The Criterion Collection has officially announced its home video slate for October 2026, headlined by a highly anticipated 4K Ultra HD upgrade of the landmark psychological horror thriller The Silence of the Lambs. The new three-disc physical edition is scheduled to hit shelves on October 20, 2026. Directed by the late Jonathan Demme and released in 1991, the film remains a towering achievement in cinematic history. Based on Thomas Harris’s bestselling 1988 novel of the same name, the story follows rookie FBI Academy student Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) as she is tasked with interviewing an incarcerated, highly intelligent psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer, Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins). Starling seeks Lecter’s dark psychological insights to help track down another active murderer known to authorities as “Buffalo Bill” (Ted Levine).

The upcoming Criterion release is anchored by a new 4K digital restoration supervised by the film’s original director of photography, Tak Fujimoto. The presentation features Dolby Vision HDR alongside a master 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack and an alternate 5.1 surround mix. The extensive collection of special features includes a classic 1994 audio commentary track featuring Demme, Foster, Hopkins, screenwriter Ted Tally, and former FBI profiler John Douglas. Additional supplemental materials feature deleted scenes, a 2005 conversation between Demme and Foster, a dedicated interview with film critic Maitland McDonagh, four retrospective documentaries, and archival materials addressing Hannibal Lecter’s origins. The physical release also features an updated booklet including critical essays by authors Willow Catelyn Maclay and Caden Mark Gardner.

Historically, The Silence of the Lambs achieved rare, sweeping success during the 64th Academy Awards. It remains the only horror-classified feature film to win the “Big Five” Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director for Demme, Best Actor for Hopkins, Best Actress for Foster, and Best Adapted Screenplay for Tally. Commercially, the film was a massive theatrical success, grossing over $272 million worldwide against a modest $19 million production budget.

The three-disc set is currently available for retail pre-order.