Piranha (1978)

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1978
Running Times: 94 mins
Format: Metrocolor     35mm
Ratio: 1.85:1
Sound: mono

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Company: New World Pictures
Executive Producers: Roger Corman, Jeff Schechtman
Producer: Jon Davison
Co-Producer: Chako Van Leeuwen
Production Manager: Tom Jacobson
2nd Unit Production Manager: Tom Hammel
Unit Production Manager: Harry Wowchuk (uncredited)
Los Angeles Coordinator: David Kayler

SCRIPT
Script: John Sayles, Joe Dante (uncredited)
Story: Richard Robinson, John Sayles

DIRECTION
Director: Joe Dante
2nd Unit Director: Dick Lowry
Background Director: Costa Mantis
Assistant Directors: Charles Eglee, Greg Gears

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Jamie Anderson
2nd Unit Director of Photography: M. Todd Henry
Assistant Camera: Dana Christiaansen, Andy La Marca
2nd Unit Assistant Camera: Christopher Tufty, Clyde Bryan
Gaffer: M.W. Katz
Best Boy: Dan Adams
Key Grip: Ben Haller
Grips: Bill Decker, Chris Brightman
2nd Unit Grips: Scott Buttfield, Moshe Levine
Underwater Grips: Eric Stoner, Lynn Troupe
Stills: O.C. Perkins, Ted Boehler
Labs: MGM Laboratories Inc; Metrocolor

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editors: Joe Dante, Mark Goldblatt
Assistant Editors: Brenda Balanda, Stacy Russo

MUSIC
Music: Pino Donaggio
Conductor: Natale Massara

SOUND
Location Sound Mixer: Joel Goldsmith
Boom Operator: Tony Santa Croce
Sound Effects Editors: Richard Anderson, Terry Eckton, Dave Yewdall
Foley Artist: Velcie Yewdall
Post-Production Sound: Ryder Sound Services Inc

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Wardrobe Supervisor: Linda Pearl
Wardrobe Assistant: Jack Buehler

SPECIAL MAKE UP EFFECTS
Special Make Up: Rob Bottin, Vincent Prentice

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Jon Berg
Mechanical Effects: Dave Morton, Doug Barnett, Chris Casady (uncredited)

VISUAL EFFECTS
Photographic Effects: Bill Hedge, Peter Kuran, Rick Taylor
Effects Assistants: Jerome Seven, Jools Tippett
Creature Designer / Animator: Phil Tippett
Animator: Adam Beckett
Special Optical Effects: Pat O'Neill

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Directors: Bill Mellin, Kerry Mellin
Assistant Art Director: Tim Doughten
Set Decorators: Jeff Ayers
Property Masters: Kathleen Hughes, Kevin Hughes
Special Properties: Chris Walas, Robert Short

MISCELLANEOUS
Script Supervisor: Jeanne Rosenberg
Location Auditor: Nava Jacoby
Production Secretaries: Ashley Stieglitz, Sharron Reynolds
Production Assistants: Ed Tarbutton, Jim Boni, Michael Martin, Robert Brown, Jeff Hoffman
Grip Driver: Michael Goldson
Boat Captain: Jack Hicks
Scuba Instructor: John Smead

LOCATIONS
Locations: San Marcos, Texas, USA; Seguin, Texas, USA; Wimberley, Texas, USA
Location Manager: Harry Wowchuk

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks To: The San Marcos Aquatic Club; Aquarena Springs Resort; Scuba Pro; Suzuki
International; Robert Hammond and Associates; Boat Town of Austin; Lone Star Breweries; Deck
Boat Corporation; Catalina Swim Wear; Jacecraft Corporation; AMF Corporation

STUNTS
Stunt Coordinator: Conrad Palmisano
Stunts: Bobby Sargent, Nick Palmisano, Roger Creed

CASTING
Casting Director: Susan Arnold

CAST
Bradford Dillman (Paul Grogan)
Heather Menzies (Maggie McKeown)
Kevin McCarthy (Dr Robert Hoak)
Keenan Wynn (Jack)
Dick Miller (Buck Gardner)
Barbara Steele (Dr Mengers)
Belinda Balaski (Betsy)
Melody Thomas (Laura Dickinson)
Bruce Gordon (Colonel Waxman)
Barry Brown (trooper)
Paul Bartel (Dumont)
Shannon Collins (Suzie Grogan)
Shawn Nelson (Whitney)
Richard Deacon (Earl Lyon)
Janie Squire (Barbara)
Roger Richman (David)
Bill Smillie (jailer)
Guich Koock (TV pitchman)
Jack Pauleson (boy in canoe)
Eric Henshaw (father in canoe)
Robert Vinson (soldier)
Virginia Dunnam (girl)
Hill Farnsworth (water-skier)
Bruce Barbour (man in boat)
Robyn Ray (screaming woman)
Mike Sullivan (dam guard)
Jack Cardwell (Brandy)
Sally Bondi (swimming deb (uncredited))
Joe Dante (scubadiver (uncredited))
John Sayles (army sentry (uncredited))

PLOT SUMMARY

A shoal of experimental flesh-eating piranhas are accidently released from an abandoned military facility deep in the woods. While the military struggle to cover up the incident, a group of civilians try to warn the owners of a newly opened summer resort that the fish are heading straight for their guests...

CAPSULE REVIEW

A wonderful, no-nonsense, low budget imitation of Jaws that's a cut above the usual rip-off. Dante keeps things moving at a fair clip, the cast are all excellent and the special effects are used sparingly and effectively. The witty script is the key to everything here and Sayles simply piles on the genre clichés to great effect. Huge fun.

AVAILABILITY

UK
Video Distributors: Warner Brothers

USA
Theatrical Distributors: New World Pictures
Video Distributors: New Horizons
DVD Distributors: New Horizons Home Video (NH 20189 - 20th Anniversary Special Edition); New Horizons Home Video (NH 20189 - The Director's Series)

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Australia
Rating: M

France
Rating: -12

Norway
Rating: 16

Sweden
Rating: 15

UK
Rating: X (1978); 18 (1987); 15 (2002)

USA
Rating: R

West Germany
Rating: 16

AWARDS

1979
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, USA
Saturn Award Best Editing (Mark Goldblatt, Joe Dante) - winner
Saturn Award Best Horror Film - nominated

TIMELINE

1978
March
15: USA – filming begins

April
5: USA – filming ends

August
3: USA – theatrical release

October
23: Sweden – theatrical release
26: West Germany – theatrical release

1999
October
26: USA - DVD release (New Horizons Home Video (NH 20189 - 20th Anniversary Special Edition))

2000
February
8: USA - New Horizons Home Video (NH 20189 - The Director's Series)

POSTER TAGS

Lost River Lake was a thriving resort - until they discovered...

They're here... Hungry for flesh! Who can stop them?

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

Piraija - Finnish title
Pirana - Italian title
Piraña - Spanish title
Piranhas - French / West German title
Piraya - Norwegian / Swedish title

LINKS

SEQUEL
Piranha II: The Spawning (1981)

REMAKE
Piranha (1995)

INCLUDES FOOTAGE FROM
The Monster That Challenged the World (1957)
Shark Jaws (1975)

SEE ALSO
20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)
Jaws (1975)
Killer Fish (1979)
Moby Dick (1956)

REFERENCES

MAGAZINES

Halls of Horror p.27 p.26 (UK)
note

Neon September 1998 p.100 (UK)
review (by Ian Johnston)

Total Film September 1998 p.98 (UK)
review (by Dean Evans)

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

KEYWORDS

cabins, eugenics, experiments, fishs, genetic engineering, killer fish, laboratories, military, monsters, mutations, piranhas, rafts, rivers, scientists, summer camps, teenagers, underwater, video games, water skiing

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009