The defence The Arthouse Gremlin
“Its refusal to behave is the point.”
The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.
Back to trending 
Piranha
Horror · Science Fiction · Comedy · 1978
When flesh-eating piranhas are accidentally released into a summer resort's rivers, the guests become their next meal.
Movie details
Piranha
“A hideous death lurked unseen in the river...”
1978 Horror · Science Fiction · Comedy 1h 34m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.0 / 10
Community rating
When flesh-eating piranhas are accidentally released into a summer resort's rivers, the guests become their next meal.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Piranha?
For the defence
The Arthouse Gremlin
“The stranger, the better.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Prestige Tourist
“You like your greatness pre-approved.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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Freaks of Nature
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In the town of Dillford, humans, vampires and zombies were all living in peace - until the alien apocalypse arrived. Now three teenagers-one human, one vampire, and one zombie-have to team up to figure out how to get rid of the visitors.
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Three bounty hunters from space fly back to the town of Grovers Bend, hoping to save local residents from a new batch of Critter eggs.
Terror Firmer
Comedy · 1999
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Horror · 2006
A small town is taken over by an alien plague, turning residents into zombies and all forms of mutant monsters.
The Cabin in the Woods
Horror · 2012
Five friends set out for a weekend at a remote cabin in the woods, expecting nothing more than fun and relaxation. As night falls, they discover that something far more unsettling is at work and that nothing about their getaway is what it seems.
The Bay
Horror · 2012
Chaos breaks out in a small Maryland town after an ecological disaster occurs.
The Signal
Horror · 2007
A horror film told in three parts, from three perspectives, in which a mysterious transmission that turns people into killers invades every cell phone, radio, and television.
Night of the Creeps
Horror · 1986
In 1959, an alien experiment crashes to earth and infects a fraternity member. They freeze the body, but in the modern day, two geeks pledging a fraternity accidentally thaw the corpse, which proceeds to infect the campus with parasites that transform their hosts into killer zombies.
Alligator
Horror · 1980
A baby alligator is flushed down a toilet and survives by eating discarded lab animals that have been injected with growth hormones. The now gigantic animal escapes the city sewers and goes on a rampage, pursued by a cop and a big-game hunter.
Where it lives
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Joe Dante
Written by
John Sayles · Richard Robinson
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
Court is in session
Put Piranha on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Prestige Tourist
“Oddness is not depth.”
A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.