Last Updated: October 28, 2020
Is classic thriller The Silence Of The Lambs available on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime? Hannibal Lecter made his screen debut with 1986’s Manhunter, which was adapted from Thomas Harris’ novel Red Dragon. While Manhunter is considered a great thriller now, the movie failed at the time. Brian Cox gave a chilling, understated turn as Hannibal in the film, though the character has less than ten minutes of screentime. Despite Manhunter flopping, studios were still keen on adapting Harris’ follow-up novel The Silence Of The Lambs.
Gene Hackman was originally attached to direct and star in The Silence Of The Lambs, though despite reports he was lined up to play Hannibal, he was earmarked for Jack Crawford instead. Hackman eventually left the project over concerns about the violence of the script and Jonathan Demme replaced him as director. The resulting film quickly became a classic, thanks to its impeccable performances, screenplay, and direction. The film is the rare horror movie to sweep the Academy Awards too and Hopkins’ turn as Hannibal has since become iconic.
While Anthony Hopkins would reprise the role for 2001’s Hannibal and prequel Red Dragon, both failed to live up to the quality of The Silence Of The Lambs, and the actor would later express regret about returning. For newcomers or returning fans alike, The Silence Of The Lambs can currently be found streaming on Netflix, Showtime, and PlutoTV in the U.S., while the film is also available on Amazon Prime in the UK.
More options for watching The Silence Of The Lambs including renting of purchasing the film from YouTube, iTunes, Google Play or Vudu. While NBC’s beloved Hannibal series was able to cover the events of Red Dragon in season 3, rights issues prevented the show from doing a new take on The Silence Of The Lambs or using the Clarice Starling character. Showrunner Bryan Fuller mulled what Hannibal’s version of that story arc would be, including casting Lee Pace (Guardians Of The Galaxy) as Buffalo Bill and possibly Ellen Page as Clarice, but with the show being cancelled following its third season and it’s future uncertain, those plans may never come to fruition.
CBS recently greenlit a new series that will revolve around Clarice Starling, exploring her background and career following The Silence Of The Lambs, though the character of Hannibal won’t be involved. While it would be fantastic to see Jodie Foster reprise the role, it’s very unlikely she’ll be involved with the show.
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