Artwork from the 1983 Pirromount Comedy A Polish Vampire in Burbank, featuring Mark Pirro and Marya Gant
(1983) Comedy 81 minutes A Pirromount Pictures Release Starring Mark Pirro Lori Sutton Bobbi Dorsch Marya Gant and Eddie Deezen as Sphincter Director of Photography Craig Bassuk Music by Gregg Gross and Sergio Bandera Written, Produced and Directed by Mark Pirro

(1983) Comedy 81 minutes

“A Polish Vampire in Burbank” is the story of a poor unfortunate vampire named Dupah (Mark Pirro) who has never bitten anybody in his life, because he always felt his fangs were too small. For years he would sit at home in a large castle in the hills of Burbank and drink leftover blood with a straw from a ziplock baggie. One day, his father (Hugh O. Fields), kicks him out of the house exclaiming that “I’ve been the blood winner long enough….” Dupah then goes on a reluctant quest for blood with the help of his sister, Yvonne (Marya Gant) and the skeletal remains of his long deceased brother, Sphincter (Eddie Deezen).
In his travels, he encounters Delores Lane (Lori Sutton), an instructress at a local health club who just happens to have a mad passion for vampire movies. At first, Dupah targets her as his first victim, until he starts to fall for her and doesn’t want to lose her respect by biting her.  This truly is a vampire film in a different vein.

Pirro, Gant, Fields
Father (Hugh O. Fields) and sister Vampire (Marya Gant) try to persuade Dupah (Mark Pirro) to go out and get his own food.

Polish Vampire took two and a half years to complete, since the entire soundtrack was created in post. Pirro himself did many of the actor’s voices (Hugh O. Fields, Eddie Deezen, Pimp, various background voices). The film won a Silver Award at the Houston International Film Festival in the mid 80s. It has been on the home video circuit since 1985 and can still be found in the cult movie section of many Video stores. It played for two years on USA Network’s “Commander USA’s Groovy Movies” and “Up All Night” with Gilbert Gottfried.  Polish Vampire in Burbank premiered at midnight to a near sell out crowd at the Nuart Theatre in West Los Angeles on October 30th,1983. The Nuart Theatre has also been the midnight home to “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” for many years.

A Polish Vampire in Burbank
Dupah (Mark Pirro) finally gets to jump his true love’s bones
Premiere
Theatrical West L.A. Premiere October 30, 1983

In the summer of 2001, in preparing for a DVD release, Mark Pirro went back to the original transfers and remastered this film, bringing back the flavor of the original 1983 theatrical showing. When it was originally released on video in 1985, the transfer was made from the camera original reversal footage, which had numerous splices and scratches. The splices would cause a picture”hop” just before each cut. Unfortunately, every VHS copy was printed this way. Moreover, the soundtrack was limited to a mono track because in 1985, it was difficult and more expensive to dupe in stereo.

This remastered version has been completely redone. For the soundtrack, Pirro went back to the original reel to reel audio masters (basically falling apart) and remixed it into the enhanced picture.The result is a version of Polish Vampire that has never been seen before.

The new 25th anniversary special edition DVD comes with: Remastered feature (better than it’s looked in 25 years),director’s commentary, “making of” documentary POLISH VAMPIRE: BEHIND THE FANGS, more deleted scenes than previous release, tv promos and trailers and a few surprises. NO other version out there is approved or authorized by Pirromount Pictures (especially the disastrous 2002 version with the mosquito on the cover). $19.95

More Polish Vampire Production Stills

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Alfred E Newman
Alfred E Newman
9 years ago

I have loved the Polish Vampire since it came out. Is there any way I can get a download of it? I no longer live in the U S. I would be willing to pay for a discreet youtube download or any way you can think to do it. Being old and not too computer literate, maybe you have an idea. Tjanks,

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