The monster: perhaps the most dynamic character throughout the history of film. No other character has the ability to instill so much fear into the heart of an audience. Whether in the form of a villain, or an actual monster, such characters receive just as much attention, if not more, from the director as the hero. As said by Alfred Hitchcock, “The more successful the villain, the more successful the picture.” While some villains take their disguise behind masks or costumes, the most effective, truly horrifying and monstrous villains are those who are just as human as you and me, and of those villains, Hannibal Lecter stands out as being one of the most terrifying villains of all time.

Dr. Hannibal Lecter, as played by Sir Anthony Hopkins, has been one of the most unnerving and recognizable villain or monster in the last two decades of film. Why do Lecter’s mannerisms effectively frighten so many people? While Lecter is speaking to agent Starling in this scene, he speaks softly the entire time, changing only the speed at which he talks. At the same time, Lecter’s facial expressions change very little: his mouth may move, and he may smile slightly, but nothing changes in his eyes. They remain cold, rarely blinking, and focused. Lecter’s eyes may also make the viewer uncomfortable because, as Dr. Hirsch suggests in this article, paranoia and psychosis have been linked to the white part of the eye showing around all edges of the iris. Check out the photo at the top for an example. It is possible that just seeing Lecter’s face can make someone uneasy and, as their subconscious mind warns them to fear him, his actions reinforce that feeling.

In Silence of the Lambs, the monstrous qualities of Hannibal Lecter are reinforced by various stylistic edits, including shot angles, filming techniques, and manipulation of symbolic images to enhance the horror of Lecter’s crimes. When the protagonist, Clarice Starling, meets Lecter in his cell and interviews him, the director makes use of point-of-view shots to get the audience into the Starling’s mindset, and during the emotional high points of the interview, the director uses close-ups of each of their faces to highlight the difference in their expressions. Starling’s face is still calm, but shows hints of normal emotional responses such as anger, shock, and fear. Because of the POV shots, the audience is emotionally in tune with Starling. This is immediately juxtaposed with the close-ups of Lecter’s face, which shows emotions more reminiscent of excitement and hunger, giving the impression that he is less like a human and more like a feral predator closing for a kill. The POV shot is also used during the scene where Lecter escapes from his cage (another monster motif), this time using the point of view of the guard as Lecter kills him. The director also uses shots that combine the aftermath of the grisly murder with religious symbols by posing the disemboweled body in the air in an angelic pose. By twisting and corrupting a holy symbol of purity, the murder is made that much more horrifying and disturbing.

The aspect of cannibalism often makes people cringe (I doubt there are many people who think that human bacon would be appetizing), thus Hannibal Lecter’s “trademark” tends to strike a nerve with the public audience. In the trailer he is called, “a monster,” “a pure psychopath,” and “the darkest of all minds.” The main reason these acquisitions are made is because of his flesh eating tendencies. Sure his odd mannerisms and cunning wit compliment his main monstrous attribute, but cannibalism is at the heart of the horror. Cannibalism being an atrocious, despicable act is most likely a product of evolution. We are social animals. We depend on one another to survive and carry on the legacy of the human race (thus we can’t just going around eating one another). The definition of a psychopath is someone who lacks human emotion. Because Hannibal is a called a psychopath, there is no reason for him to feel pity for his victims. This makes him quite different from you run-of-the-mill serial killer. By eating his victims, it is cemented that he is not like you or I. He is a monster – just in human skin.

Response Questions:

1.Perhaps the most terrifying aspect of Hannibal Lecter is the fact that he is a cannibal. Had Hannibal not been a cannibal, would he still have been as horrifying of a character? And in what other ways do you think Lecter is monstrous?

2. During the film, and in the trailer, Hannibal Lecter takes on a distinct personality as a villain. His mannerisms, specifically, contribute to his creepy “vibe”. What villains in other films do you think have the same effect as Hannibal Lecter in terms of being truly monstrous?

3. The movie and the trailer use specific filming styles to create a unique feel in each scene. Many of the scenes with Lecter use different angles to capture his demeanor. What styles of filming do you think the director used to help create the sadistic characteristics that Lecter embodies?