The Silence of the Lambs poster

The Silence of the Lambs

Gatekeeper Strong in semis, fades in finals
1991 · Crime, Thriller, Drama · Jonathan Demme

50% overall puts The Silence of the Lambs near the middle of the pack. The round data tells a sharper story: strong in semis, a different film in finals. A masterclass in tension that won all five major Oscars and still feels dangerous. The identity question — horror or thriller — affects how voters compare it, but the film's grip is beyond category. It leads both Jonathan Demme films tracked on BingeBracket. At 1.3s average, voters make up their minds quickly — a gut preference rather than a weighed comparison.

Synopsis

Clarice Starling is a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, 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.

Round 1
55.6%
15/27
Semifinals
66.7%
Where it thrives
Finals
10%
The ceiling

Everything before the final looks solid — 56% opening, 67% semis. Then 10%. The drop from semis to finals is one of the steepest on the platform.

The closest rivalry is with The Pursuit of Happyness at 53% — a matchup tight enough that a handful of votes could flip the lead. Alien is the film The Silence of the Lambs can't figure out — just 0% in their matchups. Psycho causes similar problems at 0%.

Closest Rival
Kryptonite
Alien
100.0%
Psycho
100.0%

Of the 2 Jonathan Demme films tracked on BingeBracket, The Silence of the Lambs leads. Philadelphia at 43% is the other entry — a 0% gap between them.

Philadelphia 42.6%
BingeBracket Record
50%
Win Rate
#15 of 28 in Crime #24 of 45 from the 1990s #1 of 2 Jonathan Demme films
Scores based on real fan votes in head-to-head brackets. 50% = wins as often as it loses — perfectly average.
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The Pursuit of Happyness #2
The Shawshank Redemption #3
It's a Wonderful Life #4
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The Silence of the Lambs #8
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About These Rankings

BingeBracket ranks films through head-to-head matchups in 8-film brackets — no star ratings, no reviews, just direct comparison. Browse tournaments, try Discovery mode, or explore the leaderboards. You can also .