Los Angeles, July 1 (IANS): Chilean filmmaker Nicolas Lopez, a frequent collaborator of American horror filmmaker Eli Roth, has been accused of sexual misconduct and harassment by multiple women.

Eight women accused Lopez, whose credits include Roth's "Aftershock", "The Green Inferno" and "Knock Knock", of inappropriate behaviour including unwanted kissing, requests that women touch him and masturbating in front of one woman, in a story published on Saturday in Sabado, a weekend magazine of the Chilean newspaper El Mercurio, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Three of the writer-director's accusers are well-known actresses while two worked with him on his "Que Pena Tu Vida" trilogy.

Following the story, Lopez's attorney Paula Vial released a statement to several newspapers defending his client and threatening legal action.

"We are convinced that Nicolas is not an abuser," it read, citing "false" and "decontextualised" statements in the story.