Official movie poster for Piranha (1978), a horror science fiction film

Piranha(1978)

A hideous death lurked unseen in the river...

6.0(776)1h 34m1978-08-03
HorrorScience FictionComedy

Piranha Synopsis

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

Piranha (1978) is a horror, science fiction and comedy film directed by Joe Dante, released on August 3, 1978 with a runtime of 1h 34m. It stars Bradford Dillman, Heather Menzies, Kevin McCarthy and Keenan Wynn. Viewers rate it 6.0 out of 10 across 776 ratings.

Director:
Joe Dante
Writers:
John Sayles, John Sayles, Richard Robinson
Producers:
Jon Davison
Cinematographer:
Jamie Anderson
Composer:
Pino Donaggio
Production:
New World Pictures, Chako Film Company
Budget:
$660,000
Revenue:
$16,000,000
Status:
Released

Piranha (1978) Trailer

Watch the official trailer for Piranha before you stream it.

Piranha Videos & Clips

Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for Piranha.

Piranha ≣ 1978 ≣ Trailer

Trailer

Piranha (1978) trailer

Trailer

TCM Underground Presents: Slumberground - Piranha (1978)

Featurette

Jon Davison on PIRANHA

Featurette

Piranha Reviews & Ratings

Average viewer score of 6.0/10 from 776 ratings.

Gimly

4/10

Not a terrible film, but there was a remake in the 90s with the exact same story featuring better acting and better effects, so you can probably skip straight ahead to that one. Now I know that if I had been around when that remake came out, I'd probably be the first in line to complain "Why'd you even bother? It's just the first movie over again!", but seeing as I watched them both in retrospect, I can ignore the…

Reviewed on January 25, 2018

Wuchak

8/10

Adventuresome and fun "Jaws" homage with far superior women RELEASED IN 1978 and directed by Joe Dante, “Piranha” chronicles events when genetically-enhanced piranha are accidently released into a river system in central Texas, which threaten kids & counselors at a Summer Camp and vacationers at a lake resort. A spirited skip tracer (Heather Menzies) and a backwoods drunkard (Bradford Dillman) team-up to save the…

Reviewed on July 10, 2018

Kamurai

5/10

Decent watch, probably won't watch again, but can recommend for fans of Jaws or any other version of this movie. There is a 1995 remake of this movie that I would probably watch instead if I wanted to watch this gain. Not-trigger warning: There is a surprising LACK of gore in this movie. This has a decent story to it, but it shares aspects with Jaws, Friday the 13th, other movies of the era. Particularly the "hide…

Reviewed on July 28, 2020

The Movie Mob

5/10

**Piranha is bad 70s creature feature gold! It's so bad it's great and a fun ride as long as you expect a total cheesefest.** Piranha is cheesy 70s/80s creature films at their very best! It has everything - evil military generals, obligatory lake celebrations, scientific experimentation gone wrong, horrible dialogue, low-budget effects, and more. It's clear as you watch the film that Piranha was heavily influenced…

Reviewed on November 27, 2022

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Piranha – Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I watch Piranha online?

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Piranha (1978) is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Peacock Premium, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, Shudder, Night Flight Plus, Shudder Amazon Channel, Midnight Pulp, Shudder Apple TV channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel and Cineverse Amazon Channel, and to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.

Who stars in Piranha?

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The main cast of Piranha (1978) includes Bradford Dillman, Heather Menzies, Kevin McCarthy, Keenan Wynn and Dick Miller. The film was directed by Joe Dante. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.

When was Piranha released?

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Piranha was released on August 3, 1978 and runs for 1h 34m.

Is Piranha worth watching?

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Piranha (1978) holds an average rating of 6.0 out of 10 from 776 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy horror, science fiction and comedy films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.

Is there a trailer for Piranha?

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Yes. The official Piranha trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.