Cool Stuff

Cool Stuff

ffffffffffffffffffffffmarks on his victims; plus the press reporting that he's gay). During the novel, Graham reluctantly seeks help from another serial killer, the brilliant if amoral psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter. The two had previously forced each other into mutual retirement, Graham by catching Lecter, and Lecter by nearly disemboweling Graham while trying to escape.

The novel was well-regarded for its unyielding gothic tone and the unnerving detail and care Harris put into the psychological dysfunctions of villain Francis Dolarhyde. The book was made into the movie Manhunter in 1986, starring William Petersen (yes, that one) as Graham and Brian Cox as Hannibal "Lecktor".

In 1988, Harris followed up with a sequel called The Silence of the Lambs. The lead was now ambitious FBI trainee Clarice Starling, sent to try and persuade Lecter to offer his insight into "Buffalo Bill" — a serial killer who abducts women, kills and skins them, and shoves chrysalitic moths down their throats. Lecter agrees to help in exchange for Clarice's most traumatic memories, and the two develop a weird symbiotic relationship.

This book was a huge success, and was adapted into an equally successful film starring Jodie Foster as Clarice and Anthony Hopkins as Lecter; the film became the third, and to this day, the last film ever to win all five major Oscars (Picture-Director-Actor-Actress-Screenplay), which for a February-released thriller was astonishing. Of all the books and films, The Silence of the Lambs is perhaps the only true classic, and indeed both series are often referred to as "The Silence of the Lambs Series".

Much later, in 1999, Harris released the next novel, whose film adaptation was immediately put into production for a summer 2001 release. Building off of the huge popularity of the Lecter character, it was simply called Hannibal, and focused on Clarice, an Italian detective and a former victim of Lecter's all hunting Lecter in different...