannibal doing his Hannibal thing.
You know, the brain scene alone is pretty nifty, and you might think I would award this round to HANNIBAL.
But you're wrong.
The kills in this movie our so overblown and lacking in poetry, and when you watch SILENCE OF THE LAMBS,
it's pretty gruesome for what little you do actually see.
It works way more effectively than it does in HANNIBAL, which means I'm giving SILENCE OF THE LAMBS a perfect 5 out of 5.
But none of that means anything because YOU ultimately have the final say,
so let's find out how you voted.
4,689 people voted between SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and HANNIBAL, and with 93% of the vote,
the majority of you thought that SILENCE OF THE LAMBS was the better movie.
Did not see that one coming.
Next week we'll be diving back into some contemporary horror once again, when GET OUT takes on US
in the battle for Jordan Peele’s best movie.
Go cast your vote!
I want to thank my Patreon supporter Marcus Conerly.
If you enjoyed this FRIGHT CLUB match,
there's some more of them you can check out right now by clicking on this playlist.
Until next Friday, I've been Zack Cherry,
and I'll be right back.