15 Greatest Ending Lines In Film History
13. I'm Having An Old Friend For Dinner - The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
Has a film ever ended with a more horrifying sign-off than The Silence of the Lambs? After escaping from custody earlier in the film, Hannibal Lecter takes the time to make a call to Clarice Starling whilst stalking old foe Dr. Chilton, and bids farewell in the most chilling way possible:
“I do wish we could chat a little longer, but…I’m having an old friend for dinner. Bye.”
The brilliance of this scene - and the entire film, for that matter - is that whilst Lecter is undeniably dangerous, he spends much of his screen time confined to a tight cell unable to do harm, and the main antagonist in the FBI's path is actually the terrifying Buffalo Bill.
The film's final line, then, is also its finest twist, bringing Lecter out of the shadows and letting him loose on the world. Just as Clarice Starling has vanquished one enemy, another has taken his place, and the implication is that this time he's more dangerous than ever.