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IMDb > Piranha (1978)
Piranha
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Overview

User Rating:
5.6/10   4,047 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 4% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Joe Dante
Writers:
Richard Robinson (story) and
John Sayles (story) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Piranha on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
3 August 1978 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi more
Tagline:
Lost River Lake was a thriving resort - until they discovered... more
Plot:
When flesh-eating piranhas are accidently released into a summer resort's rivers, the guests become their next meal. more | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
1 win & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(47 articles)
'Piranha 3-D' Employs Real Actors For Gory Popcorn Flick
 (From MTV Movie News. 25 June 2009, 8:56 AM, PDT)

Blood, Bats and Future Shock - Chosen Survivors
 (From Fangoria. 24 June 2009, 1:45 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
"People eat fish, fish don't eat people" more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Bradford Dillman ... Paul Grogan
Heather Menzies ... Maggie McKeown
Kevin McCarthy ... Dr. Robert Hoak
Keenan Wynn ... Jack
Dick Miller ... Buck Gardner
Barbara Steele ... Dr. Mengers

Belinda Balaski ... Betsy
Melody Thomas Scott ... Laura Dickinson (as Melody Thomas)
Bruce Gordon ... Colonel Waxman

Barry Brown ... Trooper
Paul Bartel ... Mr. Dumont
Shannon Collins ... Suzie Grogan
Shawn Nelson ... Whitney
Richard Deacon ... Earl Lyon
Janie Squire ... Barbara Randolph
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
94 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Finland:(Banned) (1978) (uncut) | Finland:K-16 (1984) (cut) | Italy:VM14 (original rating) | Iceland:L | Argentina:16 (re-rating) | Argentina:X (original rating) | UK:18 (video rating) (1987) | Australia:M | France:-12 | New Zealand:R13 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video re-rating) (2002) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R | West Germany:16
Filming Locations:
San Marcos, Texas, USA more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
This film was reported to have been shot in 30 days for $660,000. more
Goofs:
Continuity: As Dr. Hoak is attacked by a piranha, he gets onto a raft and his sweater alternates between torn and intact. more
Quotes:
Maggie McKeown: I'm looking for two teenagers that disappeared a few weeks ago. So, I was wondering if there are any places around here they might be or if they may have gone for a swim.
Paul Grogan: Well, if they drowned, they'd be swept down to the dam. So, you're starting off at the wrong end.
Maggie McKeown: Boy, you're the wrong end around here!
more
Movie Connections:
Edited into Not of This Earth (1988) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
4 out of 7 people found the following comment useful:-
"People eat fish, fish don't eat people", 15 May 2005
7/10
Author: The_Void from Beverley Hills, England

Yes, in most cases; fish don't eat people, people eat fish; but the auteur of that quote clearly forgot about man eating fish, such as piranha; and that reflects even worse on his brain power when you consider that, at the time of speaking, he was actually in a film called "Piranha", which also happens to be about man eating fish! Lots of 'em! It's little delights like the one just mentioned that make Piranha what is - the script doesn't take itself seriously, and that blends with the shameless ripping off of many a creature feature, and both of those in turn provide the audience with a very camp movie experience indeed. Creature features have a long history of being camp, and Joe Dante's film will no doubt be a highlight for fans of the classic movies in this field. Joe Dante has made a lot of cheap, but good films, and while The Howling remains the best of his oeuvre and the 'best director' awards certainly won't be winging his way soon, he's an underrated talent in the horror film industry and Piranha is certainly one of his better films.

Joe Dante has put a good cast together for this movie, which equally weighs out the camp and action sequences in the movie in the same proportions that the movie itself gives out. Bradford Dillman takes the lead role, and while he clearly knows that he's appearing in a camp and very much 'B' standard horror; he still gives it his all and makes for a fine protagonist. The highlights among the ensemble are Barbara Steele, a regular in horror films, with performances in the likes of 'The Pit and the Pendulum' and 'Black Sunday', and Dick Miller; a cult star that Dante would go on to use regularly, but found his cult stardom in the Corman classic 'A Bucket of Blood'. The pace of the film is good, and while the script shows some holes, the plot usually lasts out. It gets a bit hectic towards the end and Dante would have been better served with less carnage and more tension to give the movie a better finale. The effects are pretty much non-existent, as the movie just uses cuts of fish swimming and a bit of fake blood for most of it's shocks. Still, this is a very fun movie and one that people who enjoy a good time will enjoy.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Piranha (1978)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
The piranhas weren't the only thing at the base... andresfprieto
Piranha 1978 MITTENZ73
WHERE CAN I FIND A COPY OF PIRANHA DVD WITH COVER ART: MAROON BANNER? jeffersonparke2000
The fate of Lost River resort RABerg66
FACTORY-SEALED PIRANHA DVD/COVER ART: MAROON BANNER jeffersonparke2000
Filming locations for Piranha - a detailed look! RABerg66
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