Anthony Hopkins Scared the Fava Beans Out of Fans Watching Silence of the Lambs

The Silence of the Lambs was one of the most frightening movies ever made, but it wasn’t the serial killer Buffalo Bill who the FBI was hunting over the course of the movie that was the scariest part of the film. That honor went to the intense, creepy fava-bean-and-chianti loving Hannibal Lecter, played notoriously by Sir Anthony Hopkins.

Hopkins is currently starring in the latest addition to the Transformers franchise and stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday to discuss the film where he stars opposite Mark Wahlberg and a whole bunch of CGI robot cars. One of the perks of being a movie star is always getting to see the movie for free, either at screenings or at home, so Jimmy Kimmel asked him the last time he had paid to go see a movie. Turns out the last movie he remembers paying to see in the theater was a screening of Silence of the Lambs, which, of course, scared the pants off of everyone in the theater, especially because a black-out happened to roll through in the middle of the film.

“The lights went out. There was a big storm and someone in front of me said, ‘It’s a blackout. I think Hannibal Lecter must be in the theater,’” said Hopkins, laughing. “She turned around and said, ‘oh my God, he is.’” Hopkins didn’t sound particularly apologetic about possibly costing that woman years of her life for having Hannibal Lecter himself sneak up behind her.

Watch below.