2. Man Bites Dog (1992)
Why it's controversial: A cult film of mega proportions, Man Bites Dog chronicles the increasingly violent exploits of a Belgian Serial killer whose crimes are being videod by a film crew. Neutral observers at first, the crew soon find themselves caught up in the killer's mayhem. So what is controversial about this film? The list is virtually endless. Ben (the serial killer) screams in an old woman's face - the shock causing her to drop dead of a heart attack. Ben boasts that this has just saved him a bullet. Ben and the crew taking hostage a pregnant woman and her husband. They take turns in raping the woman and disembowel her when they have done with her. Ben extemporising at length on the subject of serial killing - the best methods, the best targets, how to get rid of the bodies etc.
Why it's a good film: It's violence is stomach wrenchingly disgusting, but there are some funny moments - a rival serial killer with his own crew gets into an altercation with Ben's crew and shoots three of them dead. The crew get their comeuppance in the end which is cathartic to the viewer due to the disgust their awful behaviour has engendered in us. The movie is filmed in grainy, shaky black and white which makes the whole film look like a piece of cinema verite - in that we are following an amateur crew. If you have a ghoulish sense of humour and can suspend your disgust at violent murders, the film is terribly funny, it has to be said.