‘Clarice’ Trailer: The Silence Is Over In This ‘Silence Of The Lambs’ Sequel Series
A newClaricetrailer dropped during the Super Bowl over the weekend, and it’s a trailer that’s practically screaming, “HEY, REMEMBERSILENCE OF THE LAMBS?!” in all caps. The trailer hasRebecca Breedsas FBI Agent Clarice Starling recounting her traumatic childhood story of trying to save a lamb from slaughter, and even goes ahead and throws in a quick shot recreating theSilence of the Lambsposter, where a moth perches right on Clarice’s lips. Hell, even the font is the same font used for theSilence of the Lambsopening credits.
Clarice Trailer
Whenever I write aboutClarice, the new CBS series inspired by the work of Thomas Harris, I have to point out that I was one of those dummies who thoughtHannibalthe TV series was a bad idea. In my defense, before the show arrived it was merely billed as a “prequel series” toRed DragonandSilence of the Lambs, and my knee-jerk reaction to prequels is, “We don’t need this.” ButHannibalturned out to be something of a marvel; it’s one of my all-time-favorite TV shows, and it’s a series that pushed boundaries and found exciting ways to further the story of Hannibal Lecter.
So with all that in mind, I’m trying not to judgeClaricetoo harshly. LikeHannibal, it uses Harris’Silence of the Lambsas a springboard. But unlikeHannibal, Hannibal Lecter won’t be showing up. In fact, he won’t even be mentioned – because the rights issues to the characters are all over the place. It’s the same reason why Clarice Starling never appeared as a character inHannibal.
Clariceis meant to be a direct sequel series toSilence of the Lambs. It’s set a year after the events of that book/film, and finds Clarice Starling dealing with the aftermath of her involvement in tracking down serial killer Buffalo Bill. And unlikeHannibal, which couldn’t really mentionSilence of the Lambs,Clariceis going all-in onSilence of the Lambsreferences – at least in this trailer. The trailer here recreates the story Starling told Hannibal about how she tried to save a lamb from being slaughtered as a child. And it even includes a moment where a death’s head moth perches right on Clarice’s mouth, a deliberate nod to theSilence of the Lambsmovie poster. In other words, CBSreallywants you to think ofSilence of the Lambswhen you think ofClarice. And while this strategy makes sense on paper, it’s bound to backfire. BecauseSilence of the Lambsis a masterpiece, and I have serious doubts anyone will be saying the same aboutClarice.Claricepremieres onFebruary 11, 2021on CBS.
