When flesh-eating piranhas are accidentally released into a summer resort's rivers, the guests become their next meal.
Piranhas, Piraya, Piraña, פיראנה, Pirania, Пираньи, 食人鱼, 식인어 피라나, Piraňa, Піранья, มหาภัยพีราน่าห์, Πιράνχα, τα σαρκοφάγα, ピラニア, Piraija, Piranya, Пираня, 食人魚
USAR 
JapanPG12 
Germany16 
France12 
UK15 
Brazil16 
Spain16 Brazil France Germany Japan Spain UK USA 
More insane than I expected, less insane than I wanted
Joe Dante calling Jaws a pussy and massacring a shit ton of innocent children is exactly the right way to distract from also making a nearly 1:1 copycat movie. Roger Corman-produced and solidly self-aware, Piranha is more than your average Kirkland Signature brand rip-off of a big name blockbuster. It sets itself apart in that there’s no mysterious force of nature potentially lurking anywhere at any time—no, these nibbling little bastards are instead the mutated result of a secret military project and all they want to do is furiously chew through little floaties and tiny bikinis as they beeline it towards open ocean. Sadly, we don’t really see much of the killer fish themselves; rather, the kills come mostly in…
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.
Quite possibly the best Jaws ripoff I've seen. Gratuitous boobs, graphic murky blood water shots, half-assed government experiment explanation, nonsensical resolution, everything you want in a murder-fish horror movie. Thank you, Joe Dante.
The greatest of the “Jaws” ripoffs is also the gutsiest. No guts, no glory. And there are a lot of guts in Joe Dante’s “Piranha.”
Dante decided to take every aspect of Spielberg’s ocean blockbuster past all limits of acceptable taste.
More boobs. More butts. More blood.
More fodder for the piranhas!
It’s a delightfully malicious early career indicator that the director eventually renowned for comedy that pushed the limits of the kid-appropriate, here takes the imperiled infants of “Jaws” and ups the stakes to a hilarious abundance of child peril.
Dante really arrived on the major cinematic scene saying, “F*** them kids. Feed the monster fish their little toesies.”
“Piranha” is a slightly sloppy studio picture debut from Dante, but…
Joe Dante's electrifying debut feature, "Piranha," embraces the formula of "Jaws" with open arms, kicking off with a night swim that sets your pulse racing, thanks to tense underwater shots that mirror the lurking danger from the piranhas’ perspective.
The film features stubborn authority figures who turn a blind eye to impending doom, carelessly jeopardizing the lives of carefree kids basking in summer bliss. But you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way!
The talent fueling this low-budget wonder far eclipses the schlocky premise of this Roger Corman production. John Sayles (who would go on to write Oscar-nominated screenplays like "Lone Star") crafts the screenplay, while the gore effects come from Rob Bottin, famed for his gloriously disgusting…
I did increase my rating a tiny bit just now, but I still wish this was more over-the-top. I think it could have used some of that good 'ol severed limb action or perhaps more importantly, extra bewbs! Hell, even if they had just given me a tiny bit more of that little stop-motion creature that we saw early on in the movie, this would have easily been 3,5 stars!
A solid, but rather tame affair.
Watching this with Michelle was a lot of fun however!
Those piranhas eat people the same way I demolish a kebab after a night out.
Might be fucked up, but this just made me hungry.
actors $2000
locations $1500
boat rentals $8000
red food dye $500,000
costumes $1500
someone who is good at movies please help me budget this. my fish are dying
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.
A riff on the Jaws formula, with one huge shark replaced by thousands of mutated piranha produced in some kind of government experiment and unwittingly released into the river system by a plucky missing persons investigator and the local town drunk. Piranha goes in much harder on the gore and bad taste than Jaws ever did. The piranha themselves are depicted as a viscious and ever-present aquatic threat. The special effects consist of quick edited underwater photography with frenzied bloodletting and a warbling bark sound effect. It's basic stuff, but gets the job done. The plot is pretty simple too, with our two oddly matched protagonists quickly uncovering a government conspiracy before a kids camp and a water based funfair…
full lakes and rivers soaked in blood, a horde of piranhas feasting as drone-dancing-robot-swarm communists on our American heroes.
the better Jaws?
