Is The Silence of the Lambs a horror film?

Ever since I first saw it, I've wondered. about this. I've always considered it to be a crime thriller (and an excellent one at that). However, it's frequently referred to as "The only horror film ever to win on Oscar for Best Picture" and things of this sort. For me, this movie is like Jaws in that people consider it to be a horror film but 1. I am not scared by it in the way a good horror film usually makes me feel and 2. It doesn't have the tone of a horror film; it feels like a thriller. I'm curious to see what people think.

I consider it to be primarily a thriller with some horror elements.

Originally posted by BackFire
I consider it to be primarily a thriller with some horror elements.

Agreed.. I see it as mostly thriller with bits of horror to.

Could it also be put under, Psychological Horror?

Like Se7en, Saw etc

i think it has to many horror elements to be dudded only a thriller.

head in a jar

guy with suit made out of women

guy who eats people and someone who is so creepy you wouldnt wanna meet him in real life way to scary to be a real person. Bill is also but Hannibal is scarier.

dead bodys with peaces of skin removed.

guy sliced open and his organs and stuff hanging out

guy having his face torn off and being used as a mask

all that screams horror movie to me its just to much for me to ignore and say its a thriller so i have to call it a horror movie

^^^^^agree. Look at the movie Scream, that is also categorized as horror. if scream is horror than there's no reason silence of the lamb can't be.

I think its horror. It has a more I guess...suspenseful, maybe, side to it. But I think it should be in the horror category 🙂

I believe hollywood do not like to use the word "horror" especially when the movie is good. Horror is usually confined to b-slashers, creatures,etc. When a good horror movie comes out, hollywood would rather place it under "psychological thriller" rather than horror.(The shining, the others, the innocents) these are clearly horror but because it has a more adult approach,(and is good) they label it PT. silly. Let's fight the power.

Originally posted by BackFire
I consider it to be primarily a thriller with some horror elements.

I'd say it's more of a pyschological thriller.

like i said WAY TO MANY HORROR elements to ignore

Crime Thriller.

To me it's always been a Psychological Thriller/Horror.

I never understood the whole 'lambs' thing? What did lambs have to do with a sick f * ck who kidnaps chicks and makes them put the lotion in the basket? Shouldn't they have called it, 'Silence of the Tucked in Weener?' 😠

Try watching the movie again. Lecter and Starling make it quite obvious about the whole "lambs thing" during their visits.

No. I consider it a suspense thriller.