People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is hoping to turn the infamous torture house used by Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs into an “empathy museum” where visitors can wear the skins of dead and abused animals.
The house at 8 Circle Street in Layton, Pennsylvania, roughly 30 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, was placed on the market last summer for $300,000, according to the Associated Press. It’s the same house where fictional serial killer Buffalo Bill (played by Ted Levine) skinned his human victims in the 1991 Best Picture-winning film.
Earlier this month, Scott and Barbara Lloyd lowered the asking price for the house from $300,000 to $250,000, and now they’ve apparently found an interested buyer.
According to a news release, PETA has contacted the agent handling the sale and expressed interest in buying the house and converting it into an “empathy museum.”
“We’re always looking for ways to draw attention to the violence inherent in the production of leather, fur, and other animal skins,” the group wrote in a letter to the realtor.
“Turning the Silence of the Lambs house into an empathy museum for these victims would serve as a way to point out that all animals are made of flesh, blood, and bone and that just like us, they, too, experience fear and suffering and are capable of joy and love,” the group said in a statement.
NBC News notes that while the house’s foyer and dining room appeared in the film, Buffalo Bill’s infamous torture basement was shot at a separate location.
The Silence of the Lambs won five Oscars at the 1992 Academy Awards, becoming one of only three films in history to sweep all five “top” awards: Best Picture, Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins), Best Actress (Jodie Foster), Best Director (Jonathan Demme), and Best Screenplay (Ted Tally).