The Silence of the Hams
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Ezio Greggio
Written by	Ezio Greggio
Produced by	Julie Corman Ezio Greggio
Starring	Ezio Greggio Dom DeLuise Billy Zane Joanna Pacuła Charlene Tilton Martin Balsam
Narrated by	Ezio Greggio
Cinematography	Jacques Haitkin
Edited by	Robert Barrere Andy Horvitch
Music by	Parmer Fuller
Production companies	Silvio Berlusconi Productions 30th Century Wolf
Distributed by	October Films
Release date	11 March 1994 (1994-03-11)
Running time	81 minutes[1]
Countries	Italy United States
Language	English
Budget	$3 million

The Silence of the Hams (Italian:Il Silenzio dei Prosciutti) is a 1994comedy thriller film written by, directed by, and starring Italian comedianEzio Greggio. It is aparody of many popular thriller andhorror films, notablyThe Silence of the Lambs andPsycho. Along with Greggio, it features anensemble cast ofDom DeLuise,Billy Zane,Joanna Pacuła,Charlene Tilton andMartin Balsam.

Like many of its contemporary satires (includingThe Naked Gun), it is largely driven by wordplay, sight gags, running jokes,^[2] and references to popular culture of the time (such asMichael Jackson's Thriller) and tongue-in-cheek references to then-current American politics (such as a fight scene between PresidentsGeorge H. W. Bush andBill Clinton).Mel Brooks, who made a number of well regarded parodies (Blazing Saddles,Young Frankenstein,Spaceballs), makes a cameo appearance.

The film follows rookiedetective Jo Dee Fostar on his first case: apprehending aserial killer wanted for over 120 murders. To find the killer, Fostar enlists the help of convicted murderer Dr. Animal Cannibal Pizza. During the investigation, Fostar's girlfriend, Jane Wine is asked by her boss to take a large sum of money to the bank; instead, she leaves town with the money. She decides to hide out at the Cemetery Motel, which is revealed to be acemetery named Motel after its owner, Antonio Motel. Jo must then enlist the help of Det. Balsam and Dr. Pizza to find not only the murderer, but his missing girlfriend. This takes the cast on many adventures at the Cemetery Motel. In the final confrontation, most of the characters are revealed to be other people in disguise.

• Ezio Greggio as Antonio Motel
• Dom DeLuise as Dr. Animal Cannibal Pizza
• Billy Zane as Jo Dee Fostar
• Joanna Pacuła as Lily Wine
• Charlene Tilton as Jane Wine
• Martin Balsam as Detective Martin Balsam
• Stuart Pankin as Inspector Pete Putrid
• John Astin as The Ranger
• Raymond Serra as Agent Prostitute #1
• Tony Cox as Jail Guard
• Mel Brooks as Checkout Guest (uncredited)
• Phyllis Diller as Old Secretary
• Shelley Winters as Mrs. Motel (The Mother)
• Bubba Smith as Olaf
• Larry Storch as Sergeant
• Rip Taylor as Mr. Laurel
• John Carpenter as Trench Coat Man
• Eddie Deezen as Cameraman
• John Roarke asGeorge H.W. Bush
• Pat Rick asBill Clinton

The Silence of the Hams has widely received negative reviews from critics and has a 0% approval rating on review aggregateRotten Tomatoes based on eight reviews.^[3]

Time Out London called it a "wholly redundant exercise",^[4] whileEmpire criticised it for "a script staggeringly bereft of humour or invention, and a clumsy, amateurish direction that seems largely concerned with focusing on Charlene Tilton's breasts".^[2]

• The Silence of the Hams atIMDb
• The Silence of the Hams atRotten Tomatoes

• 1994 films
• 1990s parody films
• 1994 independent films
• American independent films
• American parody films
• American satirical films
• Italian comedy films
• Italian parody films
• Italian satirical films
• English-language Italian films
• Films directed by Ezio Greggio
• Films set in the United States
• Films produced by Julie Corman
• Cultural depictions of George H. W. Bush
• Cultural depictions of Bill Clinton
• Parodies of horror
• Hannibal Lecter (franchise)
• 1994 comedy films
• 1990s English-language films
• 1990s American films
• English-language independent films

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