The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

This week, the dads sink their teeth into The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Jonathan Demme’s unnervingly polite horror-thriller that turned dinner conversation into a crime scene. Nic, who picked this one, calls it one of the rare prestige films that’s also straight-up terrifying, while Steve revisits it for the first time in decades and can’t believe how well it still hums. From the opening FBI training sequence to Lecter’s glass cell, the guys get lost in that strange mix of elegance and menace that makes this movie unforgettable. It’s not just the horror of what’s happening — it’s the dread of who’s watching.

They zero in on how perfect the casting is. Steve can’t stop praising Jodie Foster’s control and vulnerability, while Nic’s in awe of how Anthony Hopkins turns charm into a weapon. The dads geek out over the camera work — those unblinking close-ups that feel like confessions — and debate whether Lecter is terrifying because he’s monstrous or because he’s right about everything. They also have fun with the details: the night-vision sequence that still makes Steve squirm, the “quid pro quo” exchange that somehow feels flirtatious, and Buffalo Bill’s dance that launched a thousand bad impressions. Somewhere between fascination and revulsion, they admit they can’t look away.

The episode hits that sweet spot between film-school analysis and pure dad awe, where admiration meets discomfort and both hosts can’t decide who’s scarier — Lecter or the system that bred him. It’s tense, funny, and full of those “how did this ever win Best Picture?” moments that only 90s Hollywood could produce. The Silence of the Lambs remains chilling, brilliant, and disturbingly human, and the dads savor every bite.