Biography: Joe D'Amato was born Aristide Massaccesi on December 15, 1936 in Rome, Italy. At age 14, Massaccesi began working for his father whom was a chief electrician and later the founder of the company A.C.M. By going to school in the daytime, Massaccesi worked afternoons part-time as a stagehand and stage cameraman around various film sets. From 1953 to 1957, after finishing grade school, Massaccesi wor ... show all Joe D'Amato was born Aristide Massaccesi on December 15, 1936 in Rome, Italy. At age 14, Massaccesi began working for his father whom was a chief electrician and later the founder of the company A.C.M. By going to school in the daytime, Massaccesi worked afternoons part-time as a stagehand and stage cameraman around various film sets. From 1953 to 1957, after finishing grade school, Massaccesi worked for his father until Mole Richardson, another motion picture company, was looking someone to work as an assistant cameraman and Massaccesi jumped at the opportunity. Starting in 1969, Massaccesi worked as the director of photography as well as assistant director for various films until 1974. Massaccesi's first directing work was in 1972 when he personally directed the low-budget Scansati... a Trinità arriva Eldorado (1972) which was directed by Diego Sparto, under the pseudonym 'Dick Spitfire', which was a commercial failure. Later that same year, Massaccesi directed a western (under the name of Oskar Faradine). Massaccesi then used his assistant's name, Romano Gastaldi, for his next film Fra' tazio da velletri, as well as a few others.
Aristide Massaccesi was reluctant to put his real name early in his directing career since he was still the director of photography and didn't want it to be known about his directing skills which might have jeopardized his work. He used his real name for screenplay and cinematography roles, but many alias such as Michael Wotruba to disguise the authorship of some films in order not to mix up the different genres of comedy, western, drama, thrillers and others. Massaccesi may have had more pseudonyms then most directors in Italy and the world.
Massaccesi entered the horror film genre with Morte ha sorriso all'assassino, La (1972) under his real name which inspired him to make other gothic horror films. Under a new pseudonym, Joe D'Amato, he directed soft-core, erotic films starring Laura Gemser such as Emanuelle e Françoise le sorelline (1976), Emanuelle e gli ultimi cannibali (1977), Emanuelle in America (1977), Notti erotiche dei morti viventi, Le (1980), and others. Also included were action films such as Duri a morire (1978).
Massaccesi, now referring to himself as Joe D'Amato, entered the 'gore' genere films with Buio Omega (1979) which remains his most successful horror film which was shot in four weeks on a low budget entirely at a villa near Bressanone and had an excellent music soundtrack by the rock group Goblin. His next horror film, but less successful, was Antropophagus (1980), directed under the psudo Peter Newton, which starred Tisa Farrow, the star of Zombi 2 (1979), which was another gore genre flick.
During the 1980s and 1990s, D'Amato directed over 100 hard-core sex films for the Italian video market, although under his many pseudonyms he continued to direct and produce other films, one of which was Aquarius (1987) directed by Michele Soavi which, under his real name, Massaccesi served as the producer. D'Amato then directed two Ator L'invincible films which was written by Jose Maria Sanchex (under the pseudonym Sherry Russel). The violent, hard-core Caligola: La storia mai raccontata (1981) directed under the pseudonym David Hills, was a commercial exploitation of the successful film by Tinto Brass.
D'Amato's other films during the 1980s were Paradisco blu, and violent adventures films such as Deep Blood (1989) which were filmed in Florida. D'Amato directed Ghosthouse (La Casa 3). Some of D'Amato's greatest successes abroad were his films L'alcova and Pomeriggio caldo (1987), as well as the horror-thriller Paura nel buio (Hitcher in the Dark).
But his long film career came to an abrupt end when, in January 1999, he suffered an unexpected and fatal heart attack at his home in Rome. He was 62. Joe D'Amato (Aristide Massaccesi) had left his part in Italian cinema as a talented director, scriptwriter, producer and cinematographer with more than a dozen different aliases to his work. hide |
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