
Bruno Mattei
Known for DirectingBorn 1931-07-30Died 2007-05-21Rome, 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.Read more
Movies & web series
Appointment in Trieste
★ 10.0View details →
Appointment in Trieste
1989 · Series
★ 10.0View details →
Gocce d'amore
1981 · Movie
★ 10.0View details →
Non è vero... ma ci credo!
1952 · Movie
★ 9.0View details →
The Films of Bruno Mattei
2016 · Movie
★ 9.0View details →
Armida, the Tragedy of a Wife
1970 · Movie
★ 9.0View details →
Mondo caldo di notte
1962 · Movie
★ 8.0View details →
Un giudice di rispetto
2000 · Movie
Sortis de route
★ 8.0View details →
Sortis de route
1988 · Movie
★ 8.0View details →
Inconsolable Widows Are Looking For Distractions
1968 · Movie
★ 7.6View details →
The Jail: The Women's Hell
2006 · Movie
★ 8.0View details →
La sposa
1958 · Movie
★ 7.5View details →
La provinciale a lezione di sesso
1980 · Movie
★ 7.3View details →
Agent 3S3, Massacre in the Sun
1966 · Movie
★ 7.0View details →
The Magnificent Tony Carrera
1969 · Movie
★ 7.0View details →
Tua per la vita
1955 · Movie
Figaro, il barbiere di Siviglia
★ 7.0View details →
Figaro, il barbiere di Siviglia
1955 · Movie
★ 7.0View details →
Giovanna
1955 · Movie
★ 6.5View details →
Legittima vendetta
1995 · Movie
★ 6.7View details →
Target Frankie
1967 · Movie
★ 6.0View details →
Paura: Lucio Fulci Remembered - Volume 1
2008 · Movie
★ 6.0View details →
Born to Fight
1989 · Movie
Uno storico pasticcio
★ 6.0View details →
Uno storico pasticcio
1983 · Movie
★ 6.2View details →
Triumph of the Ten Gladiators
1964 · Movie
★ 5.6View details →
Island of the Living Dead
2007 · Movie
★ 5.8View details →
Scalps
1987 · Movie
★ 6.0View details →
Revenge of the Black Knight
1963 · Movie
★ 5.9View details →
Count Dracula
1970 · Movie
★ 6.0View details →
The Violent Patriot
1956 · Movie
★ 5.7View details →
Violence in a Women's Prison
1982 · Movie
★ 5.8View details →
Goldface, the Fantastic Superman
1967 · Movie
★ 5.4View details →
Night of the Zombies
1980 · Movie
★ 5.4View details →
99 Women
1969 · Movie
★ 5.5View details →
The Nights of Lucretia Borgia
1959 · Movie
★ 5.1View details →
Madness
1994 · Movie
★ 5.2View details →
Zombie Flesh Eaters 2
1988 · Movie
★ 5.2View details →
Private House of the SS
1977 · Movie
★ 5.2View details →
Libidomania
1979 · Movie
★ 5.2View details →
Emanuelle and Françoise
1975 · Movie
★ 5.2View details →
Love Sacrifice
1976 · Movie
★ 5.0View details →
Night Killer
1990 · Movie
★ 5.0View details →
Emanuelle and the Porno Nights of the World N. 2
1978 · Movie
★ 4.9View details →
The Other Hell
1981 · Movie
★ 4.8View details →
Strike Commando
1987 · Movie
★ 5.0View details →
Lesbo
1969 · Movie
★ 4.8View details →
White Apache
1987 · Movie
★ 4.8View details →
Rats: Night of Terror
1984 · Movie
★ 4.9View details →
The French Sex Murders
1972 · Movie
★ 4.9View details →
Yellow: The Cousins
1969 · Movie