American filmmaker
Mark Pirro (born July 1956) is an American director, writer, and editor.[ 3] [ 1] [ 4] After making A Polish Vampire in Burbank (1983) for just $2,500 and seeing it gross more than half a million dollars in sales, Pirro became a major figure in independent cinema .[ 5] [ 6] Having written and begun directing the film himself, he would also star in it following the departure from the production of Grease star Eddie Deezen .[ 7]
Pirro went on to direct such films as Deathrow Gameshow (1987),[ 8] Curse of the Queerwolf (1988),[ 9] [ 10] Nudist Colony of the Dead (1991),[ 11] and Buford's Beach Bunnies (1993), the lattermost of which was the film debut of Jim Hanks .[ 12] He also wrote My Mom's a Werewolf for Crown International Pictures .[ 13] [ 14]
A documentary about Pirro's life and career, Hollywood on a Shoestring ,[ 15] premiered at the Raindance Film Festival in London in 2023.[ 16]
Year
Title
Role
Notes
1978
Buns
Director / Writer
Short film
1979
The Spy Who Did It Better
Director / Writer
Short film
1983
A Polish Vampire in Burbank [ 17]
Director / Writer / Editor
Stars as Dupah
1987
Deathrow Gameshow
Director / Writer
[ 18]
1988
Curse of the Queerwolf
Director / Writer / Editor
1991
Nudist Colony of the Dead
Director / Writer
1993
Buford's Beach Bunnies
Director / Writer / Editor
1997
An Early Grave
Director / Writer
TV movie
1998
Color-Blinded
Director / Writer / Editor
2000
Serena's Stir
Editor
2001
Polish Vampire: Behind the Fangs
Director
2003
Rectuma
Director / Writer / Editor
2005
Flaw & Order
Editor
2009
The God Complex
Director / Writer / Editor
2011
Chutzpah!
Editor
2014
The Rage of Innocence
Director / Writer / Editor
2017
Mountain Grrrl
Director / Editor
Music video
2018
Celluloid Soul
Director / Writer
2018
Millennials of the Blind
Editor
2018
Speaking Through the Silence
Editor
2021
The Deceased Won't Desist!
Director / Writer / Editor
^ a b "Mark Pirro" . Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved December 9, 2023 .
^ "Pirromount" . Pirromount Pictures . Retrieved December 9, 2023 .
^ Robert Firsching. "Curse of the Queerwolf (1987)" . Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Archived from the original on August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013 .
^ "Mark Pirro" . Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved December 10, 2023 .
^ Lindenmuth, Kevin J. (July 1, 1998). "Distribution" . Making Movies on Your Own: Practical Talk from Independent Filmmakers . McFarland . p. 157. ISBN 9780786405176 . Retrieved September 26, 2017 – via Google Books.
^ Quarles, Mike (May 1, 2001). "Super 8" . Down and Dirty: Hollywood's Exploitation Filmmakers and Their Movies . McFarland . pp. 92–93. ISBN 9780786462575 . Retrieved September 26, 2017 – via Google Books.
^ Jones, Stephen (2000). The Essential Monster Movie Guide . Billboard Books . p. 304. ISBN 9780823079360 . Retrieved October 6, 2017 – via Google Books.
^ "Deathrow Gameshow" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved December 9, 2023 .
^ Schwartz, Carol; Olenski, Jim (2002). VideoHound's Cult Flicks & Trash Pics . Visible Ink Press. p. 133. ISBN 1-57859-113-9 .
^ Tyner, Adam (January 26, 2003). "Curse of the Queerwolf" . DVD Talk . Retrieved August 7, 2013 .
^ "Low-budget film company makes 'Nudist Colony of the Dead' " . Baltimore Sun . The McClatchy Company . 1991-05-31. Retrieved 2015-02-07 .
^ Kristie Hassen (2016). "Movie Reviews – The New York Times" . Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Archived from the original on 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2016-05-06 .
^ Mann, Craig Ian (2020-09-21). Phases of the Moon: A Cultural History of the Werewolf Film . Edinburgh University Press. p. 144. ISBN 978-1-4744-4113-1 .
^ Senn, Bryan (2017-02-06). The Werewolf Filmography: 300+ Movies . McFarland. pp. 162–163. ISBN 978-0-7864-7910-8 .
^ Devlen, Matt (2023). "Hollywood on a Shoestring" . Mubi . Retrieved December 9, 2023 .
^ Powell, Ian (2023). "Hollywood on a Shoestring (Industry Screening)" . Raindance Film Festival . Retrieved December 9, 2023 .
^ "Mark Pirro, Indie Filmmaker" . iHeartRadio . StoryBeat with Steve Cuden. May 25, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2023 .
^ Huls, Jason (July 5, 2018). "INTERVIEW – Mark Pirro" . B-Movie Mania . Retrieved December 10, 2023 .