Piranha (1978)
It‘s an American horror comedy film from 1978 directed by Joe Dante, starring Bradford Dillman and Heather Menzies. A river is invested by ferocious genetically altered Piranha fish. 
Piranha is one of the first low-budget B-movies inspired by the film Jaws (1975), a major blockbuster by director Steven Spielberg.
Plot
Two teenagers find an abandoned military complex and go swimming in a pool but are attacked by something in the water.
Maggie McKeown finds the missing teenagers near Lost River Lake and hires Paul Grogan, to guide her. Upon discovering the military complex with the pool. They drain the pool and find a skeleton. A stranger tells them it was filled with piranhas…
Notable scenes
The piranha attack scenes (splashing water and blood)
Making of Piranha
The fish were done by attaching rubber puppet fish to sticks.
Universal Studios wanted to sue New World for spoofing Jaws (1975). But, Steven Spielberg saw the movie and loved it. Then Universal dropped the lawsuit.
While the two main characters are exploring the cluttered lab, a small two-legged humanoid lizard creature skitters across a countertop without their noticing. The stop motion monster was an homage to Ray Harryhausen.
The effects crew rehearsed the piranha effects in the pool of the Holiday Inn where the crew and actors were stayingThe video game that Maggie is playing in the the beginning of the movie is Jaws.
Our view on Piranha
Joe Dante the director who made Gremlins and The Howling made Piranha under Roger Corman as a warm up before these blockbusters. 
Piranha was made as a cash-in of Jaws. With outstanding make-up effects provided by Rob Bottin and is pure fun. We give it a thumbs up.
Trailer
Where to buy Piranha
DVD/VHS/Betamax/VCC
Watch on Youtube
Details
Genre: water
Released in: 1978
Era: seventies
Actors: Bradford Dillman, Heather Menzies
Director: Joe Dante
Poster artist: unknown
Country: USA
