Ruggero Deodato — known as the director of the “most controversial film ever” — has died at the age of 83.
Deodato — who reportedly inspired US filmmakers such as Oliver Stone, Eli Roth and Quentin Tarantino — was responsible for directing the legendary 1980 horror film “Cannibal Holocaust.”
As of Thursday, his official cause of death is still unknown, according to the Italian news source Il Messaggero.
His most infamous film featured acts of sadomasochism and real animal slaughter, sparking outrage around the world and resulting in the film being banned in several countries.
In order to make the film feel more “authentic,” Deodato reportedly convinced the actors to fully disappear for one year. Police later seized all copies of the film — and prosecuted Deodato for allegedly killing his actors.
The filmmaker — facing 30 years of prison — managed to convince the actors to appear in court to prove they were still alive.
Deodato later claimed that he had improvised most of the film’s plot while on set.
“Tomorrow we’ll impale a girl, tomorrow we’ll kill the unfaithful wife … tomorrow we’ll kill a pig, because a crew member is fed up with eating fish,” the director said in an interview in November. “I couldn’t kill real people, so the animals got killed, but all the animals were eaten. They didn’t just die for the film.”
Several people paid their respects to the late director.
“RIP Ruggero Deodato. A legend of cinema and one of the kings of the Video Nasties,” wrote James Simpson, author of “Video Nasty Mayhem: The Inside Story of VIPCO,” in a Twitter tribute.
“Rest in peace Ruggero Deodato. Truly an extraordinary filmmaker,” added Joko Anwar, director of the cult flick “Satan’s Slaves.”