History Film / ManBitesDog

* 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.
** 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.

[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/c-est-arrive-pres-de-chez-vous-a06_2588.jpg]]

* DownerEnding: Let's not spoil it.[[note]]Okay, if you insist.[[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.]] [[/note]]

The film was made on 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.

* MagnificentBastard: In some scenes Benoit comes across as a charming storyteller, in others you realize he is really an AxCrazy psychopath, who feels no remorse for his victims.

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

* MoodChange: At first Benoît comes across as funny and amusing. Even his murders are committed in a funny fashion. Then the mood starts to change and the crimes he commits become more disturbing...

->''"If you kill a whale, you get Greenpeace and Jacques Cousteau on your back. But wipe out sardines and you get a canning subsidy."''

* BlackComedy

* BloodyHilarious

* FromBadToWorse

* {{Mockumentary}}

* RunningGag: Members of the camera crew keep getting shot and accidentally killed.

* {{Satire}}

* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse
* VillainProtagonist

* DownerEnding: Let's not spoil it.

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

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

* BlindIdiotTranslation: The original title, "C'est arrivé près de chez vous" literally translates as "It Happened in Your Neighbourhood". The English title "Man Bites Dog" has a similar "sensational news topic cliché title", but is a translation that doesn't actually capture the content of the original title.

* 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.]]

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

* AffablyEvil: Benoit is thoroughly charming and murderous, bordering on AxCrazy.

* FoundFootageFilms: Implied by the ending.

* KickTheDog: It happens alot. Right down to the movie's title.

* 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.

* WouldHurtAChild

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

* AffablyEvil: Benoit is thoroughly charming and murderous.

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

* DeliberatelyMonochrome: possibly as a result of the low budget the directors/producers/actors were working with.

* SerialKiller: Benoit

* SnuffFilm: If this film were real it would certainly qualify as one...

* ProfessionalKiller: It's implied that Benoit makes some of his income this way, although he prefers to get money by ransacking his victims' homes.

* ProfessionalKiller: Benoit enjoys sharing his experience with the crew and the audience.
* ReminiscingAboutYourVictims: Since it's a documentary, Benoit feels inclined to do so.

* AffablyEvil: Benoit is thoroughly charming and [[CompleteMonster murderous]].

* AffablyDrunk: When Benoit get drunk he gets cockier and more aggressive than ever, but is still considered to be a amusing drinking buddy by the crew.

* CompleteMonster: Benoit never shows any grief or second thoughts about anything he does.

* {{Euroshlock}}

* FoundFootage: Implied by the ending.

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

A Belgian 1992 BlackComedy {{Mockumentary}} following a SerialKiller as he goes about his business.

* ProfessionalKiller: It's implied that Ben makes some of his income this way, although he prefers to get money by ransacking his victims' homes.

* WickedCultured: Ben has pretensions of this; he speaks knowledgeably on such subjects as architecture and classical music, and what he lacks in actual knowledge he makes up in enthusiasm.