One of the things that annoys me about many I.M.D.B. reviews are the number of people who think it clever to insult a movie by calling it 'low budget'. The inference is that all low budget movies are somehow terrible. I beg to differ. Some of my all-time favourites have been made on shoestring budgets, and 'Piranha' is one.
Produced by Roger Corman's New World pictures, 'Piranha' was a cheeky attempt to cash-in on the 'Jaws' phenomenon. It begins with a pair of hikers - a young man and a woman - breaking into a deserted army camp and taking a midnight dip in a pool. They don't know it but said pool is full of piranha. The couple are devoured in minutes flat. Maggie McKeown ( Heather Menzies ) comes looking for them, and teams up with a local man named Paul Grogan ( Bradford Dillman ), who is drowning memories of his acrimonious divorce with the aid of alcohol. They drain the pool and find a pair of skeletons. A wild-eyed man ( Kevin MacCarthy ) comes rushing out, yelling: "You've let them out!". Indeed they have. The army had developed a mutation - piranha fish capable of thriving in non-tropical climates, intended for use in the Vietnam war. Now they are out, and headed towards a nearby holiday resort, where they will find plenty to get their teeth into...
Directed by Joe Dante ( later to make the 'The Howling' and the Gremlins' movies ), 'Piranha' is tremendous fun, boasting a wicked sense of humour and some not bad special effects ( including a stop motion piranha that seems to be able to breathe air and which nobody notices ) and make up. John Sayles later wrote the 'Star Wars' rip-off 'Battle Beyond The Stars' for Corman and became an acclaimed director. Dillman and Menzies make an appealing couple. The former has played villains in just about every television series you care to name, while the latter was 'Jessica' in the short-lived sci-fi drama 'Logan's Run'. When this went on release, much excitement was generated by the sight of Menzies topless ( although I have since learnt it was a body double ). One of the cast, the late Paul Bartel, had directed a cult classic of his own - 'Death Race 2000' ( 1975 ) starring David Carradine.
Dante is a fan of old movies and 'Piranha' has loads of references to these. The casting of Kevin McCarthy is itself a homage, as he was warning of impending disaster in another classic flick -'Invasion Of The Body Snatchers'. Barbara Steele, who plays 'Dr.Mengers', is a cult horror movie star who amongst other things was in Corman's 'The Pit & The Pendulum' and Cronenberg's 'Shivers'.
'Piranha' ends with Grogan polluting the little swines to death. So now you know. If you fancy an outdoor swim, but are fearful of piranha fish, take along some industrial waste with you.
A sequel was made three years later - 'Piranha 2: The Spawning'. It was directed by one James Cameron. Wonder what happened to him?
Produced by Roger Corman's New World pictures, 'Piranha' was a cheeky attempt to cash-in on the 'Jaws' phenomenon. It begins with a pair of hikers - a young man and a woman - breaking into a deserted army camp and taking a midnight dip in a pool. They don't know it but said pool is full of piranha. The couple are devoured in minutes flat. Maggie McKeown ( Heather Menzies ) comes looking for them, and teams up with a local man named Paul Grogan ( Bradford Dillman ), who is drowning memories of his acrimonious divorce with the aid of alcohol. They drain the pool and find a pair of skeletons. A wild-eyed man ( Kevin MacCarthy ) comes rushing out, yelling: "You've let them out!". Indeed they have. The army had developed a mutation - piranha fish capable of thriving in non-tropical climates, intended for use in the Vietnam war. Now they are out, and headed towards a nearby holiday resort, where they will find plenty to get their teeth into...
Directed by Joe Dante ( later to make the 'The Howling' and the Gremlins' movies ), 'Piranha' is tremendous fun, boasting a wicked sense of humour and some not bad special effects ( including a stop motion piranha that seems to be able to breathe air and which nobody notices ) and make up. John Sayles later wrote the 'Star Wars' rip-off 'Battle Beyond The Stars' for Corman and became an acclaimed director. Dillman and Menzies make an appealing couple. The former has played villains in just about every television series you care to name, while the latter was 'Jessica' in the short-lived sci-fi drama 'Logan's Run'. When this went on release, much excitement was generated by the sight of Menzies topless ( although I have since learnt it was a body double ). One of the cast, the late Paul Bartel, had directed a cult classic of his own - 'Death Race 2000' ( 1975 ) starring David Carradine.
Dante is a fan of old movies and 'Piranha' has loads of references to these. The casting of Kevin McCarthy is itself a homage, as he was warning of impending disaster in another classic flick -'Invasion Of The Body Snatchers'. Barbara Steele, who plays 'Dr.Mengers', is a cult horror movie star who amongst other things was in Corman's 'The Pit & The Pendulum' and Cronenberg's 'Shivers'.
'Piranha' ends with Grogan polluting the little swines to death. So now you know. If you fancy an outdoor swim, but are fearful of piranha fish, take along some industrial waste with you.
A sequel was made three years later - 'Piranha 2: The Spawning'. It was directed by one James Cameron. Wonder what happened to him?