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Bruno MatteiItalian director, editor, screenwriter, producer, composer and actor
Date of Birth: 30.07.1932
Country:  Italy |
Content:
Biography of Bruno Mattei
Born on July 30, 1931, in Rome, Italy, Bruno Mattei was an Italian director, editor, screenwriter, producer, composer, and actor. He began his career in the Italian film industry, working as an editor for approximately 100 films from the 1960s to the early 1970s.
Early Career
In 1974, Mattei made his directorial debut with a 20-minute hardcore bonus film for the French release of the horror film "99 Women" directed by Jesus Franco in 1969. In early 1975, he wrote the screenplay for Joe D'Amato's film "Demon Rage" and edited D'Amato's film "Black Eva."
Shift to Directing
From 1977 onwards, Mattei devoted all his time to directing. He made several erotic films about Nazi death camps, followed by pornographic documentaries such as "Sexy Night Report" featuring Laura Gemser and "The Nun of Monza." He then focused on creating some of his most infamous trash horror films, including "The Other Hell" and "Zombie 3."
Later Career
After directing films such as "Porno Holocaust," "Caligula and Messalina," "Nero and Poppea," and "Emanuelle in Prison" with Laura Gemser, Mattei worked on his low-budget science fiction horror film "Rats: Night of Terror" in 1984 and the action-horror film "Rats: Night of Terror 2" in 1988, with assistance from Lucio Fulci and Claudio Fragasso.
Legacy
In 1995, Mattei directed a television remake of Steven Spielberg's "Jaws," titled "Cruel Jaws." Although this trash version, which included scenes from the original "Jaws," can be considered more of a rip-off than a sequel, it targeted buyers who thought they were purchasing a continuation of the legendary shark horror film.
After a break, Mattei returned in 2001 as the director of several erotic thrillers, followed by two cannibalism films, a WIP (Women in Prison) film, and his last two zombie films. Throughout his career, Mattei directed approximately 50 films, often working with very low budgets. His works were frequently praised for their unique dialogues, low budget, and multitude of special effects.
Mattei himself explained that the "bloodiness" of his films was directly related to commercial aspects. He was hospitalized in early May 2007 due to complications from a brain tumor operation. Mattei fell into a coma and passed away on May 21, 2007, at the age of 76. He is sometimes referred to as the "Ed Wood of Italian cinema."
