8. Man Bites Dog (1992)
Shot in black and white on a very tight budget, Man Bites Dog is a film essentially made by four Belgian men who seem to have done all the weighty tasks (acting, directing, producing, screen writing, cinematography et al) themselves. They all appear in the film and use their own names. The result is a masterpiece of low budget horror cinema. The raw, down at heel production values only make the film more realistic. The film concerns the exploits of Ben, a casual and sadistic serial killer who is simultaneously a boorish, philosophising, buffoon. A camera crew is filming Ben on his 'adventures' which includes killing people whenever the urge strikes, waxing lyrical about himself and, erm, more killing. The crew become heavily implicated in Ben's deeds - joining in with the rape and disembowelment of a pregnant woman and helping Ben cover up his deeds. A rival serial killer attacks and kills Ben's girlfriend and family. Ben decides to leave but is shot and killed by his mercenary enemy. Thank heavens we don't have to listen to the pretentious eejut anymore! A film which is dark, cruel and disgusting, Man Bites Dog usually stays in viewers' minds long after they have watched the film. They may refuse to watch it ever again as the first time was so harrowing. The film goes all out to make an impact on the viewer despite its meagre resources. It certainly achieves its objectives with many many scenes that are just pure revolting. It is to be admired as an assault on viewers' sense and sensibilities. This makes it an important landmark movie in the annals of horror- despite its shoestring budget.