2. Real Animal Killings - Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
Shortly after Cannibal Holocausts Italian premiere, director Ruggero Deodato was arrested and charged with obscenity, escaping prosecution only when he produced his actors in court, thus proving he hadnt made a snuff film. What he couldnt 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 mightve been lost on the filmmaker. In Ruggeros 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 films worst excesses (including rape, torture and dismemberment) are saved for the cast.
Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'