This time, however, he is pitted against FBI trainee Clarice Starling as she works to solve the case of the "Buffalo Bill" serial killer.

The film adaptation directed by Jonathan Demme was released in 1991 to widespread critical acclaim and box office success.

Crawford's real intention, however, is to try to solicit Lecter's assistance in the hunt for a serial killer dubbed "Buffalo Bill", whose M.O.

involves kidnapping large women, starving them for up to two weeks, killing and skinning them, and dumping the remains in nearby rivers.

When Starling locates the car in a storage unit, she discovers a severed head preserved in a jar, which Lecter later identifies as Raspail's lover Klaus.

A similar pupa is found in Klaus' head, and based on this connection, Starling believes that Lecter knows Buffalo Bill's identity.

Crawford is advised that no less than the President of the United States has expressed "intense interest" in the case, and that a successful rescue is preferable.

Starling is sent to Lecter with the offer of a deal: if he assists in Catherine's rescue and Buffalo Bill's capture, he will be transferred out of the asylum to a facility that allows him a view, with privileges one week a year to visit a secluded beach and enjoy the outdoors.

He tells her that Buffalo Bill has come to believe he was transsexual, despite this self-diagnosis consistently being deemed false by doctors, causing him to be rejected for sexual reassignment surgery by multiple hospitals.

In Tennessee, Lecter toys with Senator Martin briefly, enjoying the woman's anguish, but eventually gives her some information about Buffalo Bill: his name is Billy Rubin, and he has suffered from "elephant ivory anthrax", a knifemaker's disease.

Despite the risk to her career, Starling continues her search for Buffalo Bill, deducing that he knew his first victim, Fredrica Bimmel, from everyday life.

Lecter, hiding in a St. Louis hotel room and preparing to escape to South America, writes several letters: one to Barney, an orderly at the asylum, thanking and tipping him for his courteous treatment, and one to Chilton, promising retaliation and torture.

He also predicts correctly that saving Catherine Martin may have granted Clarice some relief, but that the silence will never become eternal, heralding her motives for a continued career at the FBI.

The Silence of the Lambs became the third film in Oscar history to win the following five Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Actress.

The film is largely faithful to the novel, but omits a few details, such as the death of Crawford's wife and Clarice's relationship with Dr. Pilcher.

The series takes place three years after the events of the 1991 film adaptation of the novel, and it stars Rebecca Breeds as Clarice Starling.