Piranha

Play trailer

Piranha

R

Released Jul 3, 1978

1h 32m

Horror

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

72%

Tomatometer

29 Reviews

53%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Two people (Bradford Dillman, Heather Menzies) unwittingly free a mad military scientist's (Kevin McCarthy) mutant fish near a summer camp and resort lake.

Watch on Peacock

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Performed with a wink and directed with wry self-awareness, Piranha is an unabashed B-movie with satirical bite.

Read Critics Reviews

Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

Of all the late '70s-early '80s Jaws knockoffs, none balanced tongue-in-cheek humor with out-and-out gore as deftly as Joe Dante's Piranha.

Rated: B+

Jan 10, 2006

Full Review

Empire Magazine

Rated: 4/5

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Ultimately Dante is the star and his personality seeps from ever pore of the movie. From his snarky jabs at the military and political apparatuses to silly flourishes that seem to come from out of the blue, Dante’s fingerprints are everywhere.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 17, 2023

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Dante’s talented, sure hands assemble a fun little horror-thriller that deserves to be seen as more than just a post-Spielberg rehash, but a winking and skilled thriller in the summer escapism style.

Rated: 3.5/4

Aug 9, 2023

Full Review

Stephanie Archer

Film Inquiry

While Piranha may not be the best horror film, even boarder lining ridiculous at times, it is undeniably entertaining.

Jul 30, 2022

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Even Jaws director Steven Spielberg counts himself among the film's fans.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 26, 2021

Full Review

Read all reviews

Nick O

With so many heavy genre hitters contributing to this early Joe Dante eco-horror gem, it really makes for some razor toothed, summertime drive-in fun!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/30/25

Full Review

Nolan L

A fun and gory Jaws ripoff

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/26/25

Full Review

thiago s

Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, o filme tem cenas bacaninhas das piranhas, o elenco quase nao ajuda, e o filme tem uma história fraca e com personagens mais ou menos, o filme até teve algumas cenas que salvaram, mas não o suficiente para ser bom.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/04/25

Full Review

r96 s

'Piranha' is short on laughs for a "comedy horror", though I did still enjoy this film. The elements to do with the titular fish are pretty strong, they are portrayed in the right way so the humans do feel in suitable danger. The piranhas aren't shown much, which is smart. Obviously it is inspired by 1975's 'Jaws' and does fall fairly far adrift of that classic, though that is to be expected and I'd still log it as a respectable attempt at following the mould set by that Steven Spielberg movie. It's nicely paced too, the ending felt like it came quickly. Bradford Dillman and Heather Menzies make for a pairing that I liked following, the rest of the cast are all on the same level - noteworthy to see Keenan Wynn and Dick Miller involved. It's not really a film about the cast though, let's be honest. Come for the piranha, stay for the piranha.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/22/25

Full Review

Farah R

The level of quality that went into filmmaking in the past is lamentable when watching movies today. Piranha, a parody of Jaws, has better writing, acting, and special effects than some big-budget movies. If you don't take it too seriously, it's plenty fun.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/22/25

Full Review

Tyler B

Calmly surfing off of the tail swim of Jaws.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/10/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Joe Dante

Director

Bradford Dillman

Paul Grogan

Heather Menzies-Urich

Maggie McKeown

Kevin McCarthy

Dr. Robert Hoak

Keenan Wynn

Jack

Dick Miller

Buck Gardner

C.H.U.D.

41%

33%

C.H.U.D.

Watchlist

TRAILER

for C.H.U.D.

Return to Horror High

0%

20%

Return to Horror High

Watchlist

Hellbound: Hellraiser II

52%

59%

Hellbound: Hellraiser II

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Hellbound: Hellraiser II

The Howling

75%

60%

The Howling

Watchlist

The Legacy

19%

30%

The Legacy

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The 20 Scariest Opening Scenes in Horror Movie History, Ranked

Joe Dante’s Five Favorite Horror Films

Five Favorite Films with Roger Corman

View more photos

Synopsis

Two people (Bradford Dillman, Heather Menzies) unwittingly free a mad military scientist's (Kevin McCarthy) mutant fish near a summer camp and resort lake.

Director: Joe Dante
Producer: Jon Davison
Screenwriter: John Sayles
Distributor: New World Pictures
Production Co: New World Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 3, 1978, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 3, 2018
Runtime: 1h 32m
Sound Mix: Mono

Most Popular at Home Now