La Cité de la peur

La Cité de la peur (full title: La Cité de la peur, une comédie familiale), also known as Le film de Les Nuls, is a 1994 French crime comedy directed by Alain Berbérian. It was written by and stars Chantal Lauby, Alain Chabat and Dominique Farrugia of the comedy group Les Nuls.

Set during the Cannes Film Festival in the 1990s, the story follows the successive murders of the projectionists screening a bad horror film called Red Is Dead, killed by a mysterious murderer armed with a hammer and sickle just as in the film itself. Press agent Odile Deray quickly sees the publicity value of the crimes, brings in lead actor Simon Jérémi and hires bodyguard Serge Karamazov, while commissioner Bialès investigates. The film spoofs big-budget American movies such as Basic Instinct, Pretty Woman and The Terminator, and leans heavily on puns and wordplay, making it harder to appreciate for non-native French speakers.