Buffalo Bill’s ‘Silence of the Lambs’ House For Sale
The primary villain in 1991 thriller The Silence of the Lambs is Jame “Buffalo Bill” Gumb (Ted Levine), a deranged serial killer who skins his female victims in hopes of creating a “woman suit.” Now the fictional murderer’s house – a four-bedroom, one-bathroom Victorian set on a 1.76-acre lot in Fayette County, Pennsylvania – has hit the market with an asking price of $300,000, the Wall Street Journal reports.
In the acclaimed film, Buffalo Bill is eventually brought down by the FBI’s Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), with an assist from imprisoned killer Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins). Silence of the Lambs won six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director (Jonathan Demme), Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ted Talley).
Buffalo Bill’s house remains one of film’s most horrifying interiors, featuring a basement well where the character starves his victims. In the Realtor.com listing, the real-life homeowners emphasize the movie connection while also distancing themselves from the cinematic killings – calling the property a “statement of taste and prosperity” and a “near-perfect expression of comfort.” The 1910 Princess Anne home also features a pool, four-car garage, wraparound veranda and “prominent staircase of paneled walls of oak.”
In an interview with the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, homeowners Scott and Barbara Lloyd explain that the foyer and dining room were utilized during the 1990 Lambs shoot, which involved six weeks of prep and three days of filming. “They were looking for a home in which you entered the front door and had a straight line through,” Barbara Lloyd told the publication. “They wanted it to look like a spider web, with Buffalo Bill drawing Jodie Foster into the foyer, into the kitchen, then into the basement.”
Buffalo Bill’s basement was filmed on a sound stage – theirs does not include a dungeon. Realtor Dianne Wilk said she could imagine the house being used as a “horror-themed bed and breakfast.”