On this day in 1978, Joe Dante's first feature film, Piranha, debuted in theaters. While it was originally thought to be just another in a long string of B-level, Jaws knock-offs, it managed to rise above the rest and endear itself to the movie-going public. The film "literally" spawned a sequel three years later, as well as a couple of remakes in the decades that followed.
Despite being a huge fan of Dante's work, especially the Gremlins franchise, I didn't get around to watching Piranha until my junior year of college, 25 years after its original release. The very same VHS that I rented for that first viewing ended up in my collection a short time later, where it was watched and re-watched until the tape tore to shreds from overuse. Suffice to say, like most of Dante's work, it left quite the impression on me.
I could share all the reasons I adore the film to celebrate its 35th birthday, but I've decided instead to create a visual "love letter". A small selection of screen-grabs from my most recent viewing this morning. Enjoy!
Fantastic movie me and my buddy Scott just love it.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great film, definitely. Easy to see how Spielberg himself called it the "best of the Jaws ripoffs."
DeleteThis was such a fun movie! I remember growing up and being so enthralled by this movie. I haven't seen it in awhile, but I have it on dvd, so I might need to watch it again.
ReplyDeleteI have not seen it in years. Need to. All I have are the remakes.
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