Shout! Factory TV, Twitch to Host Piranhathon Livestream

Just when you thought it was safe to take a dip in the water again… This summer at Lost River Resort, the fish are most certainly biting! Shout! Factory TV will partner with social video platform Twitch to host a 24-hour marathon of Joe Dante’s cult classic Piranha on August 3 in celebration of the film’s 40^th anniversary. Fans can watch the film streamed all day and night long, in a presentation complete with behind-the-scenes footage, bloopers, outtakes and The Making of Piranha, which features interviews with Roger Corman, Joe Dante and many more. The marathon begins Friday, August 3 at 6 p.m. PT on Shout! Factory’s official Twitch channel.

In 1978, audiences discovered Piranha, widely considered one of the very best films inspired by the success of Jaws, and for 40 years Piranha has been one of the true cult gems in the Roger Corman canon.

Lost River Lake was a thriving resort until they discovered … Piranha! While searching for missing teenagers, rookie skip-tracer Maggie McKeon (Heather Menzies) and booze-soaked river rat Paul Grogan (Bradford Dillman) stumble upon a top-secret military laboratory conducting genetic research on piranha fish for the purpose of developing the most lethal form of biological warfare imaginable.

When the deadly eating machines are accidentally released from the compound, they’re soon headed downstream, consuming everything -- and anyone -- in their path. With Paul and Maggie in hot pursuit, the piranhas’ next stop is the children’s summer camp, where Paul’s young daughter is vacationing, and then the newly opened, multi-million-dollar water resort. Time is running out, and the piranha are hungry!

Piranha marked the solo directorial debut of Joe Dante (The Howling, Gremlins and Gremlins 2: The New Batch), after a long apprenticeship under Roger Corman’s tutelage at New World Pictures, and also marked the first produced screenplay of future indie-film icon and two-time Academy Award^® nominee John Sayles (Lone Star, Passion Fish, Eight Men Out).

Not only was Piranha a box-office hit – becoming one of New World Pictures’ biggest worldwide hits – but it also earned rave reviews from critics, who appreciated its fast pacing, energetic cast, clever conspiracy satire, inventive special effects and, of course, the scares. Piranha won the Saturn Award for Best Editing (shared by Dante and Mark Goldblatt) and was nominated as Best Horror Film.

Backlot: The Making of Piranha special is also available on VOD at Shout! Factory TV.