10 "True Story" Horror Movies That Tricked You Into Believing Them

Playing into the urban legend of these types of film in general, the rather on-the-nose title of Snuff made waves in 1976 by selling itself as an ACTUAL snuff movie, leaning heavily into the idea that it featured real deaths on screen as a sneaky marketing ploy. Interestingly however, the film didn't start that way - as it was originally intended as a cheaply made exploitation film that depicts a murderous cult wiping out a circle of friends visiting South America.

Producer Allan Shackleton sat on the title for four years before releasing it when he read rumours of snuff films being made in their South American setting, recording a new ending that sees the film crew dismember a woman in an actual murder. After throwing in an abrupt cut that plays into the 'unexpected' nature of the footage, Shackleton then decided to remove all other credits related to the title to really seal the deal.

As if that wasn't enough to draw audiences in, he got fake protesters to picket the cinemas showing his film, too. Funnily enough, the rumours surrounding the snuff kills still get brought up, despite the whole thing being revealed as fake the same year the film came out.