User blog:ShawnCognitionCP/Shocktober: Cannibal Holocaust

Hello, Creepypasta Wiki community, and welcome to Shocktober. Today, we will be talking about a film so controversial, so misunderstood, and banned in so many countries, no film has ever lived up to it. I am, of course, talking about the French Cannibal Exploitation Film: Cannibal Holocaust.



Cannibal Holocaust is a found footage film, released in 1979. At the time, found footage films weren't really heard of, especially in France. Yes, that's right. Blaire witch didn't start the found footage genre. It simply started a new wave of them. Directed by Ruggero Deodato, he knew he would be exploiting the conservative masses at the time, but had no clue towards what level he would reach.

The film follows a documentary film crew as they make their way through the Amazon Rainforest of Colombia. For no reason (that they know of; there is a reason, and it is very good. This is not a nonsensical gorefest. It has meaning) they are hunted down, butchered, and eaten by the tribals. That is about all the plot I can give out without spoilers, as the plot is very talk-sensitive.

Here is where the controversy starts. First off, real indigenous tribes interacting with American and Italian actors. That is right. The cannibals in the film were non-Italian or English speaking natives, whom were actually indigenous to the area, and were real cannibals. No one knows how Ruggero Deodato controlled, or directed, these people.

All animal deaths seen in the film, both by the crew and other animals, were genuine. Ruggero Deodato actually got in trouble for animal cruelty at the time of the film's release. Each death, each torture moment, and every fight was a legitimate moment of animalistic and primal chaos.

The largest of all; the film was thought to be a genuine snuff film during its release. The effects are very convincing for anyone whom knows what real gore looks like. They top even today's standard in both realism and shock. Ruggero Deodato actually had a contract with every actor, not to appear in any media, commercials, news, movies, et cetera, to fool the world into thinking the film was real.

It worked. The film was taken from theaters, and forced straight to DVD where it was still allowed to be sold.

The film was banned in every territory where snuff is not legal. It has since been unbanned from most of these territories, though three major countries have still banned the film. Norway, New Zealand, and Iceland.

Here in the US, the viewing of snuff is legal in most states, and actually confirmed as educational. You can watch it with a click of the mouse, and many sites have seals of approval on them, showcasing the sheer brutality of the world, and the people, around us. If Cannibal Holocaust truly was a snuff film, I wounder how many of us would still watch it.

That is the rundown of the controversy and power behind the industry that changed motion pictures, and censorship, forever. This film's impact has never been topped, and I can not see anything coming close. For October, enjoy some real horror.

Enjoy Cannibal Holocaust.