Silence of the Lambs fans looking for a little more basement space might want to consider 8 Circle Street in Perryopolis, Pennsylvania — the real home of Buffalo Bill in the film.
For less than $300,000, you can purchase the four-bedroom, one bathroom property where one Buffalo Bill, aka Jame Gumb (Ted Levine), greeted Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) to discuss the case of a missing you woman named Fredericka Bimmel, notoriously asking Clarice:
“Oh wait. Was she a great big fat person?”
That was one of many giveaways that something about Gumb was… off. Clarice’s impromptu tour of the house — which involved being stalked via infrared glasses and discovering another missing woman and a small dog named Precious in a hole in basement — confirmed her suspicions.
Also Read: 11 Silence of the Lambs Details You Probably Missed
But the actual house, as a recent video tour reveals, is absolutely lovely.
Okay, yes: It does have an unsettling cold storage room in the basement, scene of the movie’s climactic shootout. Maybe don’t go down there too often.
But, at least in the tour, the home, built in 1910, it appears to be completely empty of serial killers, death’s head moths and skin suits.
Also, if we can be serious for a moment, the current owners have kept the house in far better condition than Buffalo Bill did. Original details have been restored, the hardwood flooring is gorgeous, and the kitchen where Bill asked his impertinent question about Bimmel now features what appears to be a brand-new island with lovely countertops. It looks pristine. And four bedrooms will give you plenty of places to store your lotion, or baskets, or lotion in baskets.
You can decorate it, or not, as Ted Tally describes it in the Silence of the Lambs screenplay: “Overstuffed furniture, porcelain figurines. One archway onto the front hall, another onto a dining alcove, and through there, the kitchen.”
Also, and we cannot stress this enough: There is no hole in the basement to speak of.
Your purchase of the Buffalo Bill house from Silence of the Lambs may or may not include friendly drop-ins.
You’ll also be within about an hour’s drive from Pittsburgh, a wonderful movie town that has also doubled for Gotham in The Dark Knight Rises, and in the middle of a state that is, at the time of this writing, potentially the deciding one in an especially historic presidential election.
Also: Who doesn’t want to live in a house that features the most crucial scene in what I’d respectfully contend is the greatest movie of all time? (But don’t take my word for it: Silence of the Lambs is one of only three films, along with It Happened One Night and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, to win all give major Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay. And it’s the most recent of the three films.)
In their video tour, realtor sisters Eileen Allan and Shannon Assad understandably lean into the Silence of the Lambs connection, and have fun with the house’s entirely fictional bad reputation. Aerial shots show that it’s part of a beautiful neighborhood, with plenty of backyard space, and plenty of trees nearby.
Here’s the video tour of the Silence of the Lambs house:
Realtor.com says the Buffalo Bill house occupies a generous 1.75 acre lot and is on sale for $298,500. It could be a great opportunity for someone able to work from home — someone who sews, for example.
Pittsburgh station KDKA said Buffalo Bill’s Silence of the Lambs house previously sold in 2016, when PETA expressed interest in turning it into a museum “where visitors would be allowed to wear the skins of abused animals.” It’s great that PETA understands that Silence of the Lambs is, at its core, about empathy — not freakish murderers.
Silence of the Lambs, the greatest movie ever, is now streaming on Netflix. Above: Ted Levine as James Gumb, aka Buffalo Bill, answers the door of the Silence of the Lambs house that could soon be yours. This story was initially published on Oct. 31 and has been updated with new details.
Share:
