Who was Joe D'Amato aka. Aristide Massaccesi? A genius of horror in the USA, a master of eroticism in France, the king of porn in Italy. A man with a thousand pseudonyms capable of making over 200 films while simultaneously holding the roles of producer, director, author, director of photography and even camera operator. An artisan of cinema as he liked to call himself, capable of working on all film genres. From spaghetti western to post-atomic, decamerotic to glossy eroticism, and blockbuster porn to bloody horror. Guided by the aesthetics of extremes and supported by an undeniable technical ability, Joe D’Amato pushed himself, and the viewer, beyond all limits following with dedication three rigid principles that have become his stylistic code: Amaze, Shock, Scandalize.
Direction
Gomarasca and Zanin balance reverence with zero sugarcoating of the sleaze.
Production
Incredible archive footage spanning five decades of filth and ambition.
Director
Massimiliano Zanin
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
D'Amato shot some of his own films as camera operator to save money and maintain control—hence the 'artisan' label he insisted on over 'auteur.'
The documentary reveals how Italian genre cinema's collapse in the 1980s forced talented technicians into hardcore; D'Amato just never climbed back out, and arguably didn't want to.
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