MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

How did Ruggero Deodato die? Film director who made controversial film 'Cannibal Holocaust' dead at 83

Deodato was, in fact, arrested on suspicion of murder due to the life-like special effects in the 1980 film

ROME, ITALY: Legendary director Ruggero Deodato, who created the most divisive motion picture in history, has died at the age of 83. He was most known for the horror film 'Cannibal Holocaust,' for which he was convicted in Italy for murder. The film went on to serve as an inspiration to Quentin Tarantino, Oliver Stone, and Eli Roth.

Due to his most well-known film, the French press dubbed the Italian director and screenwriter Ruggero Deodato "Monsieur Cannibal." He was born in Potenza and began his film career with comedies and detective stories, but he became most known for his work as a horror film director. Italian news outlet Il Messaggero reported he died on December 29 in Rome and that the news was announced by his friend and collaborator Sergio Martino on Facebook. However, no cause of death was revealed.

READ MORE

'Cannibal Holocaust': How the 1980 cult classic became one of the most controversial films ever

How did Ivan Reitman die? Legendary ‘Ghostbusters’ director mourned after death at 7

After the legendary Italian died, his fans are in mourning. As one Twitter user wrote, "This one hits hard. RIP to a legend that has touched Unearthed Films and the extreme horror genre as a pioneer with profound influence on everyone who followed. Goodbye, Ruggero Deodato. We are grateful for the time we had with you."

Another tweeted, "RIP Ruggero Deodato. Literally, he was the only film director whose artistic vision was *so* convincing that he was arrested for murder. Also, this was the first film to use the 'found footage' trick to convince people it was real. Without this, there'd be no Blair Witch Project."

Another fan expressed his grief and wrote, "CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST was in its way a signal film, and it took a lot of savvy, ruthless, opportunistic talent to make it into a classic. Perhaps the only director who ever had to prove, in court, that his actors were still alive. RIP Ruggero Deodato."

Another film buff commented, "RIP Ruggero Deodato. He passed away today. Credit him for the found footage subgenre of horror. He made Italy's most notorious film, "Cannibal Holocaust," in 1980. On release, he was charged with murder; the magistrate convinced that the special effects were real."

Ruggero Deodato's legacy in cinema

Deodato grew up on a farm but when he was eighteen, he relocated to a neighborhood where Rome's major film studios were based. In a stroke of good luck, he became friends with Roberto Rossellini's son. Later, he learned how to direct under Roberto Rossellini and Sergio Corbucci. In fact, he helped Corbucci make 'The Slave' and 'Django' as an assistant director.

He spent the 1960s directing comedy, musical, and some thriller films, before he entered the lucrative world of TV commercials. But he returned to his first love, cinema, in 1976 with his violent action film 'Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man.' Then, in 1977, he took his first baby steps in the 'cannibal' genre that would make him famous. He directed a jungle adventure called 'Last Cannibal World,' also known as 'Jungle Holocaust', starring British actress Me Me Lai.

But it was with 'Cannibal Holocaust,' filmed in 1979 in the Amazon Rainforest for a budget of about $100,000, that he really courted controversy. The film, shot in mockumentary style, revolves around a group of filmmakers who go into the Amazon rainforest but go missing. During a rescue mission, a professor stumbles across lost film shot by this missing documentary crew.

During the film's production, many cast and crew members protested because real animals were killed while filming the staged scenes of extreme brutality. But the 'special effects' were so good that the film was wrongly dubbed a 'snuff film' with actual human murders captured on camera when it was released. After it came out, 'Cannibal Holocaust' was categorically banned in several countries because of its notably graphic content. The most exreme reaction of course came in his own country where he was arrested on suspcion of murder, as reported by Movieweb.