Buffalo Bill’s Silence of the Lambs House for Sale

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The Fayette County, Pennsylvania house used to portray the home of serial killer Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs is for sale.
Silence of the Lambs house for sale

For $300,000 the 4-bedroom, 1-bath Victorian where Clarice Starling came face to face with the Ed Gein-inspired serial killer Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs can be yours.

Sadly, it does not seem to include a hostage in the basement. As a matter of fact, as one Cult of Weird reader mentioned, there isn’t even a pit in the basement, as that was filmed in the William Penn Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh.

The foyer and dining room of the house were used in the film. An article in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, describes a night in 1989 when owners Scott and Barbara Lloyd were eating dinner, when a movie producer knocked on their door. “They were looking for a home in which you entered the front door and had a straight line through,” Barbara said in the interview. “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.”

Silence of the Lambs house for sale in Pennsylvania
Buffalo Bill’s house as seen in Silence of the Lambs

From the real estate listing:

An outstanding home, nestled in a quaint village, this 1910 Princess Anne home is a standout Perhaps that is why it was chosen to be featured in the Silence of the Lambs movie A near perfect expression of comfort w its wraparound verandah or its prominent staircase of paneled walls of oak, this home is a statement of taste and prosperity Plentiful outdoor activities from the inground pool, oversized shop/garage, or nearby fishing, hiking and even boating Take a peek inside to see why this home is famous…

Realtor Dianne Wilk says she wouldn’t be surprised if the house was turned into a horror-themed bed and breakfast.

Alfred Packer: Legend of the First American Cannibal

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New book explores the legend of Alfred Packer, who survived the winter of 1874 by eating his companions on a doomed excursion through the Colorado mountains.
Man-eater Alfred Packer, the first American cannibal
Man-eater Alfred Packer, the first American cannibal.

True crime author Harold Schechter’s new book Man-Eater: The Life and Legend of an American Cannibal separates fact from folklore in the life of Alfred Packer.

Packer and five companions became stranded in the Colorado mountains during the harsh winter of 1874. Packer emerged alone after two months. He claimed the men had killed each other, and that he then turned to cannibalism, surviving on their flesh to escape the mountain.

When suspicions of foul play arose, Packer admitted to killing only one member of the party, because that man intended to kill and eat him first. Then Packer disappeared. He was apprehended nine years later, tried, and eventually found guilty of five counts of manslaughter. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

But no one knows if he was telling the truth or not, though recent forensic evidence seems to support his claims.

The description for Man-Eater:

In the winter of 1873, a small band of prospectors lost their way in the frozen wilderness of the Colorado Rockies. Months later, when the snow finally melted, only one of them emerged. His name was Alfred G. Packer, though he would soon become infamous throughout the country under a different name: “the Man-Eater.”

After the butchered remains of his five traveling companions were discovered in a secluded valley by the Gunnison River, Packer vanished for nine years, becoming the West’s most wanted man. What followed was a saga of evasion and retribution as the trial of the century worked to extricate fact from myth and Polly Pry, a once-famed pioneering journalist, took on the cause of Packer. Man-Eater is the definitive story of a legendary crime—a gripping tale of unspeakable suffering, the desperate struggle for survival, and the fight to uncover the truth.

Buy it: Man-Eater: The Life and Legend of an American Cannibal

Alfred Packer cannibalism memorial in Colorado
Memorial to Packer’s victims at Cannibal Plateau near Lake City, Colorado. Source: Wikipedia Commons

Granny Ripper May Have Eaten Her Victims

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Russian Granny Ripper who admitted to killing and dismembering at least 11 people may also have eaten her victims.
Russian Granny Ripper is a serial killer and a cannibal

Details are still emerging in the case of a 68-year-old Russian woman caught disposing of human remains on a security camera, and they keep getting weirder. Tamara Samsonova, who has been dubbed Grannyball Lecter by the press, was arrested recently after drugging her 79-year-old friend Valentina Ulanova and cutting her up with a hacksaw while she was still alive.

The motive?

An argument over dirty tea cups, apparently.

Samsonova was seen on camera carrying body parts and a head in a cooking pot out of her home. Ulanova’s decapitated body was later found in a nearby pond. The head still hasn’t been found, and Samsonova isn’t telling anyone where it is.

Diaries found in her home alongside books on astronomy and the occult provide details of as many as 21 possible murders in 20 years, and reveal that the Granny Ripper may have eaten parts of her victims.

Police say she really likes lungs.

Though Samsonova seemed notably confused and disoriented in court, even blaming the murders on a neighbor at one point, she claims her actions were deliberate, that she wanted to be known as a serial killer. She told the judge she has been preparing to be caught for years.

Grannyball Lecter caught on camera disposing of body parts
Grannyball Lecter caught on camera disposing of body parts.

Authorities are comparing the diary confessions with unsolved cases of body parts around St. Petersburg. They also suspect Samsonova may have killed her husband, who disappeared in 2005.

The Granny Ripper will be featured in the Horrors of St. Petersburg museum.

Dark Lanterns: 160th Anniversary of the George DeBar Tragedy

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160 years ago today the brutal events detailed in the book Dark Lanterns: An American Lynching took place in West Bend, WI.
Dark Lanterns book about murder in West Bend, WI

Today, August 7th, 2015 marks 160 years since a series of disturbing events took place here in West Bend, Wisconsin, the hometown of Cult of Weird HQ. In 1855, George DeBar was accused of murdering a teenage farmhand and attacking two adults before setting their home ablaze. But before he could stand trial, an angry mob hanged him from a nearby bridge.

Jack H. Anderson wrote Dark Lanterns: An American Lynching about the incident and the political turmoil surrounding it. The Washington County Historical Society recently published a new edition of the book, for which I had the opportunity to provide the new cover design.

Here’s the description:

“One of the most diabolical murders in the history of this State.” In early August 1855, the murder of a teenage boy and the lynching of his suspected murder put the small town of West Bend, Wisconsin in national news. What happened during seven hot August days summarizes the growing tension between European immigrants and Anglo-Americans in the United States. Many questions remain today but one looms largest over the rest, did he do it? Award-winning journalist Jack H. Anderson pieces early 19th Century southeastern Wisconsin and national political and social events together to create an astounding tale of fear, mistrust, violence, and mystery.

Dark Lanterns is available right here.

Dark Lanterns: An American Lynching by Jack H. Anderson

The historical society is also hosting a walking tour of the events on September 15th. Details for that can be found here.

Bigfoot Seen Clearly in Stabilized Patterson-Gimlin Film

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Stabilized footage from the famous 1960s Patterson-Gimlin film reveals a much clearer image of the supposed Bigfoot.
Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot film stabilized

The Patterson-Gimlin film, which appears to show a large ape-like creature stalking through the woods, has long been a source of debate. Is it proof of Bigfoot, or just a guy in a suit?

The film, shot in the 1960s, is grainy and shaky, making it difficult to see exactly what’s going on. But now a reddit user has stabilized the footage, making it much easier to see what’s going on.

Original Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot Film

Watch the stabilized footage right here.

So now that you can see it clearly, what’s your opinion? Is is Bigfoot…or a guy in a costume?