Piranha is a 1978 American B movie about a swarm of killer piranhas. It was directed by Joe Dante and starred Bradford Dillman, Heather Menzies, Kevin McCarthy, Keenan Wynn and Dick Miller. Produced by Roger Corman, Piranha is a parody of the 1975 film Jaws, which had been a major success for distributor Universal Studios and director Steven Spielberg, and inspired a series of similarly themed B movies such as Grizzly, Tintorera, Tentacles, Orca, Monster Shark and Great White. Piranha was followed by a sequel, Piranha II: The Spawning, in 1981, and two remakes, one in 1995, and another in... 2010. The film was shot at Aquarena Springs in San Marcos, Texas. Screenwriter John Sayles used the proceeds to fund his own films. Two teenagers exploring at night come upon an apparently abandoned military installation. They take advantage of what appears to be a swimming pool to skinny dip. The teenagers are attacked by an unseen force and disappear under the water. A light activates in the main building and a silhouetted figure investigates the screams, but is too late to help.
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| Release date: | August 3, 1978 |
| Directed by: | Joe Dante |
| Rated: |  |
| Runtime: | 94 Minutes |
| Producer: | Roger Corman, Jon Davidson, Chako van Leeuwen, Jeff Schechtman |
| Editor: | Joe Dante, Mark Goldblatt |
| Music by: | Pino Donaggio |
| Cinematography: | Jamie Anderson |
| Screenplay by: | Richard Robinson, John Sayles |
| Estimated budget: | $660,000 |
| Genre: | Comedy |