It’s genuinely shocking that Tom Savini didn’t work on “The Silence of the Lambs.” One would think the Oscar-winning 1991 horror-thriller that was largely shot in Western Pennsylvania was begging for the renowned Pittsburgh-based makeup artist’s involvement.
Savini was, in fact, approached to design what he described to the Post-Gazette as “the kind of Mothman effect” of the hanging guard following Hannibal Lecter’s (Anthony Hopkins) prison escape. But alas, he was preparing to direct the 1990 remake of his good friend George Romero’s 1968 zombie classic “Night of the Living Dead” at the time and thus wasn’t able to participate in “The Silence of the Lambs.”
“It’s only one of many projects that were almost done by me that went somewhere else,” Savini said in the matter-of-fact manner of someone who doesn’t need a film like that on his resume to solidify his status as a Hollywood horror legend.
Recently, Savini inserted himself into the “Silence”-verse by forging a relationship with Buffalo Bill’s House, the Perryopolis getaway that pays homage to its history as the site of Clarice Starling’s (Jodie Foster) climactic showdown with serial killer Jame “Buffalo Bill” Gumb (Ted Levine). Anyone who visits that spot will find a replica of Buffalo Bill’s iconic well built by folks with Tom Savini’s Special Make-Up Effects Program in Monessen.
Buffalo Bill’s House opened in September 2021 and has since become yet another Western Pennsylvania destination for horror fans. Its summer tour season kicks off Friday for Mother’s Day weekend and also includes opportunities to check out the whole property from June 14-16 and July 5-7. Tours can be booked via buffalobillshouse.com.
Buffalo Bill’s House owner Chris Rowan first connected with Savini at 2021’s Living Dead Weekend. Last year, Savini appeared in a Buffalo Bill’s House promotional video in which he praised how hard Jerry Gergely, the Savini school’s lead instructor, and his team worked to re-create the well in which poor Catherine Martin (Brooke Smith) narrowly escaped becoming part of Gumb’s skin suit.
There’s a part of that video in which Savini falls into a well that he thought was made of soft foam. He surprised everyone that day — including himself — when he landed on the well’s brick floor. Savini still managed to complete the shoot, don a kimono and perform Jame Gumb’s famous “Silence of the Lambs” dance in the house’s “Workshop of Horrors.”
“It’s in a creepy place,” he said of the well space in the house’s former coal cellar. “The lighting is weird. ... I thought it was great the school got involved in something that famous and prominent.”
These days, Savini is still living in Bloomfield and working on everything from masks for WWE wrestlers to what will be his third video game based on a relatively well-known movie. He has also recently gotten back into painting, and his Instagram followers sure seem to enjoy his efforts.
Keep an eye out for “Two Legends and an Idiot,” a podcast that Savini hopes to launch in the near future. His fellow legend will be Marty Schiff, a Pittsburgh native who began his long acting career in Romero films like 1981’s “Knightriders” and 1982’s “Creepshow.” The (affectionately dubbed) “idiot” will be Bryon Shane, the owner of Rust Belt Relix who agreed to let them record out of his Bloomfield antique store.
The Savini school at Monessen’s Douglas Education Center is now almost 25 years old. Savini doesn’t think computer-generated images are replacing practical effects, as evidenced by all the students that still “come from all over the world” to attend a learning institution whose namesake did the makeup effects for seminal horror films like 1978’s “Dawn of the Dead” and 1980’s “Friday the 13th.”
Savini grew up idolizing accomplished Hollywood effects artists like Lon Chaney, Jack Pierce and Rick Baker. Now, he gets to attend conventions where fans treat him with that same level of admiration and enthusiasm.
“I think sometimes about, ‘Yeah, this is what I wanted as a kid!’” Savini said. “I wanted to do work and have it appreciated by fans, like I appreciated the work of [Chaney, Pierce and Baker]. It feels rewarding and inspirational.”
That pretty much sums up how Rowan feels about having a Savini school original at Buffalo Bill’s House.
“As a lifelong fan of cinema, I can't think of a better team to create movie magic for our film enthusiast guests who stay overnight or take a guided tour,” Rowan told the Post-Gazette. “The well is an absolute showcase piece of Buffalo Bill's House, and we are thrilled to share it with cinephiles from around the globe!”
For Savini, Rowan has turned Buffalo Bill’s House into a “fabulous environment” for horror fans that “I wish more people knew about.”
“If you’re a movie fan and you love that movie, going in [Buffalo Bill’s House] is the closest you get to being in the movie,” he said. “There’s the drawer with all the cards, the cellar, the sewing room, and now there’s the well. It’s a complete experience.”
Joshua Axelrod: jaxelrod@post-gazette.com and X @jaxelburgh.
First Published: May 8, 2024, 9:30 a.m.
Updated: May 9, 2024, 12:48 p.m.
