Piranha II: The Spawning (1981)

3.8R94 minDirector: James Cameron

1982 horror film by James Cameron

Piranha II: The Spawning (subtitled Flying Killers internationally) is a 1982 monster film directed by James Cameron in his feature directorial debut. It is the sequel to Piranha (1978), and the second installment in the Piranha film series. The screenplay was written by Cameron and Charles H. Eglee, under the shared pseudonym "H.A. Milton". It stars Tricia O'Neil, Lance Henriksen, Steve Marachuk, Ted Richert, Ricky Paull Goldin, and Leslie Graves; no crew or cast members from the original film returned.

Cameron, previously a special effects artist for Roger Corman, was hired as director after executive producer Ovidio G. Assonitis fired his predecessor. The production was fraught with difficulties, as Assonitis exerted heavy creative control, hired an Italian crew that did not speak English, and prevented Cameron from participating in editing.

Both a critical failure and a box office bomb, Piranha II was largely disowned by Cameron, who attempted to have his name removed from official credits and prefers to refer to The Terminator (1984) as his first feature-length film as director.

Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

FAQ

What is Piranha II: The Spawning about?
Piranha II: The Spawning (1981) — A sunken US supply ship off a Caribbean island resort is the focus for a series of mysterious piranha attacks. Investigating the death of one of her son's companions after a scuba-diving trip, Anne Kimbrough breaks into the morgue with holidaymaker Tyler Sherman, only to discover
Is Piranha II: The Spawning based on a true story?
See the production background and source material details on the official Wikipedia article.
Is Piranha II: The Spawning scary?
Content rating: R. See the reviews tab for parental guidance and tone notes.