One sign that you’ve made a horror classic- your film spawns a slew of imitators.
Sometimes one or two of these imitators are witty, knowing and innovative.
Thats what happened here. Jaws made such a splash (pun intended) that there were plenty of rip-offs. Piranha was one such film but was great on its own terms rather than being a pale imitation.
Director Joe Dante said the original screenplay for this Corman produced film was dire. He worked on it with John Sayles and made Piranha into the hoot it is today. Quirky characters, great scenarios and references to other works such as The Creature From The Black Lagoon abound. One lead character plays a Jaws arcade machine at the start of the film. The movie knows exactly what it is and isn’t afraid to shout it out.
Another great facet of the story- its the heroes of the piece who actually cause the near disaster they have to deal with.
The leads are amazing (Bradford Dillman and Heather Menzies) as are the supporting cast that features Kevin McCarthy, Corman regulars Paul Bartel and Dick Miller and Euro scream queen Barbara Steele.
A cult classic and deservedly so.
4 out of 5.
meathookcinema.com 