The Silence of the Lambs (1991) - 8 questions

Question: Why was Hannibal Lecter so interested in Clarice's past? How would it benefit him?

Answer: Knowing about her past gives him an advantage in how he can manipulate her - he understands her fears, weaknesses, strengths, and so on. A psychiatrist normally deconstructs a patient's psychological make-up to better understand and help them, but in Lecter's case, he uses this knowledge against his victims. However, as he learns about Clarice, he becomes sympathetic and protective toward her.

Question: What was that rotting corpse lying in the bath at Buffalo Bill's basement, minutes before the light is shut down? Who did it belong to and what has happened to it?

Answer: It's another victim whose skin Buffalo Bill is preparing to tan into leather. Presumably the body was recovered and identified after the police and FBI seized the house.

Question: Has there ever been given an official answer as to whose body is in the bathtub in Buffalo Bill's house near the end? It's been a while since I have seen the film, but don't remember any mention of it.

Answer: No, there's not been any official statement on the subject.

Question: In the climactic scene with Starling at the killer's house, the house is plunged into darkness. Did Jodie Foster actually act this scene in total darkness or is she just really good at pretending to be blind?

Answer: The scene appears to be shot with a night vision camera. Since it would be simpler and cheaper to do it this way then have Foster act blind and do the night vision effect in post production, I think its safe to say it was filmed in near-total darkness.

Question: If Hannibal Lecter knew all along who Buffalo Bill really was, then why didn't he just come right out and say it?

Answer: Because that would be boring for the doctor. He gets the opportunity to play his twisted mind-games with agent Starling, and manipulate her into revealing her own secrets to him, so he draws the game out for as long as he can.

Question: How did Lecter know that there was something inserted into Fredrica Bimmels' throat? He had heard about Buffalo Bill in the papers but not much information about him.

Answer: Because he knew that the dead man in the storage unit had one in his throat. He guessed that Buffalo Bill was the former patient of his who had killed the dead man in the storage unit.

Question: If Hannibal Lector is so brilliant, why didn't he suspect that Starling's "Holiday Offer" was a fraud?

Answer: He did. At one point he says amusingly "Anthrax Island, that was a nice touch, yours?" to starling, indicating he was in on the fact that the deal wasn't what it was made out to be. This didn't matter at all to him, since he was planning on escaping anyway, and the deal gave him an oportunity to do so.

Question: I can not figure out how in the world agent Starling makes the connection about where Buffalo Bill lives. I don't understand the connection she makes at the house where she finds the pictures and says "you covet what you see" It has driven me crazy for years and I need help. How does she figure it all out?

Answer: In Frederika's bedroom Clarice sees the dress being made and recognises that the pieces of material are the same shape as the pieces of skin missing from the victims' bodies. In the bank, where Clarice meets Frederika's friend, Stacy tells her the address of 'Mrs Lippman' whom Frederika used to work with. Presumably Buffalo Bill is related to,or is, Mrs Lippman since that is where Clarice finds him.