The real Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs is based on a series of real-life serial killers. Although it's Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) who is most memorable in Jonathan Demme's 1991 masterpiece, it's Buffalo Bill (Ted LeVine) who Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is an tasked with cracking the case of. As a deranged serial killer who kidnaps and skins women in order to wear them, he's among horror's truly terrifying human villains, and is made even scarier by the true story underpinning the character.
To have a film make a lasting impression on the world, filmmakers often take real-life inspirations for the movie's villain to add an element of authenticity to its horror. In The Silence of the Lambs: Magic in the Making documentary, screenwriter Ted Tally opens up about some inspirations for Hannibal Lecter and Buffalo Bill, citing Ted Bundy and Gary Heidnik as reference points. Buffalo Bill's technique of luring victims into a van is directly inspired by Bundy, while the idea of imprisoning women in a basement is taken from Heidnik's crimes. In doing so, The Silence of the Lambs blurs the lines between what is real and what is fiction.
The Books Vs. The Movies: Which Buffalo Bill Is Scarier?
The Silence of the Lambs is adapted from a novel of the same name that hit the stores 3 years before the film's release, in 1988. Although the plot remains relatively the same, there are a handful of changes between the film and the novel. One of Silence Of The Lambs' changes is Buffalo Bill's character, who is somehow even more disturbing and horrifying on the page. Much has been noted about LeVine's stellar performance, but the movie suffers from having to shorten much of the depiction of the character, simplifying the villain down and prevented some major moments from appearing in the movie.
Buffalo Bill's psyche and backstory are further dissected in the novel, explaining that he wants to look like his dead mother. This elaborates on his motivation in a way that makes the villain more chilling by furthering his parallels with real serial killers. Though Ted LeVine's performance creates a more viscerally unnerving Buffalo Bill due to the nature of movies being a faster medium - where audiences can't decide their own pace as they might with a book - the Silence of the Lambs series has an arguably scarier version of the character in the novel by allowing audiences a deeper insight into the installment's villain.
Basing Buffalo Bill On Real Serial Killers Makes A Scarier Villain
The essence of any good horror movie is giving the audience enough information so that the story on screen can come alive in their minds. The Silence of the Lambs not only accomplishes this feat with flying colors, but takes this device a step further in basing Buffalo Bill on a true story. Where series icon Hannibal is almost a larger than life figure due to his dignified air being combined with his cannibalism, Buffalo Bill is the polar opposite. The Silence of the Lambs villain is able to be as potent as he is exactly because he feels so close to real life, and serves as a reminder that serial killers are oftentimes more scary than any conventional horror movie monsters.
Whether it is the popularization of Hannibal Lecter's leather mask or the controversies surrounding Buffalo Bill's movie depiction, few films have the cultural impact that The Silence of the Lambs has. One of the major feats the film accomplishes is creating an antagonist who is both suitably dramatic and also frightfully realistic. By doing so, The Silence of the Lambs balances movie horror with its real-life serial killer inspiration, creating a movie that fascinates audiences as much as it frightens.
Much Of Buffalo Bill's Personality Was Improvised
Though inspiration of the real Buffalo Bill comes from a variety of sources, the biggest factor in what makes him such an unforgettable movie villain is Ted Levine's incredible performance. Though Anthony Hopkins deservedly gets a lot of attention for his Hannibal Lecter role, Levine's more reserved and unsettling performance is key to the movie's success. Though Levine had those real-life inspiration to draw on, he also made up a lot of character on his own. As with Hopkins' delivery of The Silence of the Lambs' iconic "chianti" line, Levine ad-libbed his most famous scene, dancing in the nude to "Goodbye Horses." In that moment, Levine tapped into his own understanding of Jame Gumb's personality which made him all the more effective.