It's safe to say that horror films nowadays don't test the boundaries as much as they did back in the day, but the makers of Cannibal Holocaust took it so far that the director was arrested for murder.
Ruggero Deodato's 1980 Italian cannibal horror film followed an American film crew who disappeared in the Amazon rainforest while filming a documentary about indigenous cannibal tribes.
Due to the film's documentary style as well as the employment of real indigenous people as actors, many people believed that the deaths on screen were real. It wasn't long before word went around that Cannibal Holocaust was a genuine snuff film.
Just 10 days after its premier, the film was confiscated and Deodato was charged with obscenity and later murder.
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The cast and crew members were made to appear before an Italian court.
Deodato explained that despite the fact the film contained scenes of rape, murder, torture, salacious sex, genocide, castration and even news footage of real-life executions, the disturbing horror film was made without harming people.
Eventually, the murder charges were dropped, but that wasn't the end of trouble for Deodato and his crew.
The human deaths may have been fake, but Cannibal Holocaust contained genuine footage of animals being slaughtered - including the beheading of a monkey with a machete.
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Deodato, the producers and screenwriter were all found guilty of obscenity and animal cruelty. Each of them were given a four-month suspended sentence.
The film was banned in Italy and numerous other countries due to its portrayal of graphic scenes of brutality, sexual assault, and despicable violence toward animals.
What a fucked up film.
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