The Silence of the Lambs poster

The Silence of the Lambs

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

52% 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. Voters pick in 1.4s on average — well under the 3.5s platform norm.

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
59.4%
Where it thrives
Semifinals
57.9%
11/19
Finals
18.2%
The ceiling

The 40-point drop from semis to finals defines The Silence of the Lambs's bracket identity. It builds momentum through the middle rounds and runs into a ceiling when the competition narrows to the best.

The closest rivalry is with The Pursuit of Happyness at 53% — a matchup tight enough that a handful of votes could flip the lead. On the other end of the spectrum: Schindler's List at 100% is a comfortable win, while Alien at 0% is the matchup The Silence of the Lambs can't crack.

Closest Rival
Dominates
Titanic
66.7%
Kryptonite
Alien
100.0%
Psycho
100.0%

Of the 2 Jonathan Demme films tracked on BingeBracket, The Silence of the Lambs leads. Philadelphia at 37% is the other entry — a 0% gap between them.

Philadelphia 37.3%
BingeBracket Record
52%
Win Rate
#16 of 28 in Crime #25 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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City of God #1
The Pursuit of Happyness #2
The Shawshank Redemption #3
It's a Wonderful Life #4
The Godfather #5
Schindler's List #6
Titanic #7
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 .

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