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Monday, May 21, 2007
Some called him The Ed Wood of Italy, but I don't think that's accurate. Like or loathe Mattei's films, he was quite prolific and used professional crews. His films got widespread distribution and I saw several of them in theaters in the 1980's.
Most remember Bruno Mattei for the notorious zombie film, Burial Ground. The highlight (or low point, depending on one's perspective) was when a creepy zombie kid bit his mother's nipple off. In graphic detail.
When you sat down to watch a Mattei film, you didn't expect to see Argento. Or even Fulci. But you knew that you'd be seeing a balls-out, no holds barred gorefest. His grungy movies were drenched with sex, violence, perversions and horrors. No one made them quite like he did and a fan, a real die hard gorehound, could spot one a mile away. There was no mistaking one of his movies.
Many are currently available on DVD and I urge you to seek them out. Lock up your kids and/or parents and go for all the gusto you can get with sleazefests like The Other Hell, Women's Prison Massacre, Black Demons, Hell of the Living Dead, Rats: Night of Terror, The Nun of Monza, Violence in a Women's Prison, Robowar or Caged Women. If you don't like them, you just might be at the wrong site.
Farewell, Mr. Mattei! Your spirit should feel no shame. Your time on this Earth was not wasted.
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