The owners of a home featured in the film "The Silence of the Lambs" have had a tough time selling the place.
But People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has a novel idea for what should be done with the property: turn it into a museum to raise awareness of animals' suffering.
In the film, the house stands in as the home of Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine), a serial killer who kidnaps people, starves them, and uses their skin to make a human suit.
Killer's House in "Silence of the Lambs" On Sale for $250,000
PETA sees some parallels in Buffalo Bill's and the ways that animals are treated in real life. So it's contacted the property's realtor with the intention of turning it into an "empathy museum," said a Wednesday news release.
The group's letter reads, in part, as follows:
“We’re always looking for ways to draw attention to the violence inherent in the production of leather, fur, and other animal skins—which involves processes that would shock all but the most hard-hearted person. Cows are branded with hot irons, have their tails and horns cut off without painkillers, and are hung upside down, skinned, and bled to death for the production of leather gloves, jackets, and boots, and rabbits, minks, foxes, and other animals killed for their fur are beaten, strangled, electrocuted, and often skinned alive for fur coats, collars, and cuffs.”
The home, which is located at 8 Circle Street in Layton, Pa., was initially listed for US$300,000.
Its price was later slashed to $250,000.
Homeowner Scott Lloyd told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that the home started "to see a little bit of motion" after its price was dropped.
"We got the message out to the curious, but not to the people who are interested in actually buying," he said.
