Bruno Mattei

Bruno Mattei

Born: July 30, 1931
Died: May 21, 2007
in Rome, Lazio, Italy
Bruno Mattei (30 July 1931 – 21 May 2007) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and editor who directed exploitation films in many genres, including women in prison, nunsploitation, zombie, mondo, cannibal, and Nazisploitation films. Born in 1931, Bruno Mattei grew up in Rome, Italy, where his father owned a small film editing studio. Mattei made his debut as a director with the drama Armida, il dramma di una sposa(1970) under the alias "Jordon B. Matthews". He eventually had more pseudonyms than any working director in the world. He returned to editing before making another comeback in 1976 with two low-budget Nazi exploitation films, Women's Camp 119 (1977) (aka "Women's Camp 119") and Casa privata per le SS (1977) (aka "SS Girls"). Mattei followed these taboo-breaking films with excursions into porno films and mondo "shockumentaries", all directed under his many pseudonyms, concentrating on "shock value" with films such as Mondo erotico (1973), "Libiodomania" and "Libidomania 2". Always on the lookout for new exploitation avenues, Mattei followed with "nunsploitation", with the softcore sex film La vera storia della monaca di Monza (1980) and the violent sex thriller The Other Hell (1981). Both films involved a partnership with writer/director Claudio Fragasso, who helped him write and direct the back-to-back productions. Using yet another alias, "Vincent Dawn", Mattei directed Hell of the Living Dead (1980) (aka "Hell of the Living Dead"), a low-budged zombie picture inspired by other zombie cannibal movies such as Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Lucio Fulci's Zombi 2 (1979). "Virus" was filmed in Spain and used jungle footage from New Guinea and a patch soundtrack from Goblins "Dawn of the Dead" soundtrack, which was a minor hit in Italy and abroad. After directing two women's prison films starring Laura Gemser, Mattei moved to directing sword-and-sorcery flicks, starting with I sette magnifici gladiatori (1983). Both Mattei and Fragasso collaborated on the sci-fi/horror flick Rats - Notte di terrore (1984), inspired by the futuristic movies of the early 1980s. Mattei considers this his best work, despite his still having to work with a very low budget. He worked relentlessly through the 1980s, directing a pair of "spaghetti westerns", some action flicks and about half of Zombi 3 (1988) after Lucio Fulci was taken off the production, though Mattei was not credited with it. In the early 1990s Mattei directed a series of erotic thrillers and a made-for-TV movie, Cruel Jaws (1995) (TV), which was inspired by Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975). Mattei continued making films, with more than 50 to his credit by the 200s. In early 2007 his health becan to decline rapidly after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Despite his doctor's warnings, he went through with a surgical operation to have the tumor removed in May of that year. After the surgery he fell into a coma from complications, and died a few days later on May 21, 2007 at age 75.

Movies for Bruno Mattei...

The Films of Bruno Mattei
Title: The Films of Bruno Mattei
Released: November 26, 2016
Type: Movie
A look into the films and career of cult film director Bruno Mattei.
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Paura: Lucio Fulci Remembered - Volume 1
Title: Paura: Lucio Fulci Remembered - Volume 1
Character: Self
Released: March 6, 2008
Type: Movie
This documentary examines the life and legacy of controversial Italian filmmaker Lucio Fulci through interviews with his colleagues, each of whom answers the question, "What is your fondest memory of Lucio Fulci?". The responses are as varied as the people who knew the late writer-director, providing a nuanced look at the man behind such gory grindhouse classics as City of the Living Dead and The House by the Cemetery.
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Zombies: The Beginning
Title: Zombies: The Beginning
Character: Himself (uncredited)
Released: May 1, 2007
Type: Movie
A woman floating on a raft in the middle of the Pacific. She was found by a rescue team and taken ashore. Once there, she tells a story of how she escaped from an island full of zombies. She was persuaded to lead a commando unit to the island to explore.
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Legittima Vendetta
Title: Legittima Vendetta
Character: Regista del provino (uncredited)
Released: January 1, 1995
Type: Movie
An upscale couple visit a villa owned by a chick named Rita for some rest and relaxation, but the husband and Rita have other plans... until Rita and the wife come up with OTHER other plans...
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Night Killer
Title: Night Killer
Character: Reporter with yellow scarf (uncredited)
Released: August 3, 1990
Type: Movie
Melanie Beck is the only surviving victim of a killer-rapist who wears a Freddy Krueger-esque mask and claw. Despite having seen the killer's face, Beck has blocked it from her memory. Becoming suicidal, she tries to kill herself on the beach but is saved by Axel, another rapist sleazeball who keeps her locked in his hotel room. All this builds to a mind blowing conclusion.
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Zombie Flesh Eaters 2
Title: Zombie Flesh Eaters 2
Character: Soldier at creamatorum (uncredited)
Released: June 1, 1988
Type: Movie
When a terrorist's body, infected with a stolen chemical, is recovered by the US military, the corpse is cremated, unintentionally releasing a virus and bacteria into the atmosphere over a small island.
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Night of the Zombies
Title: Night of the Zombies
Character: SWAT Officer at Embassy Siege (uncredited)
Released: November 17, 1980
Type: Movie
A tough female reporter and her cameraman boyfriend team up with a four-man commando unit in the New Guinea jungle whom are fighting flesh-eating zombies.