History Film / ManBitesDog

* TakeThat: The film's title is a reference to how the news industry focuses on reporting unusual events to profit from sensationalism. As a satire, the film ramps this UpToEleven with the documentary crew trying to profit off an active serial killer.

The film had a [[NoBudget shoe-string budget]] and therefore made as cheaply as possible. Everything was filmed in black-and-white and the three directors are also the three main actors. Supporting actors are friends and family members, which only adds to the realism. Despite its financial limitations, it became a powerful, sometimes funny, often disturbing satire on television's obsession with real-life violence. The film also became a CultClassic outside Belgium.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Benoit regularly makes derogatory comments about blacks, Asians, homosexuals...

A Belgian 1992 BlackComedy {{Mockumentary}} directed by and starring Creator/BenoitPoelvoorde, Rémy Belvaux and André Bonzel, following a SerialKiller as he goes about his business.

The original title is ''C'est arrivé près de chez vous'', which literally translates to ''It Happened Right Where You Live''.

The film had a shoe-string budget and therefore made as cheaply as possible. Everything was filmed in black-and-white and the three directors are also the three main actors. Supporting actors are friends and family members, which only adds to the realism. Despite its [[NoBudget financial limitations]], it became a powerful, sometimes funny, often disturbing satire on television's obsession with real-life violence. The film also became a CultClassic outside Belgium.

* TheDanza: Many of the characters are named for the actors they play. Justified in that the creators wanted the actors to think the movie was about Benoit himself.

* InformedAbility: {{invoked}} Deliberately done as a form of foreshadowing: Benoit mentions he used to be known for his ability to wiggle any part of his body. When he demonstrates using his ears, they hardly move.

The original title is ''C'est arrivé près de chez vous'', which literally translates to ''It Happened in Your Neighborhood''.

* NothingIsScarier: The movie cuts straight from Benoit and the film crew [[spoiler:gang-raping Martine in front of her husband]] to them [[spoiler:regaining consciousness in the couple's blood-soaked wreck of an apartment, with their mutilated bodies still in the room]].

* YourCheatingHeart: Benoit rapes some of his victims despite being in a committed relationship. It's not clear if his girlfriend is unaware of this fact or if she knows and just doesn't think anything of it. She and his family apparently know that he moonlights as a serial killer, so if they don't care about that they probably don't care about this either.

** Averted with the dear night watchman. When Benoit wants to check his size the camera moves away after his zipper is unzipped so the viewer does not see anything.

* {{Mockumentary}}: The film is made in the style of a documentary about the every day life of a serial killer.

* NobodyCallsMeChicken: After he makes his "If you kill a whale" speech, Benoit gets angry when André mentions that he's just scared of going after the big fish, and decides to rob a rich house just to show him.

* NothingIsScarier] The movie cuts straight from Benoit and the film crew [[spoiler:gang-raping Martine in front of her husband]] to them [[spoiler:regaining consciousness in the couple's blood-soaked wreck of an apartment, with their mutilated bodies still in the room]].

* NothingIsScarier] The movie cuts straight from Benoit and the film crew [[spoiler:gang-raping Martine in front of her husband]] to them [[spoiler:regaining consciousness in the couple's blood-covered wreck of an apartment, with their mutilated bodies still in the room].

* OneHitKO: When he tries boxing, Benoit is beaten with one punch. "He hasn't been working out regularly" indeed.

* SanitySlippage: Rémy starts losing it after the death of the first crewmember, and it's all downhill from there.

* SnuffFilm: InUniverse. If this film were real it would certainly qualify as one...
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: Benoît's opinion about black people.

* YouBastard: You're voluntarily watching a film about a man going around murdering people. What kind of monster does that make you?

A Belgian 1992 BlackComedy {{Mockumentary}} directed by and starring Benoît Poelvoorde, Rémy Belvaux and André Bonzel, following a SerialKiller as he goes about his business.

** While eating mussels in a restaurant Benoît quotes from "Le Plat Pays" by Music/JacquesBrel, but adds his own lyrics. This is intercut with a surreal scene where he is filmed walking naked in the dunes at a beach. Then he throws up in the restaurant.

* SimilarSquad: Benoit and the crew randomly encounter another film crew apparently tracking a different hitman, implying that this is a common occurrence in the film's universe. Benoit [KickTheDog destroys their more expensive camera]] and kills them all.

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Someone ultimately decides to turn things around on Ben and starts murdering HIS family and loved ones. This leads Ben to decide he has to get out of town, but as he meets with the camera crew to say goodbye, he is gunned down from offscreen, likely by the same unknown revenge-killer, who also kills the rest of the camera crew, the final shot of the movie coming from the camera on the ground as the fleeing sound man is shot dead.]]

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler: Benoît's girlfriend -- who plays the flute -- is killed by an Italian hitman. We don't get to see her body, but it's implied Benoît finds her nude on the bed with the flute shoved up her vagina to the point of causing a rupture.]]

* AxCrazy: Benoit is completely unpredictable. At his birthday party he's ecstatic about trying his presents... and shoots one of the attendees in the head without warning. He then continues enjoying the party like if nothing happened.
* BlackComedy: Mostly in the first half of the film. Then it gets more grimy.

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler: Benoît's girlfriend- who plays the flute- is killed by an Italian hitman. Benoît finds her nude on the bed with the flute stabbed in her behind.]]

* FrightDeathtrap: Benoit and the filmmakers interview an old lady in her living room when Benoit suddenly shoves his gun to her face and SCREAMS AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS to scare her to death. [[BlackComedy Which saves him a bullet.]]

** Averted with the dear night watchman. When Benoit wants to check his size the camera moves away after his zipper is unzipper so the viewer does not see anything.

* PeerPressureMakesYouEvil: Despite every crime Benoit commits the film crew keeps coming back to him and are even invited to join in, which they do without batting an eye.

-->''"A black night watchman! What a dirty trick! So you can't see him! Who'd ever sink so low? Poor kid, born under the sun! I bet he grew up under the baobabs, and here he is on a work site."''
-->''"Let's go sink this Mubutu. But I'm warning you, I won't touch him. AIDS, Remy... AIDS. Green monkeys."''
-->''"At least he had no dogs, usually they have a pack of curs. I hate them. Blacks have a way with animals, you know. That's a fact. They know how to talk to them."''

* IJustShotMarvinInTheFace: Benoit kills a man purely accidenttally during his birthday party. The rest of the people react in a deadpan manner even though the faces of some of them were splattered by his blood..

The film had a shoe-string budget and therefore made as cheaply as possible. Everything was filmed in black-and-white and the three directors are also the three main actors. Supporting actors are friends and family members, which only adds to the realism. Despite its financial limitations it became a powerful, sometimes funny, often disturbing satire on television's obsession with real-life violence. The film also became a CultClassic outside Belgium.

* SerialKiller: Benoit.

* FrenchJerk: Technically Benoit is a Belgian, but he is a Walloon (an ethnically-French people who live in Belgium) who speaks French and is a major {{Jerkass}}.

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler: Benoît's girlfriend- who plays the clarinet- is killed by an Italian hitman. Benoît finds her nude on the bed with the clarinet stabbed in her behind.]]

* MaleFrontalNudity: Played straight for Benoit in the cutaway scenу ща him running on the beach during the restaurant scene where he eats oysters with the crew.

* FullFrontalNudity: Played straight for Benoit in the cutaway scenу ща him running on the beach during the restaurant scene where he eats oysters with the crew.