History Film / LaCiteDeLaPeur

The plot is as follows : Odile Deray, a publicist, has trouble promoting an [[StylisticSuck atrociously bad horror movie,]] ''[[RedScare Red Is Dead]]'', about a Communist-themed serial killer. But just as the [[UsefulNotes/PalmeDOr Cannes Film Festival]] starts, the projectionists of the movie get killed one by one by what seems to be a copycat of the movie's killer. Jumping on the occasion, she decides to use this unwanted publicity for building up the hype around the movie. As such, she gets the main actor of the movie, Simon Jérémi, to come to the festival, and hires a bodyguard, Serge Karamazov, to look after the two of them. Meanwhile, detective Patrick Biallès tries to resolve the murders, and additionally starts a relationship with Odile. [[HilarityEnsues Cue completely surreal scenes and parodies for 90 minutes]].

* HandsomeLech: Serge claims to have had sex with every single person he had to protect. Including Prince Charles.

* WeaponOfChoice: The killer's hammer and sickle.

''La Cité de la peur'' (''"The City of Fear"'') is a 1994 movie written by and starring the French comedy group ''Les Nuls'' (Creator/AlainChabat, Chantal Lauby and Dominique Farrugia) and directed by Alain Berberian. Heavily inspired in tone by the [[Creator/ZuckerAbrahamsAndZucker ZAZ]] movies, it is considered to be one of the few examples of a successful attempt to transpose a television comedy group to the big screen.

* DirtyCommunists: Yuri, the killer from ''Red Is Dead''.

* MeanwhileScene: Parodied. While Karamazov is chasing the killer, the camera cuts to a completely random and unrelated scene set in Vera Cruz, Mexico, with a vocal message "Meanwhile, in Vera Cruz." Then the film cuts back to the chase.

* PottyEmergency: Karamazov has one at the worst moment, that is, while chasing the killer through the streets of Cannes.

* WellThisIsNotThatTrope: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Drj9uNHgfs The Trailer]] contains a subversion of the typical movie comparisons schtick:

The plot is as follows : Odile Deray, a publicist, has trouble promoting an [[StylisticSuck atrociously bad horror movie,]] ''[[RedScare Red is Dead]]'', about a Communist-themed serial killer. But just as the [[UsefulNotes/PalmeDOr Cannes Film Festival]] starts, the projectionists of the movie get killed one by one by what seems to be a copycat of the movie's killer. Jumping on the occasion, she decides to use this unwanted publicity for building up the hype around the movie. As such, she gets the main actor of the movie, Simon Jérémi, to come to the festival, and hires a bodyguard, Serge Karamazov, to look after the two of them. Meanwhile, detective Patrick Biallès tries to resolve the murders, and additionally starts a relationship with Odile. [[HilarityEnsues Cue completely surreal scenes and parodies for 90 minutes]].

!!Contains examples of :

-->'''Serge''': ''(after watching all the luminous neons and signposts with the mention 'Odile Deray' directed at Odile)'' Are you Odile Deray ?
-->'''Odile''': No, I'm the Pope and I'm waiting for my sister.

-->'''Simon''': Die, communist scum !
* CatScare: The banana. To elaborate:[[spoiler: at some point Emile is told he could be shot by an isolated sniper, but "that would be really unlucky". A few seconds later, a passerby reaches for something in his vest while looking at him... and produces a banana]].
* CreditsGag: The movie credits Bruce Wayne as Franchise/{{Batman}}, Tullavu as Kim Onku ("Have you seen it ? What ? My ass !"), {{ComicBook/Gaston Lagaffe}} as the gaffer, or Çaenfait played by Dumondehein ("there are a lot of people, aren't there ?"). There's also a line about the number of sugar lumps put by one of the actresses in her teacup and how people should watch the movie again just to count them.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: [[spoiler: Simon: "Did I mention I'm a projectionist?" Incidentally, he's the first projectionist to survive the murderer.]]
* DirtyCommunists: Yuri, the killer from ''Red is Dead''.

--> '''Serge''': I'm Serge Karamazov. Not related, I'm an only child.

-->'''Biallès''': Do you want a whiskey ?
-->'''Odile''': Just a finger. (IOW: just a little bit)
-->'''Biallès''': Are you sure you don't want a whiskey first ?

--> '''Serge''': Get out of the way! You stupid mimes!
* {{Foreshadowing}}: "Hey, look ! The killer has cut his finger !"

-->'''Serge''': I think we're dealing with a ''serial killer''. (American accent, ScareChord)
-->'''Odile''': A what ?
-->'''Serge''': A ''serial killer''. (same accent, same scare chord)
-->'''Odile''': A what ?
-->'''Serge''': *sighs* A sérial killeur (drops the accent)
-->'''Odile''': Aaaaaah, a ''serial killer''. (American accent, scare chord)

* IndecisiveParody: A borderline example: the movie starts with the end of ''Red is Dead'', [[ShowWithinAShow the horror movie Odile is supposed to advertise]]. It is supposed to be extremely bad, but it is already filled with the kind of jokes we'll find all throughout the rest of the movie, so the viewers don't really know if they're watching a bad horror movie, a parody of bad horror movies, or a bad parody of bad horror movies. [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools Doesn't stop the segment from being funny as hell, though]].
* ItsAlwaysMardiGrasInNewOrleans: The film is set in Cannes, and of course happens during the city's Film Festival. It was actually filmed in July, whereas the festival traditionally occurs in May, so the festival's ambience had to be recreated.
* MeanwhileScene: Parodied. While Karamazov is chasing the killer, the camera cuts to a completely random and unrelated scene set in Vera Cruz, Mexico, with a vocal message "Meanwhile, in Vera Cruz". Then the film cuts back to the chase.

* ShoutOut: To ''Film/TheTerminator'' ("Sarah Connor ?" "It's next door"), ''Film/BasicInstinct'', and to several advertising campaigns of the time.
* ShowWithinAShow: The ''Red is Dead'' movie.

''La Cité de la peur'' (''"The City of Fear"'') is a 1994 movie written by and starring the French comedy group ''Les Nuls'' (Creator/AlainChabat, Chantal Lauby and Dominique Farrugia) and directed by Alain Berberian. Heavily inspired in tone by the ZAZ movies, it is considered to be one of the few examples of a successful attempt to transpose a television comedy group to the big screen.

The plot is as follows : Odile Deray, a publicist, has trouble promoting an [[StylisticSuck atrociously bad horror movie,]] ''[[RedScare Red is Dead]]'', about a Communist-themed serial killer. But just as the Cannes Film Festival starts, the projectionists of the movie get killed one by one by what seems to be a copycat of the movie's killer. Jumping on the occasion, she decides to use this unwanted publicity for building up the hype around the movie. As such, she gets the main actor of the movie, Simon Jérémi, to come to the festival, and hires a bodyguard, Serge Karamazov, to look after the two of them. Meanwhile, detective Patrick Biallès tries to resolve the murders, and additionally starts a relationship with Odile. [[HilarityEnsues Cue completely surreal scenes and parodies for 90 minutes]].

The movie has garnered quite a fanbase since its release, and is often considered as one of the funniest French comedies ever made.

''La Cité de la peur'' (''"The City of Fear"'') is a 1994 movie written by and starring the French comedy Group ''Les Nuls'' (Alain Chabat, Chantal Lauby and Dominique Farrugia) and directed by Alain Berberian. Heavily inspired in tone by the ZAZ movies, it is considered to be one of the few examples of a successful attempt to transpose a television comedy group to the big screen.