15 scariest summer horror movies of all-time
By Wesley Lara
14. Piranha 3D (2010)
Directed by Alexandre Aja
It’s like I said earlier in the list: some of these movies are a little funnier than they are scary. Even with a skin-crawling concept like killer fish devouring humans in the water, sometimes a little comedy can go a long way in helping that concept become more digestible with audiences. This is something that famed French director, Alexandre Aja, took to his advantage while helming the remake of the classic B-movie creature-feature, Piranha.
Based off of a low-budget riff on Jaws, Piranha takes the same concept of a killer aquatic animal and “Mini-Me’s” it, adding in killer piranhas that swarm their prey with ferocious intensity that is not present in Spielberg’s horror classic. It’s not as effective thanks to its low budget, but it’s nonetheless acquired a cult following over the years, with the 2010 remake playing up that factor to deliver a gruesomely fun time at the theater.
Piranha 3D takes place during spring break and while that may not be technically summer, the summer vibes are their strongest with college students going for swims and partying their hearts out. Going to the beach is the perfect summer activity, so there’s no better way to instill a fear of such a fun activity than by infesting the beautiful waters with tiny fish out for literal blood. Sure, the laughs are a-plenty with the self-aware humor, but it’s far from a funny situation when you’re swimming for your life from flesh-eating fish.