Mark Pirro
- Director
- Writer
- Editor
According to the news program, Hard Copy, "Mark Pirro practically made Hollywood history with his 1983 feature comedy, A Polish Vampire in Burbank." Shot for the unbelievable budget of $2500, the feature went on to make back over a million dollars in home video and cable television distribution. It played on USA network for two years in the late 80s, distinguishing it as the most inexpensive feature film to ever play on that network.
Pirro went on to produce several other low budget wonders, some on budgets less than $500, like his 1998 comedy "Color-Blinded," which went on to win three awards, and his parody of Japanese Godzilla movies, "Rectuma" (2003), which screened at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.
In 2009, Pirro skewered Biblical mythology with his biting satire and semi-epic, "The God Complex," which Pirro boasts is the "official rejection" of some of the most prestigious film festivals around. The film did, however get selected for a few festivals and has been a popular item at several atheist conventions. Produced on a budget of less than $1000, The God Complex goes beyond anything Pirromount has ever produced before. It also comes with its own merchandising in the form of a talking Jesus head (the Submissive Jesus) which answers your prayers with the twist of his crown. The toy is still available at thesubmissivejesus.com
In 2014, Pirro wrote, produced and directed "Rage of Innocence," his first non-comedy feature, which stars long time Pirromount associate, John McCafferty and Hunger Games: Mockingjay's Annie Cresta - Stef Dawson. Rage of Innocence is the story of a 15 year old sociopath named Raven who will stop at nothing to keep a man from dating her single mother.
In 2017, Pirro produced his 10th feature film, "Celluloid Soul," the story of a man living today who falls in love with an actress from a couple of movies made in the late 1930s, who forces him to doubt his sanity when she shows up on his doorstep looking exactly like she did in those movies made over 75 years ago (complete with a black and white hue, dust particles and vertical scratches throughout her body).
His 11th feature, "The Deceased Won't Desist," released in 2021, is about Rudy Barnett, a wealthy man who dies and has several heirs arrive at his secluded mountain cabin to find out what he's left them. When they arrive, they discover that he had produced a series of videos, which are revealed one by one, and commenting on how each person had done something to upset him over his lifetime, and how he plans on killing them all. As each person is killed, Rudy returns with another video commenting on what just happened, leading to the question 'is Rudy still alive?'
Decades before the digital age of no-budget filmmaking, Pirro was a pioneer in a field that has now become commonplace: making movies without spending loads of cash. From his first feature shot for $2500 to his more recent works, in some cases shot for less, Pirro still has the passion to create feature films without ever having to mortgage his house.
Pirro went on to produce several other low budget wonders, some on budgets less than $500, like his 1998 comedy "Color-Blinded," which went on to win three awards, and his parody of Japanese Godzilla movies, "Rectuma" (2003), which screened at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.
In 2009, Pirro skewered Biblical mythology with his biting satire and semi-epic, "The God Complex," which Pirro boasts is the "official rejection" of some of the most prestigious film festivals around. The film did, however get selected for a few festivals and has been a popular item at several atheist conventions. Produced on a budget of less than $1000, The God Complex goes beyond anything Pirromount has ever produced before. It also comes with its own merchandising in the form of a talking Jesus head (the Submissive Jesus) which answers your prayers with the twist of his crown. The toy is still available at thesubmissivejesus.com
In 2014, Pirro wrote, produced and directed "Rage of Innocence," his first non-comedy feature, which stars long time Pirromount associate, John McCafferty and Hunger Games: Mockingjay's Annie Cresta - Stef Dawson. Rage of Innocence is the story of a 15 year old sociopath named Raven who will stop at nothing to keep a man from dating her single mother.
In 2017, Pirro produced his 10th feature film, "Celluloid Soul," the story of a man living today who falls in love with an actress from a couple of movies made in the late 1930s, who forces him to doubt his sanity when she shows up on his doorstep looking exactly like she did in those movies made over 75 years ago (complete with a black and white hue, dust particles and vertical scratches throughout her body).
His 11th feature, "The Deceased Won't Desist," released in 2021, is about Rudy Barnett, a wealthy man who dies and has several heirs arrive at his secluded mountain cabin to find out what he's left them. When they arrive, they discover that he had produced a series of videos, which are revealed one by one, and commenting on how each person had done something to upset him over his lifetime, and how he plans on killing them all. As each person is killed, Rudy returns with another video commenting on what just happened, leading to the question 'is Rudy still alive?'
Decades before the digital age of no-budget filmmaking, Pirro was a pioneer in a field that has now become commonplace: making movies without spending loads of cash. From his first feature shot for $2500 to his more recent works, in some cases shot for less, Pirro still has the passion to create feature films without ever having to mortgage his house.
