9 Ordinary Houses With Very Disturbing Backstories Only Die-Hard Horror Fans Would Buy

1. Jame “Buffalo Bill” Gumb’s Home

You should recognize this quaint Victorian five-bedroom on 8 Circle Street from the climax of Jonathan Demme’s Silence of the Lambs. Yes, it’s the site where Buffalo Bill lotioned and skinned his lady victims, as well as nurtured hundreds of massive moths. Located in a sleepy village just outside Pittsburgh, the horror movie house boasts more than just lore—it has the essentials of the American dream: a pool with a pool house, a wraparound porch. So why isn’t it selling? Perhaps it’s the rumored dungeon pit in the basement.

2. Jeffrey Dahmer’s Childhood Home

Jeffrey Dahmer, the serial killer, sex offender, and savage cannibal who terrorized the Midwest, had to grow up somewhere. He did so at this ranch-style rambler tucked away in the woods outside Akron, Ohio. The unassuming abode was home to numerous boyhood memories, including the most disturbing of all: Dahmer’s first kill. In 1978, an 18-year-old Dahmer murdered Steven Hicks with a barbell and discarded his remains in the backyard. Make you own memories this summer, as the house is available to rent. Pets and smoking are OK.

3. Nicole Brown Simpson’s Brentwood Condo

With Ryan Murphy’s O.J. miniseries and ESPN’s expansive documentary, Brentwood residents are bombarded once again with looky-loos attempting to glimpse the site where Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were murdered. The exterior of the posh condo, located in the heart of an affluent L.A. neighborhood, was fully remodeled, and looks nothing like it did in 1994. Futhermore, if you’re looking for 875 South Bundy Drive on your tour de horror, you won’t find it; owners changed the street address in hopes of selling the property.

4. The Amityville Horror House

In 1974, a troubled youth named Ronald “Butch” DeFeo Jr. held a shotgun to his father’s head and pulled the trigger. But the weapon malfunctioned. Months later, he grabbed a Marlin rifle, crept into his parents’ room, then finished the job—and then some. By sunrise, his parents and four younger siblings were dead in their beds. A year later, the Lutz family moved in, and the rest, as they say, is paranormal and cinematic history. All this dark history could be yours if you have the financial means. The infamous Ocean Avenue Dutch Colonial is on the market for $850,000.

5. The Los Feliz Murder House

No one has occupied the Spanish Colonial space at 2475 Glendower Place since 1959, when a cardiologist tried to murder multiple members of his family. Dr. Harold Perelson beat his sleeping wife to death with a hammer, then severely assaulted his teenage daughter (who survived the attack). When the teenager’s screaming awoke Perelson’s two younger daughters, Perelson instructed the girls to go back to sleep and told them that it was all a nightmare. The doctor then committed suicide by swallowing a handful of pills. Though the house found ownership, it sat dormant. Today, however, it’s up for grabs. Submit your offer quick, though, before Hollywood sets up a lot: Perelson’s sordid deed has already been optioned for film rights.

6. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre House

So hungry you could eat your own leg? Head south to dine in the very place where one cinematic cannibal clan became pop culture icons. It’s called the Grand Central Café now, but its history is rooted in Tobe Hooper’s 1974 horror classic, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Originally located just outside of Round Rock, Texas, the Victorian-style Queen Anne cottage was purchased and dismantled in 1998. The structure was then moved to Kingsland, Texas, and refurbished as a quaint roadside food house.

7. The Lemp Mansion

The Lemp family, of Lemp Brewing Co. fame, couldn’t escape tragedy. Three years after the death of William Lemp’s son in 1901, the patriarch shot himself in his bedroom. Three other family members went on to take their own lives within the mansion’s walls over the years. Lore has it their ghosts remain wandering the halls. Today, the home is a restaurant and inn—and known as one of St. Louis’s biggest paranormal hot spots. Care for a stop?

8. The Beachcomber Home of Tragedy

Houston has its charms: tall trees, Southern hospitality, unassuming Spanish-style properties housing grisly pasts. For proof, look no further than the corner of Beachcomber Lane and Sea Lark Road on a quiet block in the Bayou City. It was in this home that a woman diagnosed with postpartum psychosis killed her five children, ranging from 6 months to 7 years old. Her name? Andrea Yates. Her method? Drowning them one by one in the bathtub. Today, the home is occupied, in case you were wondering.

9. The Ramsey House

Not even an oversize Tudor with natural light, a basketball court, and a wet bar can camouflage this home’s ugly past. JonBenet Ramsey, a pint-sized beauty queen, was brutally murdered here over Christmas 1996. The 6-year-old’s body was found the following afternoon with a ransom note. Ramsey’s murder remains a mystery, as does ownership of the house, as it hops on and off the market with regularity.