4. Man Bites Dog (1992)
Ben is a seasoned serial killer. He invites a camera crew to follow his exploits and he loves the sound of his own voice - delivering long soliloquies about all manner of topics to the camera. We see Ben kill an elderly lady merely by shouting "Granny Snuff!" in her face. As the film rolls on, the camera crew become implicated in Ben's murderous deeds. Raping a pregnant woman while forcing her husband to watch and then savagely disembowelling them. By the end of the film, Ben's killings are getting out of control and a rival serial killer murders Ben's girlfriend by sodomising her with her flute. This prompts Ben to say goodbye to the camera. Whilst reciting a poem, he is shot by an offscreen assailant who then picks off the crew one by one. Man Bites Dog is an exceedingly difficult film to watch. The violence and brutality is harsh - little kids get killed. It also injects very black humour into the proceedings which many would find sick and the rest would giggle nervously at. The film is shot in black and white as a pseudo-documentary. It is up to your individual taste as to whether the black and white footage makes the film more or less horrific. I think it makes it easier to view. I would hate to have seen the disembowelled pregnant woman in colour. The black and white footage gives the viewer a step back from the horror and also adds a touch of art to the movie. Ben's terrible deeds drag us into the film as complicit viewers to his mayhem and it is not until the end of the film with his death that we are released from his grip. I have a copy of Man Bites Dog that has been in its shrink wrap for years - I am a known fan of dodgy movies but I could watch Salo more easily than Man Bites Dog.