The 8 Most Unsettling Scenes From “The Silence of the Lambs” (4 of 5)

Buffalo Bill’s Dance

Bill’s dance is one of the strangest and most unforgettable scenes in the entire movie. He’s wearing makeup and films himself doing the lonely dance while imagining the person he desperately wants to become. Ted Levine’s talent keeps it tight and uncomfortable to watch without making a funny gag out of the whole scene.

The FBI Raids the Wrong House

While the FBI prepares to raid Buffalo Bill’s house, Clarice is interviewing people connected to one of his victims. What comes next is a finely crafted and edited misdirection masterpiece. An FBI agent presses a doorbell, and we immediately see Bill react to a bell ringing inside his home.

Naturally, the viewers assume the FBI has found him. Then Bill opens his front door, and instead of getting raided, he sees Clarice standing there alone. The agents burst into an empty house elsewhere, while the audience realizes that Clarice has accidentally walked straight into the killer’s home.