10 Films More Controversial Than Charlie Sheen's 9/11 Movie

Shortly after Cannibal Holocaust’s Italian premiere, director Ruggero Deodato was arrested and charged and charged with obscenity, escaping prosecution only when he produced his actors in court, thus proving he hadn’t made a snuff film.

What he couldn’t dispute was that all the violence against animals in the movie was real. Pigs, racoons, turtles, monkeys and snakes were all slaughtered by Ruggero and his crew, who subsequently cooked the critters and ate them. The scenes were supposed to show the characters’ descent into savagery, an irony that might’ve been lost on the filmmaker.

In Ruggero’s defence, he later condemned his actions as “stupid” and, in association with Grindhouse Releasing, assembled a “cruelty free” cut of the film. In this version, the film’s worst excesses (including rape, torture and dismemberment) are saved for the cast.