Bruno Mattei

Directing·Jul 30, 1931·Rome, Lazio, Italy

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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.

Film	Credit
Viaggio ai confini dell'eros2017 · Director	Director
The Films of Bruno Mattei2016 · Actor	Actor
Cannibali - Leggenda o realtà2009 · Director	Director
Paura: Lucio Fulci Remembered - Volume 12008 · Self	Self
Zombies: The Beginning2007 · Himself (uncredited), Director	Himself (uncredited), Director
Island of the Living Dead2007 · Director, Screenplay	Director, Screenplay
The Jail: The Women's Hell2006 · Director	Director
The Tomb2006 · Director	Director
Fellini dice...2006 · Director	Director
Belle da morire 22005 · Director	Director
A Shudder On The Skin2005 · Director	Director
Secrets of Women2005 · Director	Director
The Dark Side of a Woman2005 · Director	Director
FFuga Orientale2005 · Director	Director
In the Land of the Cannibals2004 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Cannibal World2004 · Writer, Director	Writer, Director
Snuff Trap2004 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Killing Striptease2002 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Venetian Caprice2002 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
The Other Woman2002 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Un giudice di rispetto2000 · Screenplay	Screenplay
Body and Soul1997 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Cruel Jaws1995 · Director, Screenplay	Director, Screenplay
Legittima vendetta1995 · Regista del provino (uncredited), Director, Writer	Regista del provino (uncredited), Director, Writer
Telephone Murder1994 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Madness1994 · Director	Director
Dangerous Attraction1993 · Director, Screenplay	Director, Screenplay
Three for One1990 · Director	Director
Desire1990 · Director	Director
Night Killer1990 · Reporter with yellow scarf (uncredited), Director	Reporter with yellow scarf (uncredited), Director
Born to Fight1989 · Director	Director
Shocking Dark1989 · Director	Director
Strike Commando 21988 · Director	Director
Zombie Flesh Eaters 21988 · Soldier at creamatorum (uncredited)	Soldier at creamatorum (uncredited)
Cop Game1988 · Director	Director
Robowar1988 · Director	Director
SSortis de route1988 · Writer, Director, Producer	Writer, Director, Producer
Scalps1987 · Director, Screenplay	Director, Screenplay
Strike Commando1987 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
White Apache1987 · Director	Director
Double Target1987 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Rats: Night of Terror1984 · Director	Director
The Seven Magnificent Gladiators1983 · Director	Director
Women's Prison Massacre1983 · Director	Director
UUno storico pasticcio1983 · Director	Director
Violence in a Women's Prison1982 · Director	Director
Nero and Poppea - An Orgy of Power1982 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Caligula and Messalina1981 · Director	Director