Last Minute Father’s Day – House Tours at Buffalo Bill’s House

GUIDED TOURS OF BUFFALO BILL’S HOUSE NOW AVAILABLE FOR FATHER’S DAY WEEKEND – DADS & GRADS

Tour the Famous Film Site of “The Silence of the Lambs” Classic

Perryopolis, PA — (June 2024) – Looking for a unique gift for the dads and grads in your life? Buffalo Bill’s House, most famously known as the site location for the cinematic climax of the five-time Academy Award winning film The Silence of the Lambs, is currently hosting its annual house tours. In addition to being able to stay overnight, you can book a guided tour for Father’s Day weekend, June 14 – 16, as well as Independence Day weekend.

During each of the exclusive tours, a small group of guests will be able to visit the home in its entirety as well as the sprawling property. Tours will be conducted by Buffalo Bill’s House owner, Chris Rowan and will be last approximately two hours in length. 

Tours are $69.00 per person and the following limited holiday weekend 2024 dates are currently available:

FATHER’S DAY WEEKEND

Friday, June 14^th                1pm – 3pm ET; 4pm – 6pm ET

Saturday, June 15^th           10am-12pm ET; 1pm – 3pm ET; 4pm-6pm ET

Sunday, June 16^th             10am-12pm ET; 1pm – 3pm ET

INDEPENDENCE DAY

Friday, July 5^th                    1pm-3pm ET; 4pm – 6pm ET

Saturday, July 6^th              10am-12pm ET; 1pm-3pm ET; 4pm-6pm ET

Sunday, July 7^th                  10am-12pm ET; 1pm-3pm ET

On the tour, guests will be able to see the entire home, as well as the two acres of private property that surround it. Visitors are asked to come prepared with comfortable walking shoes and apparel to match the weather forecast. Guests will be permitted to take pictures of their favorite on-site “Silence” filming locations, and even re-enact scenes that were shot at Buffalo Bill’s House.

One of the most popular attractions at Buffalo Bill’s House is the interactive well set, located in the basement of the house. Constructed of real granite, the well is a replica of the infamous well in the movie, and is uncannily realistic. The well features the gruesome markings from the movie, including bloody fingernail scratches along the wall.  Brave guests can physically enter the four foot deep well for gruesome photo opps. Upon entering the interactive well set, guests will be greeted by sounds of dripping water along with sound clips from the film of the victim Catherine Martin (played by Brooke Smith) screaming for her life. There is a jumpsuit and curly haired wig which guests are encouraged to wear to get into character as the famous movie hostage. Additional props include a stuffed animal “Precious,” the white bichon frise dog owned by the killer, a bucket, complete with lotion, which can be raised and lowered, as well knob & tube lighting to add to the eerie effect. To complete the chilling scene, there is also a hose for guests who want to channel Buffalo Bill’s character.

The well was built in partnership with legendary special effects make-up artist, and lifelong Pittsburgh resident, Tom Savini.  Tom’s impressive career spans back to the 1970’s, and he has worked on such seminal horror films as Dawn of the Dead, Friday the 13^th, Night of the Living Dead (1990) & From Dusk Till Dawn. Tom commissioned the Douglas Education Center, where he runs the Tom Savini Special Make-up Effects program, to create the incredible well. It was built by both faculty and students of Savini’s program.

The interactive well set complements ‘Buffalo Bill’s Workshop of Horrors,’ also located in the basement of the house, where Rowan (who is an art director and prop stylist by profession) has re-created the famous Buffalo Bill’s dance set from the film complete with vintage Singer sewing machine, disco ball, four female mannequins dressed to resemble the ones in the movie, as well as a full length mirror and Buffalo Bill style kimono for guests’ use, designed to help fans “get their tuck on” while they live out their Buffalo Bill fantasies. To truly set the mood, “Goodbye Horses,” the haunting song that plays during the famous Buffalo Bill dance scene, goes on auto play, as folks enter the basement. 

Upstairs, in the attic, Rowan has designed what he calls ‘Buffalo Bill’s Playhouse,’ a full retro-inspired game room that features a large screen TV complete with a 600+ library of select 70’s, 80’s and 90’s films on DVD and VHS to enjoy.  A self-described fan of ‘physical media,’ Rowan has also tricked out the Playhouse with a host of full-sized classic arcade video games including Asteroids, Pac Man, Super Street Fighter, Terminator 2, Galaga, NBA Jam and Crazy Taxi. More recent video game additions to the collection include Mortal Kombat, The Simpsons, Centipede and Final Fight. There is also a pool table that, when flipped over, doubles as an air hockey table.  

There’s also plenty of The Silence of the Lambs memorabilia on display throughout the home, including original artwork by fans, real taxidermy deaths-head moths, an original copy of the production blueprints of the house, a call sheet that was issued to the cast and crew, and even two production utilized pieces of wallpaper, which were screen-used in The Silence of the Lambs. 

Exclusive Buffalo Bill’s House gift souvenirs and apparel are available for purchase at the conclusion of the tour. Buffalo Bill’s House recently introduced four new merchandise items: The scented “Skin Suit Fresh” dual wick candle (burns 150 hours), a “Silence of the Jams” loose leaf black tea set complete with heart-sharped tea infuser with deaths-head moth charm, a new soap bar line – six scented bars with unique scenes from the film imbedded in the soap, and deaths-heads moth hair clips.

These new items join the popular branded items including T-Shirts, Hooded Sweatshirts, ‘Skin Suit Soft’ Body Lotion, Coffee Mugs, “Precious” the Puppy plush animals, Enamel Pins, Lip Balm, Magnets, Tote Bags, and ‘Get Your Tuck On’ Bumper Stickers. For the serious collector, there are a limited number of real taxidermy Death’s-Head Moths set in a gilded frame with a Buffalo Bill’s House backdrop.

Items that will be available can also be found in the online gift shop.  Buffalo Bill’s House accepts cash, Venmo, PayPal, and debit/credit for all merch sales.

To book a stay, call 1.833.BUFFBILL or email stay@buffalobillshouse.com. Gift certificates are available and updates on the house are available by subscribing to the  mailing list here.