This controversy is legendary in the horror world.
Horror is meant to inspire discomfort, after all!
But a decade beforeCannibal Holocaustmade waves,there was another director investigated for killing his actors on-screen.
Image by Nimesh Niyomal Perera
In 1976,Michael FindlayandHoracio Fredrikssonlaunched a marketing campaign that was a littletoogood for their new film,Snuff.
When she notices the camera recording them, the unnamed woman begins to struggle.
The down and dirty on cinema’s biggest rumor.
Image via Monarch Releasing Corporation
The final scene ofSnuffis deliberately set in contrast with the rest of the movie.
Her terror feels immediate and raw.
Watching the last scene today, its clearly acting,but in 1976, audiences werent so convinced.
When the film was finally released,it was met withbomb threats and genuine protests.
The drama caught the attention of theManhattan District Attorney, Robert M. Morgenthau.
Moralist detractors were indicators of what would soon become a mantra during the Satanic Panic.
Image via Monarch Releasing Corporation
Thereissuch a thing as too much publicity.
But this was also a case of moralist frenzy.
Whether fictional or not, there was concern over showing such graphic material to the public.
The tonal shift in the final scene is the cold shower after.
Commonplace violence and societal apathy are meant to make the audience squirm.
Deodato tookSnuff’s final scene a step further whenCannibal Holocaustwas released less than a decade later.
The whole movie was filmed to blur the lines of reality and tease the audience with extreme violence.
And of course, Deodato found himself facing legal ramifications.
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