Hannibal Lecter and Halloween costumes

Two decades ago, in a movie starring Jodie Foster as a promising young FBI agent, a Welsh actor who only appeared on screen for a total of 17 minutes stole the show. Twenty years later, Halloween costumes based on the serial killer from The Silences of the Lambs are still a popular choice for men’s Halloween costumes. The appeal of Sir Anthony Hopkins’ portrayal of the cannibal killer Hannibal Lecter lies not in its wickedness, but in its charm. Whereas Hopkins’ Oscar-winning performance in the film is curiously endearing and undeniably menacing.

Part of the audience empathy for Hannibal Lecter stems from his relationship with Jodie Foster’s character, Clarice Starling. The most fascinating scene in the film is the first conversation between the two. Even as Hannibal forces Clarice to relive a childhood trauma in exchange for information, we begin to believe that he cares for her, a belief that is confirmed when Lecter calls her on the phone at the end of the film, promising, “I have no plans to call. about you, Clarice, “he says. “The world is more interesting with you in it.”

Foster herself gives Hopkins much of the credit for the audience’s fascination with the character of Hannibal Lecter. She said in an interview: “He played all the layers of hiding instead of trying to make us feel sorry for him, he allowed Hannibal to have that evil appearance.” By not playing openly out of sympathy, Hopkins is free to play with the character’s wicked sense of humor, and in the end, it’s Hannibal’s intelligence that beats us.

It’s the character’s sense of humor as well as his wickedness that drives us to don Halloween costumes every year with Hannibal’s infamous mouth mask. We all remember his lines from the movie, they are just so memorable. We know the inflection in her voice when she says “Clarice,” and we know the sucking noise that makes her skin drag when she contemplates eating human flesh.

Hannibal Lecter’s men’s Halloween costumes sometimes depict the serial killer strapped to a stretcher, his arms bound in a straitjacket, his face muzzled, and seemingly incapable of inflicting harm. But we know how ineffective that was in the movie, and the sight of Hannibal’s Halloween costumes still gives you chills, even as we smile, reminding of the character’s devilish wit.

You put up with the villain Hannibal because the movie mixes attraction and repulsion to seduce the audience. Although we first meet Hannibal while he’s imprisoned behind layers of indestructible glass, we don’t feel safe even though we should. When the movie ends with Hannibal in general, we are secretly pleased. His crimes were horrible, we do not want to be alone in the same room with him, but we are glad that he is still alive. The character appeared in later films, but we remember Hannibal best from his first film in the series. As long as people continue to wear men’s Halloween costumes of this compelling villain, we always will.