Not everyone would want to live in a house that was home to a psychotic serial killer, but if that serial killer was the antagonist of our favorite murder mystery flick, then by all means, we’re moving in!
Recently, Buffalo Bill’s home in The Silence of the Lambs sold for $195,000 after being on the market since last summer. Originally, the home was listed for $300,000, and we’re not sure why the price dropped, but maybe people were a bit hesitant to live in a place with a sordid fictional past.
Though the home is in a quiet suburb about 30 miles outside of Pittsburgh, it was anything but quiet in The Silence of the Lambs. In the Oscar-winning film, the serial killer and former resident would bring his victims back to the three-story home to torture and skin them. The Victorian-style home is 106 years old, which means its also probably haunted (okay, not really, but you never know).
In January, the price of the home dropped to $250,000 and animal rights group PETA was a potential buyer. According to Pittsburgh’s Action News 4, the organization wanted to convert the home into an animal rights-centered museum, playing off the fact that Buffalo Bill skinned his victims. In a press release the company said they were “interested in the possibility of converting the home into an empathy museum for animals abused and killed so that others may wear their skins.” The museum would serve as a reminder that “all animals are made of flesh, blood and bone, and just like us, they, too, experience fear and suffering and are capable of joy and love.”
PETA’s museum idea was squashed, but the house sold to a private seller last week. According to realtor Dianne Wilk, the buyer was specifically interested in the home because of the film, but she did not give his name since he “likes to keep a low profile.” Does anyone else find that kind of suspicious? Buffalo Bill…is that you?
You can check out the house below. Let’s take a tour.
The house is in need of some minor updates, unless you like that creepy, old, Victorian vibe.
Something about the wallpaper and rich wood accents just really sets the mood.
Here’s the kitchen. Knives not included (or are they?).
This is the study where you can brush up on how to get away with murder. Note the fancy flat screen computer.
This is the bedroom where you can sleep and probably be haunted by the ghosts of fictional murdered people.
Here’s the attic which just looks kind of ominous because it’s an attic.
The back of the house is quiet lovely though.
Seriously, what’s with all the intricate wall paper?
Apparently, there’s no funny business when it comes to why the home was on sale. The sellers, who owned the house since 1976, simply wanted to downsize and retired to a ranch-style home they built a few miles away.
