I’ve always been a huge movie fan. Being a member of the Blockbuster generation, it was almost inevitable. I miss the days of perusing the aisles, searching for that 2 or 5 day rental I would take home with me. Sweet bliss!
My dad and I watched all the classics together growing up: John Wayne westerns, Hitchcock thrillers, the Rocky movies, James Bond, Batman, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Hoosiers. You get the picture.
The first PG-13 movie I saw in theaters with my dad was Batman Forever. The first R rated movie we watched together in the theater was ‘The Patriot.’ Mel Gibson for the win! That hatchet scene though. Yeesh!
Anyhoo…
One day in 6th or 7th grade, during recess, a friend told me about the scariest movie of all time. He said, “It’s called ‘THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.’” I had seen the VHS box at Blockbuster with that creepy looking moth covering a woman’s mouth. What was that all about? He told me about a character named Hannibal Lecter, the most terrifying villain of all time.
I was intrigued, to say the least. Like a curious little puppy who’s up to no good, I decided to ask the person I watched movies with about it…my dad.
I will never forget this conversation.
“Dad, have you heard of a movie called ‘The Silence of the Lambs?’”
“Yes.”
“Have you seen it?”
“Yes. Mark, listen to me. You are forbidden to watch that movie as long as you live under my roof.”
(Darn)
“But Mark, I will tell you this. The way Hannibal Lecter escapes in that movie is UN-BE-LIEV-A-BLE.”
He emphasized every syllable as if he were a pronunciation coach. That was the moment I knew that I could not go to my grave without seeing ‘The Silence of the Lambs.’ My fate was sealed.
Side note: If you tell a child they are forbidden to watch a movie, don’t tell them in the same breath that it’s unbelievable. It will become their life’s mission to watch said film.
OK, back to my quest.
The next trip to Blockbuster, I could practically hear the VHS box taunting me. It became my holy grail, the thing I so desperately wanted but had to journey to find.
How could something that is forbidden also be unbelievable, you know? It reminded me of the way Christians talk about sex. Before marriage, it’s absolutely forbidden. But once you get married, it’s the best thing ever! That was ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ for me.
Years went by. I would occasionally ask my dad if we could rent it.
“No.”
(Darn)
But I couldn’t stop thinking about it. And listen, I know what you’re thinking. This is a really intense, violent, and disturbing film. If you were to ‘Ask Pastor John’ if it’s okay for a Christian to watch this movie, he would probably give you 7 compelling reasons why you shouldn’t watch it.
But I was on a quest. Not even John Piper could stop me. I decided to gather as much information about the movie as possible. Here is what I discovered:
-The film was released in 1991. I was 4 years old at the time. It was released on Valentine’s Day. How poetic!
-The movie would go on to win 5 oscars in 1992, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins), Best Actress (Jodie Foster), Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
-The only film I had seen Jodie Foster in was a family-friendly movie called ‘Candleshoe.’ It remained a mystery to me how a childhood Disney star would later star in the movie my father had declared “Forbidden!”
-According to the American Film Institute, Dr. Hannibal Lecter is the greatest movie villain of all time, beating Norman Bates, Darth Vader, the Wicked Witch of the West, and the Joker. He’s a bad dude.
-The movie has a run time of 1 hour, 58 minutes. Anthony Hopkins appears on screen for just over 16 minutes. The greatest movie villain of all time was on screen for SIXTEEN minutes.
-The movie was received well by critics, except for Roger Ebert, who called the film, “A star-studded freak show.” Easy now, Roger.
Armed with this new knowledge, I was more determined than ever to watch this movie. But how?
Enter college.
When the day came for me to go to college, I said my goodbyes to my family. Tears were shed. The whole shabang. And then they drove off. I sat in my dorm room missing them, thinking about what my life would be like without them around every day. I thought about all those movies I watched with my dad growing up. My movie buddy was gone. And then it hit me!
“I don’t live under my parents roof any more! I CAN WATCH SILENCE OF THE LAMBS NOW!!”
Within my first week, I huddled into a dorm room at Wheaton College in Fischer 4E, lights turned off and all eyes glued on the most thrilling movie ever made, ‘The Silence of the Lambs.’
I watched in amazement as Hannibal Lecter escaped from his cell. My dad was right about it being unbelievable. I savored those end credits which signaled, “Congratulations! You have watched this film in its entirety.” The only thing missing was a cake to commemorate the occasion.
It’s been 12 years since I graduated from Silence of the Lambs University (Go Cannibals!). Has my quality of life been improved as a result of watching this movie? Not in the slightest. But for the past 12 years, I haven’t had to wonder what is so unbelievable about this movie. I’m living in a post-Silence of the Lambs world, and ladies and gentlemen, it feels good!
Dad was right. My children will never be allowed to watch Silence of the Lambs under my roof. They’ll have to wait until their first week of college for that.
Until then, ta ta! I’m having a friend for dinner.
Dodd Squad 