Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
A second-class horror movie has to be shown at Cannes Film Festival, but, before each screening, the projectionist is killed by a mysterious fellow, with hammer and sickle, just as it happens in the film to be shown.
Fear City is a clever French dark comedy that plays inventively with the film-within-a-film conceit, using the Cannes Film Festival backdrop and a meta horror movie premise to satirize the movie business with considerable wit. Its central gimmick — killings mirroring the on-screen horror film — is genuinely novel and well-executed for the genre. Acting and cinematography are competent but unremarkable, fitting the modest production values of a mid-budget French comedy. The ending resolves the premise adequately without particular surprise. The film's strong suit is its distinctive, self-aware conception, which earns it a well-above-average Novelty score.