r96sk
<em>'Piranha'</em> is short on laughs for a "comedy horror", though I did still enjoy this film. The elements to do with the titular fish are pretty strong, they are portrayed in the right way so the humans do feel in suitable danger. The p...
Movie spotlight
Piranha
1978
Movie
94 min
English
When flesh-eating piranhas are accidentally released into a summer resort's rivers, the guests become their next meal.
Insights
IMDb6.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes74%
Google Users73%
Director: Joe Dante•Genres: Horror, Comedy, Thriller
Plot Summary
A swarm of prehistoric piranhas, accidentally released into a mountain lake, begins to terrorize a summer resort. A drunken private investigator and a local schoolteacher must race against time to warn the vacationers and find a way to stop the relentless aquatic predators before they reach the ocean.
Critical Reception
Joe Dante's Piranha is a cult classic that satirizes the 'nature run amok' horror subgenre popularized by Jaws. It's praised for its dark humor, gore effects, and sharp social commentary, even while acknowledging its low-budget origins.
What Reviewers Say
A clever and often gory satire on the exploitation horror genre.
Features a fun cast and effective, if low-budget, special effects.
Balances genuine scares with a witty, self-aware sense of humor.
Google audience: Viewers generally appreciate Piranha for its blend of horror and dark comedy, with many highlighting its effectiveness as an enjoyable B-movie that doesn't take itself too seriously. Some critics note its dated effects but praise its entertaining pacing and sharp satire.
Fun Fact
The film's tagline, 'They're hungry... and they're swimming ashore!', was a direct parody of the tagline for the 1975 film Jaws: 'They're here... and they're hungry!'
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My Review
TMDB Reviews
6 reviews
CinemaSerf
"People eat fish, fish don't eat people"! Well, that might be the theory but when a meddlesome couple accidentally release a swimming pool's worth of genetically modified fish into a river, we discover that that mantra isn't strictly true! ...
The Movie Mob
**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, obliga...
Kamurai
Decent watch, probably won't watch again, but can recommend for fans of Jaws or any other version of this movie. There is a 1995 remake of this movie that I would probably watch instead if I wanted to watch this gain. Not-trigger warn...
Wuchak
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 th...
Gimly
Not a terrible film, but there was a remake in the 90s with the exact same story featuring better acting and better effects, so you can probably skip straight ahead to that one. Now I know that if I had been around when that remake came out...