Piranha (1978)

Director:

Joe Dante

Writers:

Richard Robinson (story) and
John Sayles (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

3 August 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

They came downriver in their thousands. Their teeth could strip a living man to the bone in seconds.

Plot:

When flesh-eating piranhas are accidently released into a summer resort's rivers, the guests become their next meal.

Plot Keywords:

Piranha | River | Fish | Water | Experiment

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Bradford Dillman	...	Paul Grogan
Heather Menzies-Urich	...	Maggie McKeown (as Heather Menzies)
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
Roger Richman	...	David
Bill Smillie	...	Jailer
Guich Koock	...	TV Pitchman
Jack Pauleson	...	Boy in Canoe
Eric Henshaw	...	Father in Canoe
Robert Vinson	...	Soldier
Virginia Dunnam	...	Girl
Diamond Farnsworth	...	Water-skier (as Hill Farnsworth)
Bruce Paul Barbour	...	Man in Boat (as Bruce Barbour)
Robyn Ray	...	Screaming Woman
Mike Sullivan	...	Dam Guard
Jack Cardwell	...	Brandy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sally Bondi	...	Swimming Deb (uncredited)
Eric Braeden	...	Dr. Robert Hoak (swimming double) (uncredited)
Joe Dante	...	Scuba Diver #2 (uncredited)
Amy Holden Jones	...	Hertz Clerk (uncredited)
Andrew G. La Marca	...	Scuba Diver #1 (uncredited)
John Sayles	...	Army Sentry (uncredited)
Phil Tippett	...	Scuba Diver #3 (victim) (uncredited)

Directed by
Joe Dante

Writing credits
Richard Robinson		(story) and
John Sayles		(story)
John Sayles		(screenplay)

Produced by
Roger Corman	....	executive producer
Jon Davison	....	producer
Chako van Leeuwen	....	co-producer (as Chako Van Leeuwen)
Jeff Schechtman	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Pino Donaggio

Cinematography by
Jamie Anderson		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Joe Dante
Mark Goldblatt

Casting by
Susan Arnold

Art Direction by
Bill Mellin
Kerry Mellin

Set Decoration by
Jeff Ayers

Makeup Department
Rob Bottin	....	special makeup
Vincent Prentice	....	special makeup

Production Management
Thomas M. Hammel	....	production manager: second unit
Tom Jacobson	....	production manager
Harry Wowchuk	....	unit production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles H. Eglee	....	assistant director (as Charles Eglee)
Greg Gears	....	assistant director
Dick Lowry	....	second unit director
Costa Mantis	....	background director

Art Department
Tim Doughten	....	assistant art director
Kathleen Hughes	....	property master
Kevin Hughes	....	property master

Sound Department
Richard L. Anderson	....	sound effects editor (as Richard Anderson)
Teresa Eckton	....	sound effects editor (as Terry Eckton)
Joel Goldsmith	....	location sound mixer
Anthony Santa Croce	....	boom operator (as Tony Santa Croce)
David Lewis Yewdall	....	sound effects editor (as Dave Yewdall)
Velcie Yewdall	....	foley artist
Kendrick Sweet	....	dialogue editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Douglas Barnett	....	mechanical effects (as Doug Barnett)
Jon Berg	....	special effects
Dave Morton	....	mechanical effects
Robert Short	....	special properties
Chris Walas	....	special properties

Visual Effects by
Adam Beckett	....	animator
Bill Hedge	....	photographic effects
Peter Kuran	....	photographic effects
Pat O'Neill	....	special opticals
Jules Roman	....	effects assistant (as Jools Tippett)
Jerome Seven	....	effects assistant
Rick Taylor	....	photographic effects
Phil Tippett	....	creature designer and animator
Chris Casady	....	photographic effects (uncredited)
Phil Tippett	....	model construction (uncredited)

Stunts
Roger Creed	....	stunts
Conrad E. Palmisano	....	stunt coordinator (as Conrad Palmisano)
Nick Palmisano	....	stunts
Bobby Sargent	....	stunts
Bruce Paul Barbour	....	utility stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Daniel Adams	....	best boy (as Dan Adams)
Ted Boehler	....	still photographer
Chris Brightman	....	grip
Clyde E. Bryan	....	assistant camera: second unit (as Clyde Bryan)
Scott Buttfield	....	grip: second unit
Dana Christiaansen	....	assistant camera
Bill Decker	....	grip
Ben Haller	....	key grip
M. Todd Henry	....	director of photography: second unit
Michael Katz	....	gaffer (as M.W. Katz)
Andrew G. La Marca	....	assistant camera (as Andy La Marca)
Moshe Levin	....	grip: second unit (as Moshe Levine)
O.C. Perkins	....	still photographer
Eric Stoner	....	underwater grip
Lynn Troupe	....	underwater grip
Christopher Tufty	....	assistant camera: second unit

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jack Buehler	....	wardrobe assistant
Linda Pearl	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Brenda Balanda	....	assistant editor
Stacy Russo	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Natale Massara	....	conductor

Transportation Department
Michael K. Davis	....	driver: grip (as Michael Goldson)

Other crew
Jim Boni	....	production assistant
Robert Brown	....	production assistant
William Decker	....	dog wrangler
Jeffrey M. Hoffman	....	production assistant (as Jeff Hoffman)
Nava Jacoby	....	location auditor
David Kayler	....	coordinator: Los Angeles
Michael Martin	....	production assistant
Sharron Reynolds	....	production secretary
Jeanne Rosenberg	....	script supervisor
John Smead	....	scuba instructor
Ashley Stieglitz	....	production secretary
Ed Tarbutton	....	production assistant
Harry Wowchuk	....	location manager
Susan Arnold	....	adr voice (uncredited)
Taira Rosales	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• New World Pictures

Distributors

• New World Pictures (1978) (USA) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1978) (France) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1980) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Warner Home Video (1983) (USA) (VHS)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm print)
• Stormovie (2005) (Italy) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Shout! Factory (2010) (USA) (DVD) (special edition)
• Shout! Factory (2010) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Another World Entertainment (2010) (Denmark) (DVD)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (1988) (Greece) (VHS)
• Fazer Musiikki Oy/Fazer Video (1984) (Finland) (video)
• Future Film (2010) (Finland) (DVD)
• New Concorde (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• New Horizons (video)
• Studio S (2010) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (????) (Finland) (video)
• Warner Home Video (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Ryder Sound Services  post-production sound

Also Known As:

Runtime:

94 min | USA:106 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

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 | Finland:(Banned) (1978) (uncut) | Finland:K-16 (1984) (cut) | Italy:VM14 | Iceland:L | Argentina:16 (re-rating) | Argentina:X (original rating) | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-15 (2010) (uncut) | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Burbank, California, USA

Company:

New World Pictures

Trivia:

The extras were all paid $5 a day and given a box lunch.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the climax, when Maggie is counting to a hundred before pulling Paul out of the water, her countdown is way off. She's either way behind or far ahead of the allotted time.

Quotes:

Maggie McKeown:Mr. Grogan, I'm looking for two teenagers that disappeared a few weeks ago. Some friends of theirs said they went camping around here.
Paul Grogan:Well, I haven't seen them. You talk to the sheriff's people?
Maggie McKeown:I did. They told me that it's a pretty big mountain area.
Paul Grogan:It is.
Maggie McKeown: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 all right!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Lesser Evil (1998)

The best Jaws-inspired flick swimming around out there!

Debut film of B horror director Joe Dante is this fun, exciting Jaws spoof that's the best of its kind!

A school of deadly, mutant piranha is released from a government laboratory and it's up to an alcoholic man and his detective love-interest to warn folks down stream!

A fast-paced, campy, and humorous ride all the way, Piranha is a genuinely entertaining B film that recalls not only Jaws but many of the classic monster flicks of the 50's. The screenplay by John Sayles has lots of good suspense and a witty kind of humor. Dante's direction is nicely done, keeping the energetic mood of the film high. The special FX aren't half bad, especially considering the limited budget. In fact the movie packs some truly gory images. Pino Donaggio's music score is beautifully well done.

Stars Bradford Dillman and Heather Menzies are quite good, making for some amusing and unlikely heroes. The supporting cast is good as well and has a number of veteran actors - Kevin McCarthy, Keenan Wynn, Dick Miller, and Barbara Steele.

Over all, Piranha is a good old-fashioned horror delight for genre fans. See it!

**** out of ****