'Silence of the Lambs' house in Fayette County back on the market

A piece of horror movie history is on the market again in Fayette County.

The three-story house near Perryopolis was made famous by the Academy Award-­winning 1991 movie “The Silence of the Lambs,” in which it was used as the home of vicious serial killer Buffalo Bill.

Homeowner David Villarreal had seen the movie before he bought the house in 2016, but he rolls his eyes at its portrayal of the FBI’s inner workings.

“Only in Hollywood does an FBI trainee get assigned to work a serial killer,” he said.

Villarreal would know. He spent his career as an FBI agent.

Villarreal said it was pure coincidence that he bought a house made famous by a movie that stars Jodie Foster as a fictional FBI agent, Clarice Starling.

His interest in the property was less about its Hollywood ties and more about its location along the Youghiogheny River, he said.

“From the porch, you can watch kayakers and canoers,” he said. “It’s paradise on earth.”

He moved to the area for work in 2016, but now he is retiring and plans to move to the Caribbean, where he owns several properties.

Since he moved in, he has had frequent visits from movie buffs.

“I get lots of requests, lots of people knocking on my front door, lots of people taking photographs, and lots of people asking to take tours of the house,” he said.

The property listing has brought out even more movie fans, said Berkshike Hathaway real estate agent Eileen Allan.

“It’s been insane, so many people,” Allan said. “I didn’t realize how big a following there was for this movie.”

The home’s history has played a role in its marketing, but it also has made it tricky to distinguish serious buyers from fans who just want a look, Allan said.

When the movie was shot, the home belonged to Scott and Barbara Lloyd, who purchased it in 1976. The couple owned the house until 2016, when they sold it to Villarreal for $195,000.

Today, it is listed at $298,500.

The five-bedroom house was built in 1910. It sits on nearly 2 acres and has an in-ground pool. It does not have the dungeon where Buffalo Bill kept his victims — those scenes were shot on a sound stage.

“It’s just been maintained and preserved really well, so it still has a lot of the same character and finishes,” Allan said. “It feels like you’re going back in time whenever you walk into the house.”

Representatives at AirBNB contacted Allan to suggest turning the house into a rental property in time for the 30th anniversary of “The Silence of the Lambs” next year, but that would be up to the new owners, Allan said.