10 Movie Scenes That Should Have Happened Off-Screen

Ruggero Deodato's cult classic found footage horror film is one of the most unsettling things ever put to film, and for the most part an exceptionally well executed horror flick.

Cannibal Holocaust is controversial for many reasons beyond its nauseatingly realistic depictions of violence against humans, namely that it features numerous scenes of real, un-simulated animal cruelty.

Six animals are killed on-screen throughout the film, most infamously a large turtle, which is not only decapitated but has its limbs, shell, and insides removed on-camera.

Many of these scenes understandably left the main cast members distraught during shooting, even begging Deodato to ditch the scenes and spare the animals.

Deodato himself even later admitted that he should've left them out, saying, "I was stupid to introduce animals."

Thankfully many home video releases either cut the scenes out entirely, or give viewers the option to watch a version free of animal cruelty.

Given that these scenes add nothing to the film whatsoever beyond shock value, and could just as easily be implied off-screen with simple editing, there was no need for them to be shot and included in the final cut.