Piranha

1978 Directed by Joe Dante

A hideous death lurked unseen in the river...

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

Bradford Dillman Heather Menzies Kevin McCarthy Keenan Wynn Dick Miller Barbara Steele Belinda Balaski Melody Thomas Scott Bruce Gordon Barry Brown Paul Bartel Shannon Collins Shawn Nelson Richard Deacon Janie Squire Roger Richman Bill Smillie Guich Koock Jack Pauleson Eric Henshaw Robert Vinson Virginia Dunnam Diamond Farnsworth Bruce Paul Barbour Robyn Ray Mike Sullivan Jack Cardwell Sally Bondi Eric Braeden Show All…

Alternative Titles

Piraya, Piraña, Piranhas

science fiction horror thriller comedy

94 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Logan ★★★ 2

You know when a movie makes you wince at specific scenes. It's doing its job right. Not only is it a blood fest but it's actually a very anxious ride.
The leads have great chemistry together. The movie has a solid backstory about these killer fish. Wish it was developed more but that's okay it knows what it wants to be and I like that about creature feature films. I'm not a sea or lake person myself I've never trusted the water because you dont know what can be inside it, which is the anxiety part that works so well here. No one besides the leads and the scientists know what's in the water. They just think it's all fun…
Review by Coolnilk ★★★½ 4

Although not as pristine as the other works that he's crafted throughout the years following this, Joe Dante's Piranha is one top-of-the-line creature feature done right even if it took some compelling rationales from the original Jaws film due to its notable achievements at the box office back in '75.
Using genetically-modified piranhas as the prime wretches for the film, Dante truly knew what he was going for with this one as he efficiently implements his signature wittiness in this to give it more of his distinct edge in essence, and on top that, properly distributes in an earnest tone that balances both horror and comedy in extensive details as the detrimental piranhas here do what they do best -…
Review by Ian West ★★★★ 1

Piranha is one enjoyable flesh chewing fish jam and I love how Joe Dante was able to effortlessly fit in a curious little Harryhausen-esque lab creature who only appears in one scene and yet it’s totally believable (and also adorable)
Dante’s sense of humor shines even early on in his career, mixing a constantly drinking boozed up lead, rafts, speedboats, that cool sound the piranhas make, children getting chewed up, Barbara Steele, bloody Paul Bartel, Dick Miller, a person reading a copy of Moby Dick, John Sayles, excellent pacing, and Kevin McCarthy going classic batshit crazy when we first meet him. Not too shabby for a no budget, super fun, subtly dark, jaws capitalizin’ Corman jam about DEADLY FLESH MUNCHING PIRANHA.
Review by Hollie Horror ★★★★ 6

It's almost hard to believe that I had seen Alexandre Aja's Piranha 3D but I had not seen the film that it was spawned from, I'm just as dumbfounded as you may be, trust me.
I really love Joe Dante's sense of humor, especially what's on display in Piranha, it's subtle but it's always present, one of my favorite scenes was when the flawed protagonist calls the camp his daughter is attending to warn them about killer piranhas in the river, the camp is run by Paul Bartel's character who just dismisses the protagonist because he's always drunk, the protagonist angrily hangs up the payphone and with an aggressive annoyance says "He thinks I'm drunk!" The funniest part about this…
Review by Todd Gaines ★★★ 5

Jaws' red-headed stepchild. Mischief. Skinny dippin' in the dark. A full moon. Bloody water. Video games that make the PS4 look like shit. A cool puppy dog. Demian Bichir's twin. Creepy critters. A colossal fuck-up. Grand Theft Auto. Summer camp. A body snatching Doc. Jack's hat. Target practice. A magic box. Fishing with dad. The shrinking raft. Fuckin' mutations. Quarantine. The ultimate distraction. A pay-phone. Johnny Law. Campfire tales. Dick fuckin' Miller. Prison break. The ass-hat with a whistle. Inner-tubing fun. A Baywatch-esque rescue. Scuba diving. A hot-shot on skis. Partying at the lake. Lunch time! Counting. A promise kept. Roger Corman + Joe Dante = a fun time in the water.
Review by Biscoito18 ★★★ 6

Part of HOOPT🔮BER 6.0: “Must be the Season of the Witch” challenge.
7/31
---------------//---------------
The playful minds behind "Piranha" certainly believe blindly in the idea that without characters making stupid decisions we wouldn't have horror movies. A lot of greed also makes the tragedy even bigger.
Of course the biggest inspiration comes from "Jaws", which also had political corruption as one of the main problems and so many other clear similarities. However, "Piranha" doesn't hide its inspiration, but instead rubs it in our face, proud to be a B-horror movie (Steven Spielberg himself called it "the best of the Jaws rip-offs"). There's even a scene where the protagonist plays a Jaws themed video game.
Most of the jokes work, especially…
Review by DBC ★★★★ 2

Hooptober Fest 5.0
Film 7/46
One aquatic menace film
--
For a movie that so obviously owes its existence to the success of Steven Spielberg's Jaws, Joe Dante's Piranha manages to be considerably more entertaining than 3 out of 4 movies in the Jaws franchise. Sure, there's some Jawsish overtones, but the film is so silly and creative and weird (like, really weird) that it's completely its own unique thing in the world of killer fish movies (or at least it was at the time of its 1978 release).
Joe Dante models his film less off of Spielberg's then-recent summer blockbuster and more so on the 50's creature features, complete with a script by John Sayles that takes a bite…
Review by Digital Press ★★★★

“The best of the Jaws ripoffs” - Steven Spielberg
The videogame being played after the opening credits is Shark Jaws by Atari, released in 1975. Shark Jaws was the first ever movie-based videogame (for Jaws, not Piranha), though it was unlicensed and Atari even hid under a shell corporation called “Horror Games” to avoid a possible lawsuit.
Piranha is often referred to as satire. I hadn’t seen it in many years and didn’t remember it that way. After this rewatch I presume the satire is on the movie Jaws. It certainly steals some of the feeding frenzy scenes and it shares the “fear the water” motif from that classic, but the plot, characters and formula all feel unique to me.…
Review by belial_carboni ★★★½ 4

I always forget how goofy this is. Goofy fun but goofy nontheless. I remember watching this on tv as a youngin and being pretehhh freaked out.
Love the random stop motion monsters in the lab haha. The gore and SFX hold up pretty well and the hectic scenes at the end are pretty classic.
And do piranhas really make that noise when they feed? Sounds like a bunch of horny mogwai. Or is it mogwais. I think it's mogwai.
Great mindless fun to coincide with the summer.
Review by olivia ★★★ 4

a creature feature that doesn't count towards my lowest rated quest.. practically unheard of. this wasn't too bad at all, and i could see how it's kind of a starting point for some of the other more recent creature feature movies i've seen thus far. it was somewhat boring at times, some of the material didn't age well (misogynistically speaking), and it was a bit more gruesome than i anticipated, but overall it's a fine watch that you don't have to think too hard about. i think this could've benefited from having characters that the viewer cared about and invested in more, though. i think that's what would've taken it from decent to really good. but that's just my humble opinion as a creature feature and shark movie aficionado. take it for what you will.
(creature features - ranked)
Review by 💀EmperorCupcake🧁 ★★★½ 6

February Horror Hunt, Day 24, challenge #14 - A movie with a fish on the cover
I always thought this was just another Jaws ripoff, and it totally is, but it's the best Jaws ripoff! Does Jaws have beautiful scientist from Operation Razorteeth Barbara Steele? No! Does Jaws have oily resort owner Dick Miller? No! Does Jaws have something called Operation Razorteeth? No! Advantage: Piranha.
We open with boobs. My Roger Corman senses are tingling! Yup, between this and Humanoids from the Deep Corman is the king of the honestly-not-bad Jaws knockoff. "We can't warn people about the murderfish, it will ruin my resort opening!" What did you think the murderfish were gonna do at your resort opening, hit up…
Review by Sarah Jane 🔪 ★★★★ 11

Oh, Joe Dante, you saucy manx. You delivered pretty much the best summer movie fare that a girl could ask for. It has killer fish, Dick Miller, Kevin McCarthy, Paul Bartel ("Skunked again, Grogan"), Barbara fucking Steele, Kennan Wynn (love that man!) and Bradford Dillman.
Because I have seen this so many times, I like to just pay attention to one or two things. Bradford Dillman is like a master course in acting here. I love his choices. "Hey, you cool your jets, lady. I didn't axe murder your young couple. I can't help ya. I haven't seen them." All in one breath and all the while pointing a fork (with fish hanging off of it!) at the woman.
I'm sure we've all seen this before but I think it is time for a revisit. As I stated on Twitter, Saturday afternoon is a perfect time to watch Piranha. Do it.

Recent reviews

Review by jaime1848 ★

digo voy a darle una oportunidad, como poco tiene que ser mejor que piraña 3d........es literalmente peor que piraña 3d, como puede una pelicula de pirañas ser peor que piraña 3d
Review by Charlie Wilcox ★★★½

What’s that, we’ve entered into a closed system in which the only solutions to our self-made environmental cataclysms are just other disastrous assaults to the world? And the capitalists can’t be bothered to close things down in spite of the warnings of immediate death and destruction? Nah, doesn’t sound familiar.
As a side note, what happened to that little guy back in the lab? What’s he up to?
Review by Bassjavu ★★½

It’s fine.

Watched as part of the Hollywood Theater / Movie Madness series on Roger Corman with a Joe Dante and Allan Arkush Q&A following.
Review by Chance Solem-Pfeifer ★★½

I like the little murmuring noise they make.
Review by Andrew Gaudion ★★½

An unabashed Jaws rip-off from Roger Corman’s New World Pictures that shows signs of Dante’s soon to be trademark wit and visual inventiveness, but is largely kinda dull and never quite as uproarious as you want it to be.
Review by nobody_here

So much weirder than I was excepting.
Review by Arrison Warner ★★½

That Phill Tippett monster was a delight.
Review by Douglas Firs ★★

A tacky Jaws rip-off that is occasionally able to mine its own cheap derivativeness for laughs but is mostly just quite dull. There are still flickers of Dante‘s spirit, though, even if he does have both hands tied behind his back.
Review by ghostofghibli ★★ 2

I know it wasn’t trying to be great, but I hope it wasn’t trying to be this bad.
Review by Craig S ★★½

A lot of good names are associated with this very bad film. I watched it in advance of a live Zoom call with its director Joe Dante, who I hope can explain his motivation in making it for Roger Corman's New World Production back in 1978.
Review by johnholmes ★★★ 4

Also ich stell mir das so vor. Steven Spielberg wird krank und verrückt, funktioniert doch sein mechanischer Hai seit Monaten nicht und heulend steht er am Wasserrand, da kommt Roger Corman im Hawaiihemd, müde mit seinem Morgenkaffee vorbei, wirft ein paar aufblasbare Gummifische rein und sagt mit einem Gähnen,, SO, wir können drehen!!
Mit dieser Ausstrahlung kann man nur gewinnen.
Wir wandern und sehen einen Zaun mit der Aufschrift,, nicht betreten,,? Fuck it, wir gucken uns das an.
Dort ist ein Wasserbecken welches in einer Militäranlage angelegt ist? Geil!! Sofort reinspringen, denn wer zuletzt reinspringt ist eine Tröte und ich will keine Tröte sein, dann lieber aufgefressen werden.
Aber keine Angst Steven, dein Film ist auch ganz ganz toll.
Review by amirhorror ★★★★

Ripoff de Tiburon, muy disfrutable y si todavía no vi Tiburon, soy de lo peor. Pero siempre fui más de los Ripoffs que de los originales, seré masoca. Bueno es muy entretenida está película, recomendable.