History Film / ManBitesDog

* BloodyHilarious: Some of the crimes are hilarious.

* MamaDidntRaiseNoCriminal: Even when Benoit is jailed his mother still doesn't believe he is a notorious criminal.

* MoralMyopia: Ben denounces violence as "the bane of society", while also being a vicious and sadistic spree killer who insists that he's different and that there's a reason for his violence.

* 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.

* UnbuiltTrope: Many modern reviewers describe the film as a biting critique of RealityTV. At first, the crew members use their equipment to shoot unscripted footage of a serial killer's daily life, but this gets subverted over time as the filmmakers help Benoit carry out his crimes. In addition, when the film crew runs out of money, Benoit willing agrees to fund their project, which calls into question the objectivity of the documentary. While the film seemingly deconstructs many aspects of reality television, the movie itself was released in 1992, years before reality television became popular.

The film had a [[NoBudget shoe-string budget]] and therefore was 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 the news media's obsession with real-life violence. The film also became a CultClassic outside Belgium.

* AssShove: [[spoiler:Near the end of the film, Ben realize his enemies got a step ahead of him by killing his flautist girlfriend, Valerie, via shoving her instrument down there. The same thing happens to Ben's mother, with a broomstick]].

* BlackComedy: Mostly in the first half of the film. Then it gets [[CerebusSyndrome more grim]].

* ContemplateOurNavels: Benoit enjoys philosophizing about life, even though it's usually a lot of baloney.

* HypocriticalHumor: Ben denouncing violence as the bane of society...

* IJustShotMarvinInTheFace: Benoit kills a man purely accidentally 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..

* MadArtist: Benoit appears to view his criminal lifestyle as a form of art and claims that he gave up musical instruments in favour of murder instruments. The crew also count in a more subdued sense as while they are not as outwardly unhinged as Benoit, they are still complicit in his many crimes and seem completely determined to film him, even if crew members die in the process. They don't interfere with Benoit's work at first, but by the end, they actively participate in depraved acts of theft, murder and rape alongside him.

* VorpalPillow: Ben and a couple of the crew executes a young boy after killing the parents via pillow into the face, as one of Ben's methods of saving bullets.

* WouldHurtAChild: Benoit doesn't like infanticide, but it's because there's no money to be made with them. When he has to kill one who witnessed his parents' murder, Benoit does it without hesitation and mentions it being the second or third child he's killed in five years.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Ben killed a bunch of Moroccans on a building site and [[ConstructiveBodyDisposal hid their bodies in concrete foundations]]]... but at least [he] "turned them in the direction of UsefulNotes/Mecca".

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler: Benoit and the film crew.]]

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 the news media's obsession with real-life violence. The film also became a CultClassic outside Belgium.

** The film's title is a reference to sensational reporting in the news industry. As a satire, the film ramps this UpToEleven with the documentary crew collaborating with an active serial killer to make a profit off a disturbing documentary.

** Benoit looking over the footage of [[spoiler:the failed murder that ultimately lands him in jail]] in a manner reminiscent of Music/MickJagger in Film/GimmeShelter.

* MaleFrontalNudity:
** Played straight for Benoit in the cutaway scene of him running on the beach during the restaurant scene where he eats oysters with the crew.
** Also played straight with Martine's husband, who is fully nude while being [[spoiler:held at gunpoint]].
** Averted with the dead 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.

* NotIfTheyEnjoyedItRationalization: Benoit uses this during the gang-rape sequence, first boasting that he will bring the victim to orgasm, and then interpreting the gagged woman's muffled vocalizations as moans of pleasure.

* StylisticSuck: The imprecise movements of the cameraman and sound crew were all carefully choreographed, and the sound was further degraded in post with, among other things, additional camera noises.

* FoundFootageFilms: Implied by the ending.

* FoundFootageFilms: Implied by the ending [[spoiler:in which all the protagonists die.]]

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 Next to Where You Live".

** While murdering a man in his bathroom, Benoît compares the way he kills him with a scene he saw in ''Film/LeVieuxFusil'' (1974).

* RunningGag:
** Members of the camera crew keep getting shot and accidentally killed.
** Benoît frequently disposes the bodies of his victims by throwing them into the canal.

* {{Satire}}: The film is a partial satire of media's obsession with violence and even being an accomplice in crimes.

* IfItBleedsItLeads: The filmmakers show a morbid interest in filming Benoit's murders and his subsequent disposal of the victims' corpses.

* ProfessionalKiller: Benoit enjoys sharing his experience with the crew and the audience. It's implied that Benoit makes some of his income this way, although he prefers to get money by ransacking his victims' homes.
** Consequences are incurred when one of his victims turns out to be from a Mob family, who start sending other {{Professional Killer}}s after Ben.

* RunningGag: Members of the camera crew keep getting shot and accidentally killed. Benoît disposes his bodies by throwing them in the canal.

** While murdering a man in his bathroom Benoît compares the way he kills him with a scene he saw in ''Film/LeVieuxFusil'' (1974).

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

* BlackComedy: Mostly in the first half of the film. Then it gets more grim.

* UnbuiltTrope: From a modern perspective, the film is a biting critique of RealityTV. At first, the crew members use their equipment to shoot unscripted footage of a serial killer's daily life, but this gets subverted over time as the filmmakers help Benoit carry out his crimes. In addition, when the film crew runs out of money, Benoit willing agrees to fund their project, which calls into question the objectivity of the documentary. While the film seemingly deconstructs many aspects of reality television, the movie itself was released in 1992, years before reality television became popular.

* FoundFootageFilms: Implied by the ending.

* HypocriticalHumor: Ben denouncing violence as the bane of society ...

* UnbuiltTrope: From a modern perspective, the film is a biting critique of RealityTV. At first, the crew members use their equipment to shoot unscripted footage of a serial killer's daily life, but this gets subverted over time as the crew take part in Benoit's crimes. In addition, the protagonists have a violent encounter with a potential competitor, which can be read as commentary on the business of reality television. While the film seemingly deconstructs many aspects of reality television, the movie itself was released in 1992, years before reality television became popular.

** 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.
** Given that the protagonists are filmmakers, the film also takes a cynical view of filmmaking in general.

* UnbuiltTrope: From a modern perspective, the film is a biting critique of RealityTV as the crew members use their equipment to shoot "unscripted" footage of a serial killer's daily life. In addition, the protagonists have a violent encounter with a potential competitor, which can be read as commentary on the business of reality television. While the film seemingly deconstructs many aspects of reality television, the movie itself was released in 1992, years before reality television became popular.

* YouBastard: At first, the filmmakers only record Benoit murdering people and act as an AudienceSurrogate to his crimes. Over time, they find that they will "never have enough footage" of Benoit and consequently become close friends with Benoit. Eventually, the filmmakers become depraved enough to rape and kill people just for the kicks.

* YouBastard: At first, the filmmakers only record Benoit murdering people and act as an AudienceSurrogate to his crimes. Over time, they find that they will "never have enough footage" of Benoit and consequently become close friends with Benoit. Eventually, the filmmakers degenerate into depravity and start killing and raping people at Benoit's instruction.

* UnbuiltTrope: From a modern perspective, the film is a biting critique of RealityTV as the crew members use their equipment to shoot "unscripted" footage of a serial killer's daily life. In addition, the protagonists have a violent encounter with a potential competitor, which can be read as commentary on the business side of reality television. While the film seemingly deconstructs many aspects of reality television, the movie itself was released in 1992, years before reality television became popular.

* UnbuiltTrope: From a modern perspective, the film is a biting critique of RealityTV as the crew uses their equipment to shoot "unscripted" footage of a serial killer's daily life. In addition, the crew meets a potential competitor, who is also following the daily life of another murderer, and the consequences of the encounter get meta. While the film seemingly deconstructs many aspects of reality television, the movie itself was released in 1992, years before reality television became popular.