Here's a surprise: "Piranha
3D," the over-the-top horror flick about killer fish who take
particular joy in munching on college students on spring break, isn't
entirely based in fact. Cue the sarcastic "Oh. My. God."
You don't have to be Jacques Cousteau to know that a few artistic
liberties were taken. But, still, there has to be some truth beneath the
gore. '\Cause, you know, piranhas are deadly, right? And they have been
known to attack people, right? Riiiight?
In the interest of preserving the peace around beaches, we thought it
our duty to fact check "Piranha 3D." Yes, we realize it's a tad
ridiculous to examine whether frat boys are really in danger from
hyper-intelligent, man-eating fish. Think of this as a companion piece
to our award-winning 2006 exposé on your odds of being eaten by a snake while on a
plane.
There are no piranhas in Lake Havasu
The film takes place in the fictional Lake Victoria, but was filmed in
and around Lake Havasu, a
popular spot for spring break. According to a buzzy
blog from the Los Angeles Times, some locals who rely on tourism
are getting a bit nervous that tourists will steer clear of Lake Havasu.
Some concerned tourists have asked whether or not there are really any
piranhas in the lake. Fear not, travelers! You're far more likely to see
tipsy boaters than flesh-eating fish.
They'll eat anything... or not
In the movie, the piranhas attack as though they were shoppers on Black
Friday and their victims were deeply discounted TVs. In reality,
according to the Discovery
Channel, piranhas are a bit more discerning. "Piranhas don't
immediately attack their prey. Instead, they launch a series of small
attacks to discover which fish is the weakest." While they are deadly
and have razor-sharp teeth, their reputations
have been exaggerated over the years. HowStuffWorks writes, "Attacking a live animal isn't out of the question for
piranhas, but it's not likely they could take down a healthy, full-grown
human."
The origin of the legend
Fun fact: Piranhas earned their deadly reputation in part thanks to
President Theodore Roosevelt. While traveling in Brazil many years ago, the
president wrote that he witnessed a group of piranhas attack a cow
and strip all its meat down to the bone: "They are the most ferocious
fish in the world. Even the most formidable fish, the sharks or the
barracudas, usually attack things smaller than themselves. But the
piranhas habitually attack things much larger than themselves." The
legend was born.
The film's pedigree
Believe it or not, this is actually the third film in the "Piranha"
series. The first one wasn't an Oscar-winner, but several people
involved in its creation went on to have prestigious careers. Joe Dante directed "Piranha" before going on to helm "Gremlins." And
the original was written by indie hero John Sayles,
who wrote and directed "Eight Men Out."
Oh, and "Piranha II: The Spawning" was James Cameron's first directing
job. He was fired
during filming.