The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Jonathan Demme's psychological thriller is one of only three films in history to win all five major Academy Awards — Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay — and the only horror film to do so. Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter, on screen for fewer than 25 minutes, became one of cinema's most iconic and terrifying characters, demonstrating that the suggestion of intelligence is more frightening than any amount of gore. Its portrayal of FBI trainee Clarice Starling as a fully realised protagonist also transformed expectations for women in the genre.