The Silence of the Hams (1994)
"Il silenzio dei prosciutti" (original title)

The federal agent Joe Dee Foster is currently investigating a serial killer, helped by doctor Animal who is isolated in a maximum security jail.

Director:

Ezio Greggio

Writer:

Ezio Greggio

Stars:

Ezio Greggio, Dom DeLuise, Billy Zane

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ezio Greggio	...	Antonio Motel
Dom DeLuise	...	Dr. Animal Cannibal Pizza
Billy Zane	...	Jo Dee Fostar
Joanna Pacula	...	Lily Wine
Charlene Tilton	...	Jane Wine
Martin Balsam	...	Det. Martin Balsam
Stuart Pankin	...	Insp. Pete Putrid
John Astin	...	The Ranger
Phyllis Diller	...	Old Secretary
Bubba Smith	...	Olaf
Larry Storch	...	Sergeant
Rip Taylor	...	Mr. Laurel
Shelley Winters	...	Mrs. Motel (The Mother)
Nedra Volz	...	Ranger's Wife
Andre Rosey Brown	...	Motorcycle Cop (as Rosey Brown)

Storyline

A rookie FBI agent, Jo Dee Foster ('Billy Zane'), has been assigned to work on the case of the Psycho Killer, a killer who has killed over 120 people. But to find out more about the Psycho Killer, Jo is forced to meet Dr. Animal Cannibal Pizza (Dom DeLuise), a famous doctor turned cannibal who ate pizzas with human body parts. Meanwhile, Jo's girlfriend, Jane Wine (Charlene Tilton), has just stolen $400,000 in cash from her money-hungry boss, Mr. Laurel (Rip Taylor), so she and Jo can be happy, but gets lost in a really horrible storm, caused mostly by a special effects crew behind her car, and stops at the Cemetery Motel, where the owner, Antonio Motel (Ezio Greggio), is dominated by his insane mother ('Shelly Winters').

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Plot Keywords:

motel | cemetery | serial killer | fbi agent | red panties | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 March 1994 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The Silence of the Hams

Filming Locations:

Hall of Justice - 211 W. Temple Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Silvio Berlusconi Communications, Thirtieth Century Wolf

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Joe: You know, you look better in pictures.
Detective Martin Balsam: You should see me in a bikini.

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Connections

Spoofs The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)

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Soundtracks

"O SOLE MIO"
Sung by Dennis McNeil

User Reviews

Good Spoof

It is an true art form to make a good parody, an art form that Mel Brooks perfected. And even if Mel Brooks has a brief cameo, it is Ezio Greggio that is the mastermind of this one. And though he don't reach the heights of Brooks, he and the rest of the cast and crew delivers a good parody. The base for the parody is Silence of the Lambs and Psycho, but some other movies get spoofed along the way.

In a movie as this it is the jokes that is the essence of it all. One can't really talk of a coherent plot nor is the cast performance the major part. Note however that the performance is not bad, but it is more fun to try to recognize each actor/actress instead, as it is used in some jokes. Now, the joke part, I think that the major part of the jokes and spoofs was very funny. Some didn't work, and some too predictable to produce much laughter. However, all in all, the jokes were good and well worth the time spent watching the movie.

7/10