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Serial Killer's House Featured In 'Silence of the Lambs,' Complete With Unfinished Basement, Sells To New Owner
The house featured in the film, in which Jodie Foster's Clarice Starling discovers serial killer Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb, played by Ted Levine, has sold to a new owner.
The Pennsylvania house used in the Oscar-winning film “The Silence of the Lambs,” in which fictional serial killer Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb is portrayed holding his victim captive, sold to a new owner last week.
“The Silence of the Lambs” is the iconic 1991 film that first widely introduced the world to budding FBI agent Clarice Starling as she hunted the fledgling serial killer dubbed "Buffalo Bill." One of the most striking sets in the film was the killer's home, which is seen in both exterior and interior shots. In the hit movie, the home was filled with moths and featured terrifying scenes in a creepy basement with a well where "Buffalo Bill" kept his victims before killing and then skinning them.
The house where many of these scenes were shot, located in Perryopolis, Pennsylvania, sold for $290,000 on Thursday, according to its Zillow listing. The 2,334 square foot, four-bedroom house became quite popular as a result of the classic thriller's success.
“When we met with the owner a few months ago, we told him our goal was to have the story of the sale of the famous movie home go viral in order to gain maximum exposure....and it worked!” Realtor Eileen Allen explained in an Instagram post, adding that the house was featured in numerous media outlets.
She wrote that within two weeks of the house going up for sale, she and her realtor sister received six offers. She specified that several offers “were from out of state movie fans.”
It’s easy to see why. The house still contains many of the features that were included in the 1991 movie, from wood trimmings to the vintage wallpaper. Photos used to advertise the home feature posters of the movie — which won Oscars in all the top five categories and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2011.
The 110-year-old home also comes complete with the unfinished basement featured in the movie, according to the video by the listing brokers.
However, there is no torture well in the home. But, could there be?
“We are sooooooo excited for what the buyers have planned for the home and we can’t wait to share the details with you later this week!!” Allan wrote on her Instagram, teasing that movie fans are going to love it.
“The Silence of the Lambs” fans have something else to look forward to as well. “Clarice,” a new CBS series that follows the intense adventures of Starling immediately following her meeting with "Buffalo Bill," debuts on Feb. 11.
Meanwhile, fans can watch "Monster Preacher" to learn more about self-proclaimed pastor Gary Heidnik, who kidnapped, tortured, and raped six women in Philadelphia. The case has been cited as part of the inspiration for "The Silence of the Lambs."
