Julianne Moore's Favorite Thriller Makes Silence of the Lambs Look Tame

She's worked with Almodóvar, the Coen brothers, Paul Thomas Anderson, and still somehow ended up in Jurassic Park III. But when asked what thriller has stuck with her most, Moore didn't name a hit, a franchise, or even something remotely modern.

In a 2025 interview with Radio Times, she picked Nicolas Roeg's 1973 film Don't Look Now, calling it:

"Wonderfully human and complicated and maybe the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life. Interestingly, it's also about a domestic situation and a tragedy – and it's also a love story."

It's not a jump-scare movie. It's not fast. And it sure as hell isn't trying to spoon-feed an audience that's used to streaming two thrillers a night while scrolling TikTok. Roeg's film is a slow-burn descent into grief and paranoia — and it doesn't care if you're along for the ride.

Based on a Daphne du Maurier short story, Don't Look Now follows a couple who relocate to Venice after the sudden death of their daughter. That's about all anyone should know going in, because the rest is what makes the film legendary — and, in Moore's words, terrifying. She zeroes in on what actually makes it effective: the emotion, the realism, the psychological spiral instead of easy horror tricks.

If you're expecting a clean three-act structure or any kind of comfort, you'll be waiting a while. Don't Look Now builds dread from grief, not gore. The horror comes from watching people try — and fail — to process something they can't understand. It's not surprising that Moore, who's made a career out of playing emotionally wrecked women with uncomfortable honesty, would connect with this one.

The film's legacy:

• Released: 1973
• Directed by: Nicolas Roeg
• Based on a short story by: Daphne du Maurier
• Stars: Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland
• Box office: $4.3 million worldwide (on a reported $1.5 million budget)
• Accolades: BAFTA nominations, decades of critical worship, and routinely cited as one of the best horror films ever made — not that it ever tried to be one.

Moore's praise adds to the long list of directors, actors, and critics who consider Don't Look Now a masterpiece. Just don't expect anything comforting or cleanly resolved — the movie doesn't care how you feel by the time it's over. And that's exactly why it works.

If Silence of the Lambs makes you squirm, Don't Look Now will sit in your brain like grief itself: quietly, permanently, and without apology.