Piranha (1978)
Genre: Horror / Comedy
Duration: 94 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Joe Dante
Stars: Bradford Dillman, Heather Menzies and Barbara Steele
IMDb score:
5,9 (28.249)
Releasedate: 3 August 1978
Piranha plot
"A hideous death lurked unseen in the river..."
When two hikers mysteriously disappear into the hills near a lake area, private detective Maggie McKeown (Heather Menzies) begins an investigation. Together with embittered local resident Paul Grogan (Bradford Dillman), she makes a horrifying discovery...
Actors and actresses
Paul Grogan
Maggie McKeown
Dr. Robert Hoak
Jack
Buck Gardner
Dr. Mengers
Betsy
Laura Dickinson
Colonel Waxman
Trooper
Reviews & comments
Film Pegasus (moderator films)
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- 31397 messages
- 5577 votes
Piranha, Jaws' little brother. And that little brother still has a lot to learn. The great sharks have become smaller mutated piranhas. It lacks that suggestiveness of Jaws, because the power was mainly in that the horror came because the shark was barely visible.
The acting is very bad, but in itself that fits the genre. It's just really bad here. Just like Friday the 13th after Halloween, Piranha has mainly become a wrong cult film that does not come close to the original. But enthusiasts will love it. The film is not sure yet whether it is an ode to Jaws or a parody. While it would be better to aim for the humor. Because in terms of atmosphere it misses the ball.
I actually like this kind of animal horror and I did enjoy Piranha a bit. But it is a bit flimsy in many ways (humour, atmosphere, murders, characters, ...) so that it is more of a nice concept than a nice film.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Shadowed
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- 11670 messages
- 6867 votes
cheapness.
Dante is sometimes high in my book and has directed a few nostalgic titles for me, but his earlier Piranha doesn't grab me anywhere. A piggyback on the success of Jaws, but a piggyback of which you can hardly see exactly what is happening underwater.
Now this film has less budget anyway and I can live with that, but Dante is otherwise very colorless with it. Very boring directed with boring locations and horror. Where Jaws still had charm and a certain fresh tone, Piranha mainly has an old-fashioned and sledgehammerly dull tone that certainly doesn't let the best short playing time go faster.
The piranhas aren't actually piranhas, at least it seems so. You can barely see what's swimming underwater and the fish you do see actually look more like goldfish than piranhas. Furthermore, a lot of shaken and confused direction during the attacks so that you don't really know what you're watching anymore.
Otherwise a very boring setting and no visual push of any kind. Very see-through gore effects and 0 tension. This movie has no charm at all. The film seems to revive somewhat in the final phase, but it also turns out quite colorless in the end. Then the remake Piranha 3D really did much, much better. This movie can't really get anywhere.
Piranha has no charm and no magic. Maybe it would have been a little nostalgic if I had seen this as my first horror movie ever, but that's not the case here. Very boring and muddled horror shot on a non-budget. I can't really do much with it. Add to that very mediocre acting (how abominable that Steele is again) and a story that cannot pick up any speed and you have a horror film that is completely salt-free. Definitely one of the worst "classics" I've seen. Fortunately, Dante has recovered after this film.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Noodless
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- 10087 messages
- 6205 votes
Rewatch !
Seen once in my teens and now after many years 
rewatched. To be honest, the film manages to entertain enough after all these years and lack of the necessary budget and new techniques. A lot happens during the film and as a viewer you are taken from one place to another place of disaster. A lot of kills, blood and strange noises from the piranhas that unfortunately don't come into view much. But there is plenty to experience. Nice to see Barbara Steele here who has a small but important role.
7/10
Translated from Dutch · View original
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