
Bruno Mattei
Personal Info
Known for
Directing
Gender
Male
Birthday
1931-07-30
Day of Death
2007-05-21 (75 years old)
Place of Birth
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Bruno Mattei
Biography
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.
Known For
Acting
(2016)
(2008)
(2007)
Zombies: The Beginning
as Himself (uncredited)
(1995)
Legittima Vendetta
as Regista del provino (uncredited)
(1990)
Night Killer
as Reporter with yellow scarf (uncredited)
(1988)
Zombie Flesh Eaters 2
as Soldier at creamatorum (uncredited)
(1980)
Night of the Zombies
as SWAT Officer at Embassy Siege (uncredited)
Crew
(2017)
Viaggio ai confini dell'eros
Director
(2009)
Cannibali - Leggenda o realtà
Director
(2007)
Island of the Living Dead
Director, Screenplay
(2007)
Zombies: The Beginning
Director
(2006)
The Jail: The Women's Hell
Director
(2006)
The Tomb
Director
(2006)
Fellini dice...
Director
(2005)
Secrets of Women
Director
(2005)
The Dark Side of a Woman
Director
(2005)
Belle da morire 2
Director
(2005)
Fuga Orientale
Director
(2005)
A Shudder On The Skin
Director
(2004)
In the Land of the Cannibals
Director, Writer, Editor
(2004)
Cannibal World
Director, Writer
(2004)
Snuff Trap
Director, Editor, Music Editor, Writer
(2002)
Killing Striptease
Director, Writer, Editor
(2002)
The Other Woman
Director, Writer
(2002)
Venetian Caprice
Director, Writer, Editor
(2000)
Un giudice di rispetto
Screenplay, Story
(1997)
Body and Soul
Director, Writer
(1995)
Cruel Jaws
Director, Screenplay, Editor
(1995)
Legittima Vendetta
Director, Writer
(1994)
Telephone Murder
Director, Writer
(1994)
Madness
Director, Editor
(1993)
Dangerous Attraction
Director, Screenplay, Editor
(1990)
Night Killer
Director, Editor
(1990)
Three for One
Director, Editor
(1990)
Desire
Director
(1989)
Shocking Dark
Director
(1989)
Born to Fight
Director, Editor
(1988)
Cop Game
Director
(1988)
Robowar
Director
(1988)
Strike Commando 2
Director
(1988)
Sortis de route
Director, Writer, Producer
(1988)
Zombie Flesh Eaters 2
Editor, Co-Director
(1987)
Strike Commando
Director, Writer, Editor
(1987)
Double Target
Director, Writer, Editor
(1987)
White Apache
Director
(1987)
Scalps
Director, Screenplay
(1984)
Devil Fish
Second Unit
(1984)
Rats: Night of Terror
Director, Story
(1984)
(1983)
Women's Prison Massacre
Director, Production Manager
(1983)
Uno storico pasticcio
Director
(1983)
The Seven Magnificent Gladiators
Director, Editor
(1982)
Violence in a Women's Prison
Director, Editor
(1982)
Nero and Poppea - An Orgy of Power
Director, Writer, Editor
(1981)
Caligula and Messalina
Director
(1981)
The Other Hell
Director, Story
(1980)
Night of the Zombies
Director
(1980)
(1980)
Sesso Perverso, Mondo Violento
Director
(1980)
(1979)
Libidomania
Director
(1979)
Cicciolina my love
Director
(1978)
Emanuelle and the Porno Nights of the World N. 2
Director, Screenplay, Editor
(1977)
Private House of the SS
Director, Writer
(1977)
Sexy Night Report
Director, Supervising Editor, Writer
(1977)
Women's Camp 119
Director, Writer
(1976)
Black Velvet
Editor
(1976)
Black Cobra
Editor
(1976)
Love Sacrifice
Director, Screenplay
(1975)
La collegiale
Editor
(1975)
Emanuelle and Françoise
Writer
(1972)
The French Sex Murders
Editor
(1971)
Tamar Wife of Er
Editor
(1970)
Count Dracula
Editor
(1970)
Armida, the Tragedy of a Wife
Director
(1970)
The Deserter
Editor
(1969)
(1969)
Lesbo
Editor
(1969)
Yellow: The Cousins
Editor
(1969)
99 Women
Editor
(1968)
(1967)
(1967)
Target Frankie
Editor
(1966)
(1964)
Triumph of the Ten Gladiators
Assistant Editor
(1963)
(1962)
Mondo caldo di notte
Editor
(1961)
L'ultimo pedone
Editor
(1959)
The Nights of Lucretia Borgia
Assistant Editor
(1958)
La sposa
Assistant Editor
(1957)
The Mighty Crusaders
Assistant Editor
(1956)
The Violent Patriot
Assistant Editor
(1955)
Tua per la vita
Assistant Editor
(1955)
Figaro, il barbiere di Siviglia
Assistant Editor
(1955)
Giovanna
Assistant Editor
(1952)
Non è vero... ma ci credo!
Assistant Editor