IT RUBS THE LOTION
Now, "Buffalo Bill" or Jame Gumb, on the other hand is truly disturbing. When I first saw him I immediately saw the connection to real life. He lures his victims on the premise of being injured, much like the serial killer Ted Bundy. His goal is to collect and skin large women to make a woman suit. Real life serial killer Ed Gein made trophies from the skin and bones of corpses he dug up. Vaguely similar to Gary Heidnik, he also keeps his victims in a pit, deep in the ground. "Bill" forces his victims to moisturize their skin to keep it supple. Sick, right? I believe the character of "Buffalo Bill" suffered from many psychological issues and this is what makes his character so frightening. He hates his appearance and is making the woman suit to change that.
Probably one of the most highly unnerving scenes in the entire movie is what is now referred to as the "Jame Gumb Dance." This scene I didn't fully watch till many years after I originally saw the film, because of the nudity. "Buffalo Bill", dresses up in makeup, a wig from skin and real women's hair, and dances in front of a video camera. The scene left a mark so deep that it has been recreated and parodied over the years. Whether people find it humorous, or just creepy, needless to say it has stayed with us, and me.
Ted Levine, I will have to say, had to be extremely mentally strong to play a role like, "Buffalo Bill." The cruelty and brutality that he had to exude was something that I would never want to even try. He truly makes the character of "Buffalo Bill" disconcerting and I am very glad that, in this case, he is just fiction.