We recently connected with Chris Rowan and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Chris, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
At Buffalo Bill’s House – The Silence of the Lambs film location, our mission is to preserve and share cinematic history with cinephiles from the around the world who appreciate it as much as we do. Our unique and immersive experience doesn’t just let movie lovers walk in the footsteps of cinematic history, it encourages them to feel it for themselves courtesy of our interactive film sets inside the house. Building these sets, has been a labor of love for owner Chris Rowan, who has had a fondness for cinema since childhood.
Being enamored with film at a young age, Chris watched as many movies as he could as a child, and specifically developed an affinity for scary movies. This passion stayed with him throughout childhood and into adulthood. When Chris graduated From Marist College in 2004, with a Communications Degree in TV & Film Production, he knew he wanted to make a living in the entertainment world.
Being aesthetically inclined, Chris gravitated to the Art Department on film & tv sets, where he ultimately became an Art Director & Prop Stylist. These roles handle the visual & aesthetic needs of shoots to make all the sets look real.
Chris combined his professional career, and his personal interest in horror films in 2021, purchasing Buffalo Bill’s House with the goal to share with other fans from around the world. Buffalo Bill’s House is a Vacation Rental, operating like an AirBNB, where up to 8 guests can spend the night and rent the entire home to themselves for a private, intimate experience! Buffalo Bill’s House also offered guided tours, special events, event space rental for birthdays & weddings, and on-location filming services, to professionally shoot where the 1991 5-time Academy Award winning film “The Silence of the Lambs” was shot. Buffalo Bill’s House is located in Perryopolis, PA, about 25 miles from Pittsburgh PA and is open 365 days a year to visitors.
Chris, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Chris Rowan is a professional Art Director and Prop Stylist, with 20 years experience in the entertainment industry. He works on feature films, tv shows, commercials, photograpghy/stills shoots, music videos and any project that requires visual aesthetics.
He also has a love of horror movies, and always has since being a young child in the 1980s. With “Silence of the Lambs” (starring Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster & Ted Levine) being one of his favorite films, he chose to purchase the home where the famous film was shot, and turn it into an attraction for movie lovers from around the world. The home is owned in the film by (fictional) serial killer Buffalo Bill, who is famously confronted by Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) at the house, and entire climactic finale unfolds inside the home itself.
He wanted to do something that he had never seen before, which was created a cinematic experience, that also allowed guests to stay overnight, or take a guided tour while doing so, and paying homage and tribute to one of the most amazing stories he had ever seen on the big screen.
As a huge fan of filming locations, and seeing many first-hand in his travels, he thought owning one that allowed fans to visit, lit a creative fire in his mind to seemlessly blend his professional career and his love of horror and film.
Buffalo Bill’s House offer’s overnight stays for up to 8 guests as a Vacation Rental (like an AirBNB), guided tours, event space rental for birthdays & weddings, on-location filming services to shoot footage professionally, and special events with celebrity meet & greets.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I truly believed that movie lovers would flock to Buffalo Bill’s House once I opened it. Having a career in film with 20 years experience, and a passion for cinema (especially horror), gave me confidence I needed to open the house to the public.
One of the things I did not have any experience with, was the hospitality aspect of the business I wanted to open. Since, at it’s core, the home essentially operates like a AirBNB/hotel – I had a huge learning curve to understand the fundamentals, of what it took to successfully run a hospitality-based business.
I did a ton of research and endlessly read about how to own and operate a successful hospitality based business, picking and choosing what I deemed to be the best and most recommended aspects, and then applied them to my business to make it a comfortable and luxurious experience. It was an extremely daunting task, but I took my time with it and made everything 100 % before I opened my doors to the public. Never stop learning and always be willing to learn more!
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
For Buffalo Bill’s House, being visible on the show/convention/tradeshow circuit, definitely elevated my brand. “The Ground Game”, as I call it – Traveling from city to city on a weekly basis, setting up my booth, and meeting perspective clients face to face while enganging them and getting them interested in my business.
I constantly promote at Film & Pop Culture Conventions, Horror Conventions, Comic-Cons, Nostalgia based live events, and Punk Rock Flea Markets! I have learned over 3 years in business that “the ground game” works and yields results!
I secure overnight bookings and guided tour guests at the show themselves, and then also see a long term payoff down the road when guests book the house online. They let me know at time of checkout where they found out about Buffalo Bill’s House – so these appearances can pay off even a year down the road when people are finally ready to take their trip!
Conventions have also paid off for my business, as it has given me the ability to get my business in front well known actors and actresses who appear at these shows for meet and greets with fans.
Some of these celebrities have now visited my business, and by proxy of their appearances (and the social media promotion behind them appearing), has made my business more visible to perspective guests with similar interests.
Some of these horror celebrities who have visited Buffalo Bill’s House include:
Kane Hodder from Friday the13th, Brooke Smith from Silence of the Lambs, Doug Bradley from Hellraiser, Tom Savini (Special Effects Makeup artist), and the rock band Taproot, who shot a music video at Buffalo Bill’s House.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://buffalobillshouse.com
- Instagram: @buffalobillshouse
- Facebook: Buffalo Bill’s House
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/buffalobillshouse
- Twitter: @buffbillshouse
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@buffalobillshouse
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/buffalo-bills-house-perryopolis?osq=buffalo+bills+house
- Other: TIK TOK: @buffbillshouse
Phone Number: 1.833.BUFFBILL (1.833.283.3245)
Address: 8 Circle Street, Perryopolis, PA 15473 (25 miles from Pittsburgh)
Trip Advisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g53432-d23319621-Reviews-Buffalo_Bill_s_House-Perryopolis_Pennsylvania.html
To Learn more, book a stay or take a guided tour, please visit: buffalobillshouse.com
Image Credits
Buffalo Bill’s House