Emily Watson and Ralph Fiennes were among the stars at the London gala screening of the latest Hannibal Lecter film, Red Dragon.

Watson plays the blind love interest of Fiennes' serial killer the Tooth Fairy, the latest unusual role in a left-of-centre career.

Speaking at the event at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in central London, Watson said the film was a return to the suspense of Silence of the Lambs.

Watson is starting to get mainstream leads

The 34-year-old said: "I loved the Silence of the Lambs. Hannibal was more of a gore-fest.

"This is a return to the suspense of Silence of the Lambs."

Watson admitted even she was scared when she saw sections of the film featuring her character Reba McClane.

"There is a scene where she feels safe. She doesn't know what's coming and I'm thinking 'get out of there'."

The film has set a record for an October opening in the US, taking $37.5m (�24m). But that was significantly lower than Hannibal's opening of $58m in 2001.

Fiennes, 39, accompanied by partner and fellow actor Francesca Annis, said it had taken weeks getting in shape to play serial killer Francis Dolarhyde.

Bulking up

Known in the Thomas Harris novel as the Tooth Fairy, the character is supposed to be extraordinarily musclebound.

The character also had an enormously intricate tattoo put on his back for the part.

He said: "The tattoo took seven or eight hours but it wasn't painful but I had to try and bulk up for the part.

"I was eating a lot of food, more than I'm used to eating and I was using a lot of weights.

"I didn't get that big by weightlifters' standards, but I still had to get as big as I could."

Hopkins has been happy to reprise his role

Fiennes said it had been "a relief after the horrors of Red Dragon to go to the blithe and bonny world of Jennifer Lopez", referring to his part in Maid in Manhattan.

Sir Anthony Hopkins, who did not attend the screening, says Red Dragon will probably be his last outing as Hannibal.

Harris' novel Red Dragon was previously filmed as Manhunter with Scottish actor Brian Cox as Dr Lecter, a film that developed a cult following.

The remake is a glitzier affair, also starring Edward Norton, Harvey Keitel, Mary Louise Parker and Philip Seymour Hoffman. It opens across the UK and Ireland on Friday.