UnquietDreams
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- Joined
- Dec 20, 2023
- Posts
- 27,337
There are a lot of places I can go with this, mostly that art and entertainment hit people in different ways. I did a rather in depth paper in a film studies class on the psychology of why horror is enjoyable to some people and not others (there is a lot there, and I am, for once, not going to get explainy). But it hits all people differently. And it isn't just horror -- it was important to me to watch Schindler's List, and it is an incredible film. But I'm not watching it again. The same is true of Se7en for me -- great movie, never watching it again. Some people are more sensitive to certain stimuli and images in positive and negative ways.
I think for Silence of the Lambs, part of it is people can get attracted to a well-written villain. There is a whole attraction/revulsion thing with Lector, and he is fascinating in his evil (I thought he got far less so when he became more a antihero or "dark hero," but that is my own opinion). Part the writing, part the genius of Hopkins (though I prefer Cox's take in Manhunter). But people love the bad guy. Heck, you can trace that back to Milton, whose fanfic went on to reformulate the images of Satan and Hell. Milton had more fun writing the bad guy, a lot of writers do (you see that in a lot of the comic book movies of either camp). But not everyone reacts to that story in the same way. My ex is in your camp, with Silence as well as most horror films. I am hit or miss, as I enjoy horror, but not all (and the more realistic the less I like it).
As for being based on a real person, like a lot of writers, Harris based Lector very loosely on Ed Gein (just like Leatherface and Norman Bates, among others).
. I was wondering what you think of Jack White? I like a lot of his earlier albums and finding out some of his songs were old blues covers got me more into blues. Yes I know Seven nation army has been played more times than anyone ever wanted to hear it 
