Hannibal Lecter is one of the most famous serial killers in film history, and it took him two tries to find fame. His first use in Blood Moon – Red Dragon received far too little attention. Today you can Masterpiece from Heat director Michael Mann on TV repeat. It’s worth it, precisely because it largely dispenses with the explicit depiction of violence in other serial killer films.
Blood Moon is based on the first Hannibal Lecter novel by Thomas Harris
When Blood Moon hit theaters in 1986, Hannibal Lecter was little more than a supporting character in a serial killer novel. It centers on tormented FBI profiler Will Graham (CSI’s William Petersen) who Killer of two families hunts. One of his stations is the incarcerated forensic psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter, then known as “Lecktor” (Brian Cox from Succession), with whom he seeks advice. However, he plays his own game. At the same time, the story of the serial killer Francis Dollarhyde (Tom Noonan) is told, who becomes closer to a work colleague (Joan Allen).
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William Petersen
Michael Mann’s third feature film was disappointing at the box office. Two years later, Thomas Harris published his novel The Silence of the Lambs. Jonathan Demme’s film adaptation garnered Anthony Hopkins an Oscar and henceforth he was the definitive Hannibal Lecter cast. This in turn led to the disappointing remake of the first novel in 2002.
Why the remake was so disappointing – and why Michael Mann’s film is a cult today
Red Dragon was brimming with stars, but the serial killer film lacked both the chilling gloom of The Silence of the Lambs and the poise of Blood Moon.
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brian cox
Michael Mann’s film still impresses today with its expressive color scheme, bathing characters in the deepest midnight blue, red or, in the case of Lecter’s prison, blindingly pure white. This gives the film an unrealistic, almost fairytale look. Blood Moon therefore feels like them hypnotic journey into consciousness by Will Graham who, in turn, more and more incorporates the killer’s imagination. When the real violence breaks into Will’s imagination, it hits you all the more.
It wasn’t until 2013 that a worthy remake of Red Dragon was released. The series Hannibal with Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen found its own strange imagery in 3 seasons to depict the journey into darkness. 37 years later, it is still worth seeing Hannibal again with his first screen appearance. He is now considered one of the best representatives of his genre.
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