1. Authenticity
Cannibal Holocaust is probably one of the most banned films of all time. People have regularly confused it as a snuff movie. Many of things in the film make it seem intensely real - the real life killings in 'The Last Road To Hell' segment, the animal snuff, the found documentary footage, the realistic violence and authenticity of the indigenous people. So shocking was Cannibal Holocaust when it was released in its native Italy, the powers that be thought Deodato had killed his actors. He had to parade them around a court to prove he did not murder them. Mondo film makers before Deodato have had similar problems - most famously, Jacopetti and Prosperi ran into trouble with the authorities over Africa Addio. The authorities charged them with staging a murder for the camera. They ultimately beat the rap, but it left lingering questions about the authenticity of Mondo movies. Cannibal Holocaust may not be real but it gives a convincing nightmare story of Mondo film making gone awry.