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IMDbPro

Piranha

  • 1978
  • 12
  • 1h 34m
IMDb RATING
5.9/10
27K
YOUR RATING
Piranha (1978)
Trailer for Piranha
Play trailer0:17
1 Video
99+ Photos
B-HorrorComedyHorrorSci-FiThriller

When flesh-eating piranhas are accidentally released into a summer resort's rivers, the guests become their next meal.When flesh-eating piranhas are accidentally released into a summer resort's rivers, the guests become their next meal.When flesh-eating piranhas are accidentally released into a summer resort's rivers, the guests become their next meal.

  • Director
    • Joe Dante
  • Writers
    • Richard Robinson
    • John Sayles
  • Stars
    • Bradford Dillman
    • Heather Menzies-Urich
    • Kevin McCarthy
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.9/10
    27K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Joe Dante
    • Writers
      • Richard Robinson
      • John Sayles
    • Stars
      • Bradford Dillman
      • Heather Menzies-Urich
      • Kevin McCarthy
    • 193User reviews
    • 131Critic reviews
    • 71Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 1 nomination total

    Videos1

    Piranha: Roger Corman's Cult Classics
    Trailer 0:17
    Piranha: Roger Corman's Cult Classics

    Photos141

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    + 134
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    Top cast35

    Edit
    Bradford Dillman
    Bradford Dillman
    • Paul Grogan
    Heather Menzies-Urich
    Heather Menzies-Urich
    • Maggie McKeown
    • (as Heather Menzies)
    Kevin McCarthy
    Kevin McCarthy
    • Dr. Robert Hoak
    Keenan Wynn
    Keenan Wynn
    • Jack
    Dick Miller
    Dick Miller
    • Buck Gardner
    Barbara Steele
    Barbara Steele
    • Dr. Mengers
    Belinda Balaski
    Belinda Balaski
    • Betsy
    Melody Thomas Scott
    Melody Thomas Scott
    • Laura Dickinson
    • (as Melody Thomas)
    Bruce Gordon
    Bruce Gordon
    • Colonel Waxman
    Barry Brown
    Barry Brown
    • Trooper
    Paul Bartel
    Paul Bartel
    • Mr. Dumont
    Shannon Collins
    • Suzie Grogan
    Shawn Nelson
    • Whitney
    Richard Deacon
    Richard Deacon
    • Earl Lyon
    Janie Squire
    • Barbara Randolph
    Roger Richman
    • David
    Bill Smillie
    Bill Smillie
    • Jailer
    Guich Koock
    • TV Pitchman
    • Director
      • Joe Dante
    • Writers
      • Richard Robinson
      • John Sayles
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews193

    5.926.9K
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    Featured reviews

    5Paragon240

    Piranha is bad 70s creature feature gold! It's so bad it's great and a fun ride as long as you expect a total cheesefest.

    Piranha is cheesy 70s/80s creature films at their very best! It has everything - evil military generals, obligatory lake celebrations, scientific experimentation gone wrong, horrible dialogue, low-budget effects, and more. It's clear as you watch the film that Piranha was heavily influenced by Jaws, with the city ignoring the warnings of the dangerous underwater creature, the very similar movie poster, and much more. Steven Spielberg has even named it his favorite Jaws rip-off movie. This low-budget gem was a zeitgeist of creature horror cinema of the decade that didn't allow bad effects, poor acting, or no money to stop them from making their movies. The remakes in the 2000's just used this movie as an excuse to show a lot of nudity, and while there is a little nudity in Piranha (1978), it is much briefer than its predecessors. Pirahna (1978) focuses on letting the army of hungry fish gnaw on its helpless victims. This goofy little creature flick launched the career of director Joe Dante, who later collaborated with Steven Spielberg himself to make Gremlins - a real creature masterpiece! Piranha is no Gremlins, but it sure is a fun start to Dante's creepy creature-filled career.
    5naickerayush

    A Great Campy Horror Movie

    The ultimate underwater horror movie. Well at first Piranha does seem to live up to other horror films but it does have various goofy and campy moments. The beginning is quite fine whilst the film does show a bit of nudity. However, during the middle of the film viewers will be on the edge of their seats, wanting to find out how these small killer fish might cause relentless horror and unspeakable doom. Given its popularity and its mediocre writing I'd rather be not wanting to watch its sequels rather than only watching this movie. In the end, while the movie may be an edge of your seat roller coaster ride, it may also have its ups and its downs.
    8Wuchakk

    Adventuresome and fun "Jaws" homage with far superior women

    RELEASED IN 1978 and directed by Joe Dante, "Piranha" chronicles events when genetically-enhanced piranha are accidently released into a river system in central Texas, which threaten kids & counselors at a Summer Camp and vacationers at a lake resort. A spirited skip tracer (Heather Menzies) and a backwoods drunkard (Bradford Dillman) team-up to save the swimmers. Kevin McCarthy and Barbara Steele play military scientists who experimented with the escaped piranha.

    While "Piranha" is sort of a "Jaws" (1975) knockoff, it's different enough to not be a rip-off: The story takes place in a river system deep in the mainland and not the ocean; the 'monster' consists of teams of little vicious fish rather than a huge Great White Shark; the beach sequences involve quaint campground-like beaches rather than major ocean beaches; unlike "Jaws," there's a focus on alluring young women, although "Jaws 2" (1978) delivered the goods in this area as well; there's more of a sense of adventure and even suspense; and the tone mixes-in amusing elements with the horrific mayhem.

    As inferred, the picture is highlighted by several quality females with curvy Belinda Balaski (from "The Howling") and cutie Melody Thomas Scott (from The Young and the Restless) featured in prominent roles. Moreover, voluptuous Janie Squire has some worthy screen time in the prologue. There are superb women in the periphery as well. Interestingly, the 2010 quasi-remake, "Piranha 3D," took the sleaze route with loads of nudity, but the women are ironically hotter here, not to mention the film's all-around more entertaining.

    THE MOVIE IS LEAN and filler-free at 93 minutes and was shot along a river near San Marcos in the heart of Texas, Northeast of San Antonio. WRITERS: John Sayles and Richard Robinson.

    GRADE: A-
    Poseidon-3

    This movie bites....in a good way.

    In the wake of "Jaws" came countless man vs. nature flicks with everything from bees to grizzly bears to frogs coming out to get man back for his crimes against the ecology (and don't forget "Night of the Lepus" in which huge bunny rabbits munched on hapless victims!) This film is considered one of the best imitators, primarily because of its tongue-in-cheek approach and it's deliberately campy writing and casting. Menzies is a hotshot missing persons expert who goes in search of two young hikers who have disappeared. She enlists the aid of hermit-like Dillman who lives near an abandoned government testing facility where the hikers were last suspected to have been. When they come upon a murky tank and believe the bodies could be at the bottom, Menzies releases the contents, unwittingly unleashing a school of vicious, genetically-altered piranha onto an unsuspecting river full of camp kids and park revelers. From there, it's a race against the clock to get to Dillman's young daughter who is about to enter a camp relay race in the water downstream. The film is deliberately peppered with actors who've made their mark in either horror or suspense films and it makes no pretenses about its lack of originality (though it does manage to come up with some despite itself!) Dillman (sporting an atrocious come-and-go Southern accent) and Menzies have a surprisingly decent rapport with each other with a few amusing scenes tossed in amongst all the panic. McCarthy pops up as a terrified scientist who knows his plans have gone awry. Wynn has a cameo as a gruff, but likable neighbor of Dillman's. Steele plays an ominous scientist in cahoots with Army colonel Gordon to keep the whole situation under wraps. Bartel is the persnickety camp counselor and Miller is the smarmy amusement park owner, both of whom disbelieve that there's any danger. Despite it's minuscule budget and rather homemade effects, the film does generate a bit of eye-opening gore and more than a little discomfort as these tiny fish nibble away at anything in the water. If "Jaws" caused people to avoid the ocean, this film could make people think twice about cloudy rivers and lakes! The murkiness of the water only adds to the horror of it all as the bikini-clad tourists and innertube-wielding kids can't begin to see what's coming. It's just a sting, then a nibble, then blood everywhere! Some of the effects are tacky and amusing, but there's a certain level of true fear as well. If one likes this genre to begin with, it will probably be a pleasure to watch. Others may be less enthralled.
    6grantss

    Better than expected

    Better than expected.

    Having seen the 2010 version of Piranha (and the 2012 sequel, which was even worse) I really didn't expect much from this, the 1978 original. Turns out it's not bad, and better than I expected.

    Starts very well - setting the scene, developing the plot and characters. There is a genuine feeling of intrigue and engagement. You keep thinking "How are they going to stop this?".

    From a point, however, it does degenerate into a B-grade creature feature, with action, body count and gore being the main drivers. It also feels like a bad ripoff of Jaws.

    However, for the most part it is reasonably enjoyable and worth the watch.

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Universal Studios attempted to sue New World for spoofing Les Dents de la mer (1975) , but Steven Spielberg saw the movie in advance and loved it. After that, Universal dropped the lawsuit.
    • Goofs
      The speed boat is racing in the lake at full speed. The shot cuts to the skiers POV looking at the boat and the pull rope is slack and there isn't any tension on the line at all.
    • Quotes

      Whitney: The piranhas...

      Buck Gardner: What about the goddamn piranhas?

      Whitney: They're eating the guests, sir.

    • Crazy credits
      The FBI warning at the end of the credits ends with the phrase "So There." Producer Jon Davison used the same joke for the FBI warning in his later picture "Airplane."
    • Connections
      Edited into Special Force (1982)
    • Soundtracks
      Great Green Gobs of Greasy Grimy Gopher Guts
      (uncredited)

      Traditional camp song

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    FAQ20

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 15, 1978 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • Japan
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Piranhas
    • Filming locations
      • Seguin, Texas, USA
    • Production companies
      • New World Pictures
      • Chako Film Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $600,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $321
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 34m(94 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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