Piranha II: The Spawning (1981)

A scuba diving instructor, her biochemist boyfriend, and her police chief ex-husband try to link a series of bizarre deaths to a mutant strain of piranha fish whose lair is a sunken freighter ship off a Caribbean island resort.

Directors:

James Cameron, Ovidio G. Assonitis (uncredited)

Writers:

Charles H. Eglee (screenplay by) (as H.A. Milton), James Cameron (screenplay) (as H.A. Milton)

Stars:

Tricia O'Neil, Steve Marachuk, Lance Henriksen

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tricia O'Neil	...	Anne Kimbrough
Steve Marachuk	...	Tyler Sherman
Lance Henriksen	...	Police Chief Steve Kimbrough (as Lance Henricksen)
Ricky Paull Goldin	...	Chris Kimbrough (as Ricky G. Paull)
Ted Richert	...	Raoul, Hotel Manager
Leslie Graves	...	Allison Dumont
Carole Davis	...	Jai
Connie Lynn Hadden	...	Loretta
Arnie Ross	...	Mal the Cook
Tracey Berg	...	Beverly (as Tracy Berg)
Albert Sanders	...	Leo Bell, D.D.S.
Anne Pollack	...	Mrs. Wilson
Hildy Magnasun	...	Myrna Benotti
Phil Colby	...	Ralph Benotti
Lee Krug	...	Ron 'Ronny', the Lifeguard

Storyline

A sunken US supply ship off a Caribbean island resort is the focus for a series of mysterious piranha attacks. Investigating the death of one of her son's companions after a scuba-diving trip, Anne Kimbrough breaks into the morgue with holidaymaker Tyler Sherman, only to discover that the fish have wings and can fly. But the hotel manager refuses to call off the annual fish fry on the beach, with inevitable consequences...

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Plot Keywords:

directorial debut | sequel | killer fish | psychotronic film | caribbean island | 

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Taglines:

They bred the ultimate killing machine... Now you're not safe OUT of the water!

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of a cycle of 1980s and mid-late 1970s movies that got made after the box-office success of Jaws (1975). The films include that movie's three sequels, Jaws 2 (1978), Jaws 3-D (1983), and Jaws: The Revenge (1987), as well as Orca (1977), Piranha (1978), Tentacles (1977), Killer Fish (1979), Barracuda (1978), Tintorera: Killer Shark (1977), Blood Beach (1980), Piranha II: The Spawning (1981), The Last Shark (1981), Up from the Depths (1979), Humanoids from the Deep (1980), Screamers (1979), Devil Fish (1984) and Mako: The Jaws of Death (1976).

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Goofs

In the wreck of the Earl Fitzgerald, the plastic dummy of the scuba diver floats up and bangs on the lens of the camera.

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Quotes

Chris Kimbrough: Allison, wake up! Wake up!
Allison Dumont: We're lost. Lost at sea. How romantic.
Chris Kimbrough: Oh my God... Allison! Words can't describe the trouble we're in.

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Alternate Versions

The 2002 DVD release includes a short scene at the very beginning of the film that introduces the doomed scuba divers Lou and Lisa conversing aboard their small boat just prior to their fatal dive to the Dwight Fitzgerald, putting their attempt at underwater lovemaking in some sort of context.

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Connections

Referenced in Skeleton Crew (2009)

User Reviews

Kinda fun

The fish swimming underwater looked better than the original. Also gorier. Just as cheesy and with as much nudity as the first movie. It isn't as good as the first but still kinda fun. Yes, James Cameron made a film about killer flying fish. Could you imagine how good he'd make a b-movie if he made it now?

Details

Country:

Italy USA Japan

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 November 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Spawning

Filming Locations:

Rome, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$145,786 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Brouwersgracht Investments, Chako Film Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min 84 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1