Which 1991 horror film became the first horror movie to win the Academy Award for Best Picture?

The Silence of the Lambs became the first horror film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Jonathan Demme’s 1991 film was adapted from Thomas Harris’s 1988 novel. It follows FBI trainee Clarice Starling as she seeks the help of imprisoned serial killer Hannibal Lecter while pursuing another killer, known as Buffalo Bill. The film stars Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins.

At the 64th Academy Awards in 1992, the film won five major awards: Best Picture, Best Director for Demme, Best Actress for Foster, Best Actor for Hopkins, and Best Adapted Screenplay. This achievement is often called a “Big Five” Oscar sweep.

People sometimes classify the movie only as a crime thriller or psychological thriller, but it is also widely recognized as a landmark horror film. Its success helped demonstrate that a dark, frightening story could receive the Academy’s top honor.