Piranha
A sly, fast-moving creature feature turns a summer resort into a feeding ground for experimentally enhanced piranhas.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Moderate
- wry
- campy
- tense
- late night horror marathon
- cult movie night
What critics said
Critics generally regard it as an entertaining, self-aware B-movie whose brisk thrills and satirical edge outweigh its weak effects and uneven genre balance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film mixes scream-inducing attacks with in-jokes and a wry awareness of its relationship to Jaws and exploitation cinema.
The central danger comes from experimentally altered piranhas released into public waterways.
Summer camps, rivers, and a lake resort turn familiar holiday spaces into sites of animal attack.
The piranhas are often kept below the waterline or out of clear view, intensifying the danger through concealment.
Films like Piranha, and why
Jaws
Shared aquatic creature horror, summer resort setting, escalating public panic, and knowingly commercial genre construction.
Crawl
Shared animal attack premise, horror comedy tone, practical-effects spectacle, and irreverent genre sensibility.
Lake Placid
Shared killer-animal concept, camp setting, brisk suspense, and playful exploitation-film energy.
The Blob
Shared science-fiction horror premise involving engineered creatures, dark humor, and pulpy B-movie pacing.
Movie Details
- Director
- Joe Dante
- Release Date
- 1978-08-03
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (784)
Cast
- Bradford Dillman
- Heather Menzies
- Kevin McCarthy
- Keenan Wynn
- Dick Miller
- Barbara Steele
- Belinda Balaski
- Melody Thomas Scott
- Bruce Gordon
- Barry Brown
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- 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, Cineverse Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Piranha about?
- A sly, fast-moving creature feature turns a summer resort into a feeding ground for experimentally enhanced piranhas.
- What is Piranha like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Piranha as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Piranha violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Piranha as moderate.
- What did critics think of Piranha?
- Critics generally regard it as an entertaining, self-aware B-movie whose brisk thrills and satirical edge outweigh its weak effects and uneven genre balance.
- Which films are like Piranha?
- Films with a similar feel include Jaws, Crawl, Lake Placid, and The Blob.
- How long is Piranha?
- Piranha runs 94 minutes.
- Where can I watch Piranha?
- In United States, Piranha streams 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, Cineverse Amazon Channel.
