Plot:
At night, a couple is hiking looking for a decent place to camp. They find a rusty chain linked fence, and decide to explore. The couple finds an outdoor
pool. Note: We know in movie about killer piranhas, somebody’s gotta die fast, so why bother with their names. She suggests washing off, and pushes him
in the pool. Though, it’s dark, light enough to watch the chick disrobe. Houston, we have non-silicon mammalian protuberances. While swimming in the pool, the
guy is bit. They frolic a little. He seems to be the target of the mysterious biters…and then goes under the water. Chick is freaking out at this point. When, whatever
is eating decides to eat to her, next. Screaming she tries swimming to the edge and getting out, killed before getting there…Lights come on around the pool as the
credits roll.
Some woman is playing the Jaws video game at an airport. Her boss gives Maggie the instructions on this job. She’s to find a couple of missing kids in
the woods. What are the odds those eaten by piranhas are who she’s looking for? Stock footage of a plane take off assaults us.
In the woods, old hermit Jack hauls a little wagon with supplies to his friend Paul Grogan. Paul is working on pickling his liver in tequila, vodka, bourbon, etc…Jack
mentions how much he likes the woods and hates town. Poor guy, no chance at all, he’ll make it now…The only way he’d have less chance of surviving would if he
had 2 days on the police force before retiring to open a restaurant, etc…
Maggie is driving her jeep, well overheating, it. Paul is cooking when she comes into his cabin, introducing herself. Maggie is looking for the missing kids and, Paul
is pretty hostile. He mentions the old abandoned army testing facility on the mountain. Paul is not up to refusing Maggie as they head up the mountain. She breaks the
padlock on the fence, looking around the base with Paul in tow.
Paul reveals no one really knows what the Army did up there. They find the pool and discover the missing girl’s necklace. Maggie has the bright idea to drain the
pool for bodies. Discover someone is still in the base, as they search a lab, various animals preserved in jars and some aren’t dead yet. They find the missing couple’s
backpacks. This really gets Maggie to think their bodies are in the pool.
Maggie drains the pool, when the wild eyed crazy scientist strikes (Dr Hoak). Paul struggles with Hoak, who is knocked unconscious before stopping the pool
from being drained.
Maggie and Paul inspect the drained pool, saltwater. The base was formerly a fish hatchery before the Army took it over. The pool was drained into an
underground river. Can you think this will be a problem? They spot some skeletons. Hoak steals the jeep and while escaping flips it. Maggie and Paul find the
bloody Hoak, again.
Hoak wakes up and is ranting and seems scared to death. Paul will take Hoak to town. Maggie asks about Paul’s ex-wife and discovers he has a daughter, Suzy,
at summer camp.
Next day, they will get Hoak to the Sheriff or the ranger. Only way to get to either place is to use the raft Paul built for his daughter Suzy.
AT summer camp, Suzy sits on a pier. She’s scared to death of the water. Betsy, the friendly camp counselor, tries to convince her to swim. But, Suzy isn’t
budging. Camp director, Dumont mocks Suzy for not swimming. Imagine a prissy R. Lee Ermey (drill instructor from Full Metal Jacket) as head of a
summer camp, and you’d be pretty close to Dumont.
Jack is fishing off his little pier, with his feet in the water. Underwater POV shot later; the dog senses something bad and runs away. While something bites
Jack in the legs, the dog barks and Jack screams in pain.
Paul, Maggie, and Hoak are on the raft. They try questioning Hoak. He actually is talking the river is full of piranha even though the river is cold not
tropical. Hoak wants to be untied. They hear Jack’s dog barking, tie the raft and come ashore. Paul find Jack with his legs almost completely devoured, he
managed to crawl away from the pier. Paul will bury Jack before they leave.
At summer camp, Betsy and Suzy are playing darts. Betsy is trying to think of way to help Suzy from the swimming competition. Actually, she takes a marker,
marks on Suzy’s knee and gets her a big bandage for it.
Man is trying to get a buoy untangled. His son is in the canoe, too. Piranha attack the guy who tips the boat. The kid manages to get on the other side of the
canoe.
Hoak talks about how the government paid him for Operation Razor Teeth. The plan was to destroy North Vietnam’s river systems: piranha that had
bred to survive in cold water and spawn rapidly. The water systems were poisoned. Some of the piranha survived and mutated. Hoak blames the politicians for the
deaths the piranhas caused. He also blames Maggie for draining the pool. But, a scientist can’t be held responsible for his experiments.
Paul realizes with the piranha in the water. Suzy at summer camp could be in danger, too. The camp is on the other side of a dam from the river. The dam is
opened several days. That would put the new resort about to open the camp in danger.
Camp, kids are playing in the water.
Raft, Hoak is talking about science. He kept the piranha alive to study them further and can’t acknowledge that anyone could blame him for the deaths caused
by the piranhas. They see the sinking canoe with the kid atop it. Hoak dives in the water to rescue him, seeing how he is at fault. Piranha find a new lunch.
The raft gets to the canoe and, Hoak helps the kid to the raft, Hoak is pulled back on the raft and dies. Paul and Maggie have no idea how to stop the piranha.
Hoak’s body is still on the raft but, his hand is in the water leaving a blood trail. The piranhas are under the raft eating the ropes. Paul realizes they should dump
Hoak’s body; the kid is freaking out thinking the man that saved him will be eaten like his dad. The raft is falling apart as various logs are coming loose, manage to
get to shore in time though.
Paul rushes to the dam to keep them from opening the floodgates. Guy who is at the dam has to be the slowest dam worker around. Paul gets there in time to
keep the dam from letting the piranhas through.
Military arrives, disbelieving Paul’s story at first. Partially devoured hunk of meat later has convinced them. The military has poison to use to kill the
piranhas. Military want Paul and Maggie to help them.
Paul points out on a map; the piranhas could have taken a small stream and be in the lake, already. Maggie talks with evil hot scientist chick Doctor Mengers, who
knew Hoak biblically. Apparently, Mengers isn’t helping. She hasn’t told Colonel Waxman everything. Paul and Maggie are in military custody to keep from starting
a panic. Paul has a plan to escape provided Maggie distracts the guard. Maggie talks with the guard and flashes him, 70’s non silicon chesticles are displayed. Paul
gets the drop on the guard.
Paul steals a jeep and is off. Paul calls Dumont in the middle on the night. Everyone knows Paul has pickled his liver and probably pickling his brain by this
point. Paul and Maggie have the bright idea to go to the summer camp. A deputy chases them and eventually pulls them over. Guess what? The deputy think Paul
is drunk, too.
Colonel Waxman calls the Sheriff and has him keep Paul and Maggie in jail. Don’t let them call anyone. So Paul and Maggie are in the hoosegow.
At the camp, Betsy is telling a ghost story.
Colonel Waxman calls Buck Gardener (Dick Miller) who is the real estate mogul opening the new resort on the lake. Waxman has secretly invested in the
resort. So, he doesn’t want to start a panic about the piranhas to keep his investment from going under.
Camp, Betsy is talking with Blonde Bikini Counselor, who wants to take a swim. Just when we might have the possibility of 2 camp counselors frolicking naked
in the water, Betsy has a feeling that something is wrong. Dumont is on patrol. They decide to swim tomorrow.
In jail, Maggie is kicking the drain pipe of her sink. She talks about how one guy she hunted had a plan to escape from jail. She turns the water on flooding the
floor and then breaks the lid of the toilet tank. The deputy hears the commotion. Maggie wraps the broken chunks of the toilet lid in a blanket and has them behind
her back. Paul learns the plan has never worked before. The deputy enters Maggie’s cell to fix the sink when she clocks him in the back of the head. Takes his
keys and pants because they’re attached. She lets Paul out, too.
Sheriff sees Paul and Maggie drive away tossing the deputy’s pants at him.
Resort grand opening, Buck is making his speech. A lot of people are in the water. Paul and Maggie get there.
At the camp, Dumont gathers the campers for the water competition. Betsy has all the campers line up.
Paul remembers the tank the piranhas were kept in was salt water. These piranhas can survive in both fresh and salt water. The lake eventually drains into the
ocean. Note, this movie is supposed to bet set in Texas, Texas doesn’t border any ocean, Gulf of Mexico does border Atlantic Ocean. Once the piranhas
get to the ocean, there will be no way to stop them.
At camp, the kids are in the water. Suzy is ashore, Dumont forces her into the water. He sounds like an ineffective drill instructor. Paul and Maggie race to the
camp in the stolen police car. Suzy hides under a canoe very much on dry land. Underwater POV shots tell us piranhas are getting closer.
Piranhas start biting some of the campers, so many little victims for them. A piranha jumps out of the water to bite Dumont on the face.
I thought piranhas didn't fly until the sequel
Campers are attacked severely at this point. Suzy tries hauling the canoe to the water to help everyone. It’s too heavy, so she grabs an inflatable boat instead. Some
campers have gotten ashore. Suzy is trying to rescue Betsy and Bikini Blonde. Blondie gets in the boat, but Betsy is killed by the piranhas after her inner-tube is
partially devoured by the carnivorous fish.
Paul and Maggie arrive. Maggie tries calling the resort to warn them again. Paul is helping the campers as much as he can. Paul finds Suzy.
Resort, Buck is told of Maggie’s warning. He ignores her call and hangs up. Granted, how could you believe a story about cold water piranhas are heading for
your resort? Note: We never learn if Buck knew about the military piranha project or not.
At the summer camp, an ambulance is arriving. Paul glares at Dumont who is covering a camper with a sheet. There wouldn’t have been any deaths, if Dumont
had listened to Paul. Paul leaves Suzy with Bikini Blonde. He and Maggie head to warn the resort again.
Resort, people having fun in the water for now…
Paul and Maggie are speeding to the resort. Waxman and Mengers meet with Buck. They know Paul and Maggie are on the loose. Waxman and Mengers get
on party barge.
Water-skiing and diving are just some of the activities at this resort. Piranhas attack a diver. Boat towing the water-skier keeps speeding up trying to get him to
wipe-out. Skier spots the floating body of diver. The chick driving the boat keeps trying to dunk him. They stop the boat; skier realizes piranhas are after him. Skier
eventually wipes-out. Boats collide, explode, etc…Paul and Maggie are getting closer.
Piranhas strike the swimmers. Some people don’t notice what’s going on yet. Beach goers spot the trouble. Buck is on the phone when he learns guests are
being attacked.
Piranha festival eating all the water goers they can. People being devoured, screaming. A lot of people swim to the boat Waxman and Mengers is on. Waxman
is trying to push the swimmers back into the water. Some people make it to shore in better shape than others.
I'm here to pick up Jenny for our date.
Paul and Maggie arrive. Waxman falls in the lake and the ironic bad guy death is activated. He’s eaten by the piranhas. Paul and Maggie take a boat and head
for the refinery Paul used to work at. If they dump the stored waste, it should be enough to kill the piranhas.
The control booth is underwater. Paul ties a rope around his waist and dives to activate the release control. Maggie waits in the boat. Paul finds the control
rusted, slowly turning it. The piranhas are getting closer.
Educuated carnivores, a school of piranhas.
Maggie is still waiting. Piranhas start attacking Paul. Maggie is really worried by this point. Paul manages to turn the valve spilling the toxic waste. Maggie guns the
boat dragging Paul away…
Milky liquid emerges from a pipe. Huzzah, the piranhas are killed by the toxic waste which will ruin the ecosphere. Maggie pulls on the line and, Paul isn’t at the
end of it. We see a hand shoot from the water.
News reporter is reporting at the scene of the terrible disaster. Bodies are strewn all over the resort. Suzy is at the resort. Buck is walking past the dead, throws
a camera man out for filming the bodies. I think that shows he didn’t know what Waxman did.
Maggie tends to the wounded Paul with Suzy at their side.
Mengers is being interviewed. She’ll investigate the cause, etc…She claims the salt water of the ocean would kill any piranhas that got to the ocean. She
promises everything will be fine, but looks like she wants the piranhas in the ocean.
Ocean, we hear the piranha attack sound. The end.
