Piranha II: The Spawning (released internationally as Piranha II: Flying Killers) is a 1982 horror film directed by James Cameron (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Charles H. Eglee (under the pseudonym H. A. Milton). The film stars Tricia O'Neil and Lance Henriksen, who would both later appear in Cameron's productions (Henriksen starred in The Terminator and Aliens; O'Neil had a small role in Titanic). It is the second installment in the Piranha film series and the sequel to Piranha (1978).
Cameron, previously a special effects artist for Roger Corman, was hired as director after executive producer Ovidio G. Assonitis fired his predecessor. The production was fraught with difficulties arising from Assonitis' exerting an unusual amount of creative control, hiring an Italian crew that didn't speak English and preventing Cameron from viewing any footage during the editing process. The exact degree of creative control Cameron had has been disputed by multiple sources, with some claims arising that Assonitis fired Cameron after two weeks and directed the film on his own while others maintain that Cameron was present for the entirety of principal photography.
After its release, Cameron largely disowned Piranha II for many years, but has since acknowledged the film as his directorial debut. A director's cut exists only on Laserdisc and VHS from Embassy Home Entertainment. In 2003, Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment released the film on Region A DVD in a full-frame format. In other regions, the DVD was released in a widescreen format. In 2018, Scream Factory released the film on Region A Blu-ray in an improved widescreen transfer. It received negative reviews upon release and was a box office bomb, but has enjoyed later success as a cult film by fans of James Cameron.
Plot
A Caribbean coastal resort, Hotel Elysium, is menaced by a series of vicious marine animal attacks originating from a nearby sunken shipwreck. Diving instructor Anne Kimbrough's student is one of the victims, but her estranged police officer husband Steve refuses to let her see the corpse despite the fact that, while she knows what didn't cause the death, she doesn't know what did, either. Soon after, two women and a man are killed by piranha which has developed the ability to fly.
Concerned, Anne finds that she is being frequently bothered by tourist Tyler Sherman, and decides to take him with her to the morgue to get a look at the body. She reveals that she studied marine biology, which explains why she could tell Steve that it wasn't shark or barracudas responsible earlier. A nurse comes in and kicks them out, unaware that a piranha was hiding in the body. It kills the nurse and escapes through a window.
In her hurry, Anne left her credit card behind at the scene. Anne and Tyler have a one-night stand. In the morning she begins to study the pictures of the corpse, and is horrified by what she discovers. Steve arrives, throwing the card at her, angry that she went to the morgue and that she has a man in her bed. She tries to warn him of what she has discovered, but he ignores her.
Anne then tries to cancel the diving sessions, leading to her getting fired by her manager. Attempting to capture one as proof of the incoming threat, she is intercepted by Tyler, who informs her that he is a biochemist and member of a team which has developed the ultimate weapon: a specimen of genetically modified piranha, capable of flying. He explains that his team lost a cylinder full of these fish in the water earlier.
Gabby provides the proof Anne needs to Steve, showing him that they are a serious danger, as they are now eating each other. At a meeting, Anne tries her best to reason with the manager, to no avail. Steve provides a piranha wing as evidence. Steve tells her that she cannot trust Tyler, because the army says he is crazy.
Later, a piranha attacks Gabby's son and kills him, leaving Gabby to vow revenge. Anne tries to dissuade him, but fails. Having ignored Anne's advice, the manager, Raoul, hosts a nighttime fish party to capture grunion. Unfortunately for the residents, the piranha join the hunt. Anne gets a man named Aaron to patrol the beach but he is lured to the sea where the piranha kill him. During the fishing party promoted by the resort, the piranhas fly out of the water and attack the guests. Anne leads the survivors into the hotel, where they shut the doors and windows. Gabby tries to attack the flying piranha, but they easily overwhelm and kill him.