30-Day Horror Movie Challenge: Favorite Serial Killer Film...

Tagline: To enter the mind of a killer she must challenge the mind of a madman.

Synopsis: Jodie Foster stars as Clarice Starling, a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out. (Google)

When I first saw this, I experienced deja vu the entire time. Only after it was over did it dawn on me. I read the book! I've always been an avid reader, but when I was in my early twenties, I wasn't always meticulous about keeping track of what I read. Sometimes that led to me being a bit forgetful about what I had read. Anyway, I digress...

While some might argue this movie is not exactly horror, I would have to disagree. What is more horrific than a realistic serial killer? Also, the scene when Lecter is in the prison cell in the middle of a Tennessee courthouse. What he does when he escapes...that is horror. The whole story is full of horror tropes...cannibalism, skin-suits, etc. And, in this movie, we get two serial killers. Hannibal Lecter and Buffalo Bill. This is just a great movie. I've watched it many, many times and I never get bored, even knowing the outcome. The book was really good too.

What is your favorite serial killer film?