To date, the infamous (and thankfully fictional) serial killer Hannibal Lecter has appeared in five feature films and one major TV series.
The first time Lecter appeared on film, however, was in director Michael Mann's tense, moody thriller "Manhunter," which shot in the Wilmington area in late 1985 and was released into theaters on Aug. 15, 1986.
For the film's 40th anniversary, Studio Canal released a gorgeous new 4K-restored director's cut into select theaters on July 24.
Despite being one of the better-reviewed movies ever made in Wilmington — it's got a 94% "fresh" rating on review aggregation site RottenTomatoes.com — "Manhunter" was a box office flop, recouping just $2.4 million of its $14 million budget.
In fact, the movie's poor showing
led Wilmington-based producer Dino De Laurentiis to make one of the bigger gaffes in a career filled with ups and downs.
"Manhunter" was based on the novel "Red Dragon" by Thomas Harris, but De Laurentiis is said to have passed on the rights to another Harris novel featuring Hannibal Lecter. Its title? "Silence of the Lambs." (De Laurentiis did manage to get the rights for the the movie that became 2001's "Hannibal," also starring Anthony Hopkins as the serial killer.)
"Manhunter" stars William Petersen as traumatized FBI agent Will Graham, who had caught Lecter prior to the action of the film but still bears physical and psychic scars, in part from having to inhabit Lecter's icky brain. ("Manhunter" is credited as being one of the first serial killer movies in which a detective tries to "think like" a deranged killer.)
Irish/Scottish actor Brian Cox plays Lecter — spelled "Lecktor" here — and he's terrifically creepy, as is Tom Noonan as Francis Dolarhyde, aka The Tooth Fairy, the new killer Graham is trying to catch.
A top cast includes Oscar-nominated actress Joan Allen as one of Dolarhyde's potential victims, and Dennis Farina ("Get Shorty") as Graham's boss. ("Manhunter" would be remade as 2002 film "Red Dragon.")
In terms of Wilmington locations for "Manhunter," a temporary "beach house" was built on Masonboro Island for scenes set in Florida, where Petersen's character lives with his wife and son.
The old New Hanover Memorial Hospital is used for one interior scene, and a safe house where Petersen's wife and son are sent looks to be in some local woods.
A scene set in a grocery store appears to have been shot on Oleander Drive, as the old Wilmington Krispy Kreme location and the since torn-down Sears wing of Independence Mall can be seen through the windows in the background.
Other scenes are shot on dilapidated docks on the shores of the Cape Fear River, and many interiors were shot on sets at DEG Studios in Wilmington, now known as CineSpace.
Much of the movie was shot in Atlanta, including at the High Museum of Art, with some urban scenes shot along Decatur Street. "Manhunter" was a country-hopping production, with scenes also shot in Washington, D.C., and at St. Louis Lambert International Airport.
"Manhunter" is super-creepy and suspenseful while bearing Mann's distinctive metallic/neon color palate and use of spooky, synth-laden music.
In fact, for all of its darkness, "Mindhunter" is a totally '80s thriller in some ways, with feathery hair and sleek, colorful costumes that sometimes recall a famous TV show for which Mann served as executive producer: "Miami Vice," which Mann would later make into a 2006 movie.
John Staton is the arts and culture reporter for the StarNews. You can reach him at jstaton@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington introduced a major movie character years before the 'Lambs'
