9 Creators Who Regretted Killing Off Movie Characters
1. Ruggero Deodato Regretted All The Animal Killing - Cannibal Holocaust
We're admittedly stretching the definition of "characters" slightly here, but it's such a fascinating example of a director regretting on-screen death that it absolutely merits discussion all the same.
1980 found footage classic Cannibal Holocaust is one of the most controversial horror films of all time, due to not only its graphic fake violence inflicted upon humans - which director Ruggero Deodato had to prove wasn't real in court - but also its very real depictions of animal cruelty.
The deaths of six animals, including a squirrel monkey, pig, boa constrictor, tarantula, and most graphically a turtle, were carried out specifically for the film, are shown in unflinching detail, and have remained hugely contentious ever since its original release.
In more recent years Deodato has admitted regret over including these scenes in his film, saying, "I was stupid to introduce animals," although also acknowledged that the killed animals did at least feed the cast and crew rather than being executed purely for a movie scene.