A Netflix Original, The Most Assassinated Woman in the World (French title: La femme la plus assassinée du monde) is a 2018 mystery film loosely based on the life of Paula Maxa, Scream Queen of the Grand Guignol in the 1930s, "the most assassinated woman in the world", being "killed" over 10,000 times on-stage in gory fashion. Romantically and professionally pursued by "Jean" of Le Petite Journal, a reporter for a local newspaper, Paula is also dealing with an obsessive stalker who leaves her messages stating that they plan to kill her for real, and tragic memories of her murdered sister.
This film exhibits the following tropes:
- Faking the Dead: Paula fakes her death on-stage, while also convincing her stalker that they have killed her.
- Red Right Hand: Both the Jean in Paula's past, and Eugene de Lancy, of the present, have a leg brace which emits a characteristic click when they walk, implying they are the same person.
- Scream Queens: Paula Maxa was an early example of this trope, dying repeatedly on the stage of the Grand Guignol before moving on to movies.
- Stalker with a Crush: One of these is prominent in Paula's story, leaving her gifts indicating that he enjoys seeing her die on stage, and that he can't wait to make it really happen.
- Very Loosely Based on a True Story: Paula Maxa continued to act, including in film, and died at the age of 72 without having to fake her death in an on-stage accident.
