Killer Fish (1979)

Set in Brazil, the former employee (James Franciscus) of a mining company masterminds an elaborate heist of precious emeralds. The emeralds are hidden at the bottom of the lake with the intention of retrieving them in 60 days. But the deadly piranha fish in the lake may have other ideas. Yet another killer "creature attacks man" horror movie that blossomed in the 1970s. They ranged from excellent (JAWS) to silly (EMPIRE OF THE ANTS) and this one falls closer to the silly side. The year before Joe Dante had a hit with his low budget PIRANHA movie so this movie feels redundant. It benefits from the lush and tropical Brazilian locations and its cast of "B" list stars like Lee Majors, Margaux Hemingway and Karen Black pounding another nail into the coffin of her career. The film has one nice set piece when a dam breaks and the valley is flooded with tens of thousands of piranha but the film doesn't take advantage of it. The film has developed a cult following of sorts in the ensuing years and if you have a taste for cheesy bad movies, it's moderately enjoyable though one can't help but be embarrassed for its cast who have all seen better days. Directed by Antonio Margheriti. With Marisa Berenson (CABARET) and Gary Collins.