Assessing the property value of 'Resident Evil' Spencer Mansion

Certain homes in the horror genre are iconic, for example, the residence from The Amityville Horror, the cabin from The Evil Dead and the Spencer Mansion from the game, Resident Evil.

The Amityville home is real, the Evil Dead cabin can easily be built, but what about the zombie-infested mansion in the popular video game? Have you ever wondered what it would look like for real and what it would cost? Have no FEAR because uber-fanboy and novelty real estate blogger Randy Nelson broke it all down for us.

This may have been a fun task but, damn, he took this very seriously! Taking into account all the rooms (not including mutants and zombies) and the most important factor in real estate ... location, location, location. Nelson broke down the mansion located in the fictitious Arklay Mountains outside of Raccoon City. He also made the argument that this location was most likely in Missouri vs. Pennsylvania because it has the most features in common with Springfield, MO.

With this location identified as Springfield, MO, the Arklays would be the Ozarks. This is how Nelson got the price for the square footage. Before we give you the price, what does the house include and how big is it?

The Spencer Mansion is "known to have 28 rooms" says Nelson, "including its expansive dining room, a gallery, a room of armor, and a library, all full of traps and puzzles."

He adds, "Oddly enough, the mansion only has one bathroom, and it’s occupied … by a zombie."

By taking speculated measurements, he estimated that the square footage of the main structure (not including the underground passageways, lab or guard house) totals 10,125 square feet.

Nelson continues to get really detailed: “I found four mansions in the 10,000 square foot range in the area, ranging from $1.5 to $2.5 million. After calculating their individual price per square feet, I ended up with an average price per square foot of $173.”

With this price estimated, the total cost of the Spencer Mansion would be a mere $1,751,625. That, of course, doesn’t include move-in costs.

Not too bad -- unless you get lots of unwanted and undead visitors!

Check out other fun breakdowns over at the Novelty Real Estate section of Movoto.com.

-Larissa Mrykalo

'Amityville' doc worth a viewing

If you’re a fan of the paranormal, or even if you’re not, you’ve probably seen at least one of the films made about the infamous Amityville horror house. You have also probably heard about the controversy that surrounds the case, which includes whether the Lutz family who reported the hauntings were telling the truth.

A new documentary from IFC films, released March 15, titled My Amityville Horror allows one of the surviving residents to tell his story. Daniel Lutz was only 10-years-old when his family lived in the home in 1974 for a mere 28 days, but he has some memories that just won’t "get out." He's convinced he was a "victim of evil" and is desperate for his experiences to be believed.

According the The Huffington Post, "Lutz recalls his time at the house, which apparently included seeing hundreds upon hundreds of flies, slamming doors and other very dark occurrences."

He is also described as being very reluctant to talk about his experiences and was certain he was possessed. The movie also explores the truth versus hoax debate, and includes insights from paranormal "expert" Lorraine Warren, and a session with a psychologist.

If you’ve ever had your doubts about this controversial case, we recommend checking out the trailer embedded below. The documentary is currently in select theaters and on Cable VOD.


My Amityville Horror - Official Trailer from Eric Walter on Vimeo.