Having an Old friend for Dinner: The Cultural Legacy of ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991)

With the Oscars this weekend, I was reminded that The Silence of the Lambs is now in its 20th year. Amazingly enough (to me, at least), I have students in my class who have not yet read or experienced Thomas Harris's  1988 novel or Jonathan Demme's 1991 film adaptation, reminding me that the cultural importance of this film needs to be cultivated to pass on to a new generation of gothic/horror readers and viewers. The Silence of the Lambs was released twenty years ago this month, amidst the first Gulf War, on February 14th, 1991. It would be another thirteen months before it won the to