Ruggero Deodato, director of Cannibal Holocaust, has died at the age of 83, according to the Italian newspaper Messaggero. The 1980 horror film drew a lot of controversy for its use of found footage and graphic violence, resulting in the film being banned in several countries and Deodato being arrested on obscenity charges. He was accused of actually murdering the film’s lead actors, which led to him explaining “movie magic,†a.k.a. how he was able to make the scenes so realistic and had the actors prove they were still alive after filming. While the charges ended up being dropped, the film earned cult status among horror fans and earned him the name “Monsieur Cannibal.†The film inspired other horror movies like The Blair Witch Project, The Last Broadcast, and Bone Tomahawk. Even director Eli Roth decided to show 200 native Amazonians the film; they called it the “funniest thing they’d ever seen.†The film is allegedly banned in 50 countries but it didn’t stop Deodato from making more films. He made Body Count, Phantom of Death, and even took a small part in front of the camera in Roth’s Hostel: Part II.
Deodato did not only direct traumatizing horror flicks. Early on in his career, he directed musicals, comedies, and thrillers in the 1960s and 1970s before transitioning into more gory pictures. He died in Rome, Italy, and is survived by two children.