The Real Silence of the Lambs

In the 1991 thriller “Silence of the Lambs” we are introduced to the sadistic serial killer of Jame Gumb (played by Simon Northwood), better known as “Buffalo Bill”. This psychotic killer is the one who utters the infamous line “It puts the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose again”. It is this terrifying portrayal that becomes the main plot of the movie, to see if FBI Agent Clarice Starling (played by Jodie Foster), can find this killer before he strikes again with the help of incarcerated serial killer Dr. Hanibal Lector (played by Anthony Hopkins).

What few people know is that the character of Buffalo Bill was based on the real-life Philadelphia murderer Gary Heidnik. Between 1986-1987 Heidnik imprisoned, raped, tortured, and killed 2 women in a self-dug pit in the basement of his Philadelphia home. The horrific nature of the crimes made headlines and eventually led to Hendik being executed in 1999. As of 2024 he remains the last person to be executed in the state of Pennsylvania since the return of the death penalty in 1978.