Where to watch The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Trivia & production notes

• Gene Hackman was originally set to direct and star in the film, but withdrew when his children asked him to stop making violent movies.
• Dino De Laurentiis, who produced Manhunter, lent the rights to Hannibal Lecter to Orion Pictures for free due to that film's financial failure.
• Jonathan Demme signed on to direct after reading only the novel, before Ted Tally had even finished the screenplay.
• Michelle Pfeiffer turned down the role of Clarice Starling, saying she got nervous about the subject matter.
• Anthony Hopkins initially thought The Silence of the Lambs was a children's story when his agent told him about it, but changed his mind after reading the first 10 pages.
• The iconic mask worn by Hannibal Lecter was created by Ed Cubberly, a Frenchtown, New Jersey-based mask maker who had previously made masks for NHL goalkeepers.
• Anthony Hopkins drew inspiration for Lecter's portrayal from the HAL 9000 computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey and the vocal patterns of writer Truman Capote.
• Scott Glenn, who played Jack Crawford, listened to audio recordings of serial killers Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris that included details of their crimes, which moved him to tears and changed his views on the death penalty.
• The Victorian home used as Buffalo Bill's residence in Perryopolis, Pennsylvania sold for $195,000 in 2016 after being on the market for nearly a year.
• The basement and pit set used by Buffalo Bill was inspired by the real kidnappings and murders committed by Gary M. Heidnik.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article The Silence of the Lambs (film), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewritten for StreamShack; errors are ours — tell us about them.