Giannetto De Rossi
1942 - 2021One of his first special FX roles was as make-up artist for Joe D'Amato, whose film Emanuelle in America required detailed special FX for the notorious snuff film sequences. The gruesome effects produced by De Rossi, which included a woman's breasts being hacked off and multiple floggings, were so convincing that many thought them real snuff film scenes, and one actress complained that she had been traumatised by the effects.
Early in his career, De Rossi worked with a number of well-known Italian directors, including Sergio Leone and Federico Fellini. A particularly notable collaboration was with Lucio Fulci on his horror film Zombi 2. De Rossi also worked with Fulci in two other films: The Beyond and The House by the Cemetery.
Dino De Laurentiis hired De Rossi to create the on-set practical effects for two films in Mexico which he was producing, Dune and Conan the Destroyer. De Rossi created a number of memorable effects in the two films, including the fetus-shaped Spice Guild Navigator seen floating in a tank in Dune and the Dagoth monster suit worn by André the Giant in Conan the Destroyer.
In the late 1980s he created the special makeup effects on Rambo III. For the scene in which Rambo heals himself by igniting gunpowder inside of a torso bullet wound, De Rossi rigged a device which caused flame to burst from both Sylvester Stallone's stomach and back at once. Stallone was so impressed by De Rossi's work that he hired him again for the make-up effects for Daylight, which was shot in Rome and put Stallone's son Sage Stallone in contact with Lucio Fulci.
De Rossi created the title monster in the film Killer Crocodile, and directed the film's sequel, Killer Crocodile 2.
He is also notable as the designer of the mask used in the film The Man in the Iron Mask.
De Rossi continued creating FX for both Italian and American cinema, until his death on 11 April 2021 (coincidentally the same day as fellow Lucio Fulci collaborator Enzo Sciotti).
Source: Article "Giannetto De Rossi" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Paura: Lucio Fulci Remembered - Volume 1
Mike Baronas
Claudio Aliotti, Adelaide Aste
This documentary examines the life and legacy of controversial Italian filmmaker Lucio Fulci through interviews with his colleagues, each of whom answers the question, "What is your fondest memory of Lucio Fulci?". The responses are as varied as the people who knew the late writer-director, providing a nuanced look at the man behind such gory grindhouse classics as City of the Living Dead and The House by the Cemetery.
Paura: Lucio Fulci Remembered - Volume 1
Fulci Flashbacks: Reflections on Italy's Premiere Paura Protagonist
Calum Waddell
Dario Argento, Giannetto De Rossi
This documentary is featured on Arrow Video's 2011 DVD & Blu-ray releases for The Beyond (1981).
Fulci Flashbacks: Reflections on Italy's Premiere Paura Protagonist
Cyborg - Il guerriero d'acciaio
Giannetto De Rossi
Henry Silva, Frank Zagarino
An accident causes the activation of the top-secret Cyber Warrior or 'Cyw' before his programming has been completed. Concerned that the Cyw may fall into the hands of enemies, prove unable to control or simply receive unwanted attention from the public or foreign powers, the military dispatches a crack squad led by Colonel Hammer to bring back the Cyw one way or another. (from Giallo Fever blog)
Cy-Warrior
The Emmanuelle Effect
Naomi Holwill
Giannetto De Rossi, Just Jaeckin
The very first feature-length discussion and breakdown of the entire "Emmanuelle" phenomenon - the atmosphere in Europe that led to the production of the original and its subsequent impact across the continent and indeed the world.
The Emmanuelle Effect
