10 Mind-Blowing Facts You Never Knew About Hannibal Lecter

Clarice Starling had a profound impact upon the life of Hannibal Lecter. Barney Matthews, a worker at The Baltimore State Hospital For The Criminally Insane in charge of Lecter's care, describes their relationship "She interested him, she intrigued him, he thought she was charming and amusing. He was fond of her." It's strange to think of Lecter as able to form and maintain close relationships with others yet the link between Starling and Lecter is a strong, meaningful one.

In The Silence of the Lambs, Starling agrees to a 'quid pro quo,' an exchange of information through which she can solve the Buffalo Bill murders and so he can have the pleasure of examining the deepest recesses of her mind. In short, they develop a mutual respect for each other.

While the movie Hannibal has Lecter escaping, minus a hand, at the end, it features an interesting exchange; "Would you ever say to me 'stop? If you loved me, you'd stop.'" asks Lecter. "Not in a thousand years" replies Clarice. The romance is clearly one sided here but the ending of the book remains un-filmed and still highly controversial.

After drugging Starling over a period of months, Lecter attempts to use psychotherapy to convince her that she is in fact Mischa, Lecter's dead sister. This fails as Starling's mind is simply too strong, yet the pair escape to Buenos Aries where they are spotted by Barney, now a romantic couple.