If you’re a fan of late-90s cult cinema or the prolific work of Aristide Massaccesi—better known as Joe D'Amato —you’ve likely stumbled upon the oddly titled (1998).

Joe D’Amato was a prolific Italian director, cinematographer, and producer, known primarily for horror (e.g., Anthropophagus , Beyond the Darkness ), erotic films, and adult cinema. He also directed several exotic/exploitation films set in Africa or Asia, often using recurring themes of queens, jungles, and deserts. However, the specific title Queen of Elephants 2 does not appear in his filmography.

By the late 1990s, the landscape of Italian genre cinema had evolved radically. Joe D’Amato—the pseudonym of Aristide Massaccesi—had spent decades dominating the horror, peplum, and exploitation charts with landmarks like Antropophagus and the Emanuelle series. When local theatrical budgets for horror collapsed, D’Amato seamlessly pivoted his production company, Filmirage, into the high-budget adult entertainment industry.

While often associated with "Queen of the Elephants" due to its similar themes and shared cast members like , John Walton , and Frank Gun , "Sahara" (released in 1998) is a distinct project directed by D'Amato.

Characters

The story follows two wealthy businessmen who travel to Morocco with the intention of purchasing a leather company. During their stay, they are immersed in local culture and indulge in various "exotic delights".

Joe D’Amato films often have 5–10 alternate titles ( Queen of the Elephants could be a re-cut of Sahara or Violence in a Women’s Prison etc.). Fans looking for “Queen of Elephants 2 – Sahara” might find nothing, yet the footage exists under another name. No tool currently maps scene-by-scene across different edits.

For more on Joe D'Amato's career and his other films, you can explore his filmography on MUBI .

Joe D'Amato (born Aristide Massaccesi) is a legendary name within the world of European genre cinema, known for his relentless, prolific output across horror, adventure, and adult exploitation. While his name is often associated with the brutal Anthropophagus (1980) or the sword-and-sandal epic Ator (1982), D'Amato was also a master at crafting low-budget, high-concept erotic adventure films in the late 1980s and 1990s. One of the more peculiar, often confusing entries in his later filmography is the video production sometimes listed as (released in 1998, though sometimes referred to in context with his 1997 work).

The film features a prominent lineup of late-1990s European adult icons: