Piranha (1978) – Review

A lot of Jaws rip-offs flooded cinemas during the late ’70s and earlier ’80s but Joe Dante’s aquatic gem stands as one of the best, in fact, it was so good that when Universal wanted to sue Corman’s studio it was Steven Spielberg who convinced them not to. If that doesn’t equal a good recommendation I don’t know what does. But great rip-off or not, how does Joe Dante’s Piranha hold up after all these years?

Released in 1978, amidst the wake of “Jaws Mania,” Dante’s film boldly swims into its own territory, delivering a schlocky yet immensely entertaining experience that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Set in the idyllic riverside town of Lost River Lake, the story follows a determined skiptracer, Maggie McKeown (Heather Menzies) and a local reclusive alcoholic, Paul Grogan (Bradford Dillman), as they unravel a sinister government conspiracy involving a top-secret experiment gone awry. The plot is kicked off when Maggie empties a pool containing a swarm of genetically altered piranhas into the local waterways – she believed that a pair of teens she was looking for may have drowned in the pool – and this sets off a chain reaction of chaos and bloody carnage.

Science Note: Despite their razor-sharp teeth and fearsome looks piranha do not eat humans, they eat fish and other life in the water.

Turns out that a scientist by the name of Dr. Robert Hoak (Kevin McCarthy) was the lead scientist on a project called Operation: Razorteeth, which had been designed to create mutated piranha that could withstand the cold waters of North Vietnamese rivers and thus be able to munch on the Viet Cong movement, but despite the project being scrapped some of these aquatic monsters survived. Their release into the Lost Lake River system results in our heroes having to make a mad dash to prevent these eating machines from making it to the local summer camp, where Grogan’s aquaphobic daughter (Shannon Collins) is located, needless to say, things don’t quite our hero’s way. Not helped by the summer camp being operated by an incompetent buffoon (Paul Bartel) and adult bully.

Spielberg killed one kid in Jaws while Dante wipes out an entire summer camp.

Director Joe Dante masterfully infuses his film with a blend of B-movie charm and genuine suspense and the practical effects by Rob Botin, though showing signs of age, still hold up remarkably well. The underwater attacks are shot with a suspenseful eye and the piranha puppets are surprisingly effective in creating moments of genuine fear and the use of miniatures for some of the underwater sequences adds a quaint charm to the film, reminiscent of classic creature features. These sequences are surprisingly tense, showcasing Dante’s skill in building suspense even in the murky depths. The script by John Sayles is rife with clichés, such as business man Buck Gardner (Dick Miller) who refuses to shut down his water park despite the dangers, and then there is your standard evil government cover-up  which in this film comes in the form of Colonel Waxman (Bruce Gordon) and former Razorteeth scientist Dr. Mengers (Barbara Steele) – and they are about as cartoony stupid as one could imagine, but that is all part of Piranha’s attraction.

“We’re not evil so much as incompetent.”

Stray Observations:

• If you break into a place that has a posted sign stating “Military Test Sit * Restricted Area * No Trespassing” you are either going to be eaten by piranhas or possibly turned into a gamma-irradiated monster, basically, whatever happens it’s on you.
• In a nod to the film this entry is ripping off, Maggie is introduced playing a Jaws stand-up arcade game.
• This film contains one of my least favourite clichés, where a character will refuse to do something, vehemently declaring “No I’m not” but then this is followed by a smash cut of them do exactly that.
• I know piranha are notoriously fast eaters but at one point a man is unable to pull his legs out of the water before the flesh is eaten off them and this is a bit ridiculous.
• We see a television showing the 1957 science-fiction/monster movie The Monster That Challenged the World, a film that also featured an aquatic menace.
• We get the classic “We can’t close the beaches, it’s the Fourth of July” cliché in the form of a water park being secretly funded by Colonel Waxman and run by charlatan Buck Gardner.

It’s not a proper Joe Dante film without Dick Miller.

Rip-off or not, Piranha isn’t your typical creature feature as its sly wit and biting satire brings it up a level, with Dante cleverly skewering government bureaucracy and corporate greed through the characters of Dr. Robert Hoak and Buck Gardner, one a scientist responsible for the disastrous experiment and the other a grifter whose drive to make money is put ahead of public safety. This isn’t exactly new ground but Dante delivers it all with a nice wink and a smile. It’s the film’s self-aware humour that adds an extra layer of enjoyment, inviting us to revel in its campy delights. Despite its modest budget and occasional rough edges, Piranha swims with confidence, propelled by Dante’s energetic direction and a cast committed to the madness. Menzies and Dillman share a dynamic chemistry, anchoring the film with their likable performances amidst the chaos unfolding around them, and while the characters may be somewhat archetypal, they serve the film’s purpose, making it an engaging and enjoyable experience.

Note: We see a small two-legged humanoid lizard scurrying around Hoak’s lab, a wonderful homage to the works of Ray Harryhausen that was created by Phil Tippet.

This film is great because it doesn’t shy away from its B-movie roots, with Dante embracing the genre’s low-budget origins and turning those limitations into strengths. The result is a film that has gained a dedicated fan base over the years, celebrated for its creativity and the genuine fun it provides. In the end, while Piranha may not reach the cinematic heights of its shark-infested predecessor it stands as a cult classic in its own right, a gleefully absurd thrill ride that knows exactly what it is and embraces it wholeheartedly. So, dive in if you dare as the waters of Lost River Lake run red with blood, and the piranhas are always hungry for more.