For me, Silence of the Lambs is the best of the series. Anthony Hopkins is chilling as Dr. Hannibal Lecter. His performance will haunt you for days after your first time watching it.

Even after subsequent viewings, I still get chills. He came EXTREMELY close to capturing that same persona in Red Dragon....but Silence gets the nod from me.

I haven't seen Hannibal Rising yet, but I have read the book. The book was pretty good (not great, though). It is intriguing, however, discovering how Hannibal Lecter actually became the monster that we all know and (in a sick way) kind of love.