Classic Horror: Tremors (1990)

“We Killed That Motherhumper!”

I remember going to the movies in late January of 1990 with my family. My mom and sister decided to see a romantic comedy. My dad chose to join me in watching a flick starring Kevin Bacon (the cool guy that I knew) and Fred Ward (the older, cool guy that my dad knew). The only other thing that I knew about this film was what I saw on the wonderful lobby display that featured a photo of Bacon, Ward, and Finn Carter looking down at a massive monster head that appeared to be coming out of the ground. It either moved up and down or the jaws opened and shut. I cannot recall exactly what it did, but I remember that it moved. I walked into the nearly empty theater where only five or so other people sat and waited for the film to begin. Little did I know that this film would become one of my favorite movies of all time.

I loved the movie. My dad loved the movie. Hardly anybody else in the world watched the film until it was later released on home video but when they finally saw it, they loved it as well. It shouldn’t have worked. It was really nothing more than a decently funded B-movie about sand worm monsters that gobble up humans, sheep, horses, and anything else that caused vibrations on the surface of the planet but it worked. It co-starred Michael Gross as the gun-happy survivalist named Burt Gummer. Up until that point Gross was best known as the kind, progressively liberal public television station manager Steven Keaton from Family Ties. Burt was the polar opposite of Steven Keaton and it worked. Reba McEntire, who was already a successful country singer who didn’t need the money, portrayed Burt’s wife, Heather, in her acting debut. She was brilliant and added a ton of humor to the film. She shouldn’t have been such a great character, but she worked. All of it worked. It was a pure joy to watch this film.

In the film, Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward play Val and Earl, two handymen intent on leaving the sleepy little ghost town of Perfection, NV, for the bright lights and better opportunities in nearby Bixby. Perfection has a population of fourteen, but on the day that Val and Earl finally leave for greener pastures, the population begins to drop quickly. They find Edgar, the town drunk, dead from dehydration on an electrical tower. Then they discover the decapitated head of Fred poking out of the ground in his garden and all of his sheep mutilated. They rush back into Perfection to warn the others that a killer is on the loose. Meanwhile, telephone workers and the local doctor and his wife meet the same fate as Edgar and Fred.

Eventually Val and Earl face off with one of the monsters and survive its attack whenever the beast accidentally kills itself while trying to ram through a cement canal after which they meet up with Rhonda LeBeck (Carter), a graduate student that they met earlier in the film. Based on seismology tests that she’s been running in the valley, she determines that there are at least three more of the creatures still stalking the valley. The trio spend the night on a rock, one of the few places where the monsters can’t reach them, and then make a mad dash back to town. From there they make plans to finish off the remaining monsters and head for the mountains to get help. It will take all of the surviving citizens of Perfection to battle with the beasts.

While the monsters were definitely an amazing part of this film, it was the cast that made this movie so much better than it should have been. Bacon and Ward were hilarious as Val and Earl and I wish that they would team up for one last run in a Tremors sequel. Gross and McEntire were cast perfectly for their roles as Burt and Heather. Carter’s Rhonda was the most level-headed member of the group, but even she had a few great comedic moments. The rest of the cast was filled out by Tony Genaro as Miguel, Charlotte Stewart as Nancy and Ariana Richards (who would later star in Jurassic Park) as her daughter, Mindy, Bobby Jacoby as the annoying Melvin, Victor Wong as Walter, and Richard Marcus as Nestor. They all did wonderful jobs in their roles.

All of the creature effects were practical. Life-sized models and miniatures were used to shoot the creatures as they attacked both below and above the surface. Excellent camera work was utilized to recreate the movement of the creatures in the ground. There were also a ton of explosives and weapons (Burt and Heather’s gun “cabinet”) used as well. All of the effects looked believable.

Shockingly, professional critics appeared to enjoy the film for the most part, with only a few naysayers in the bunch. As I’ve already said, the film is a decently funded B-movie that works. It features stereotypical characters and monsters that somehow manage to rise to another level. This movie is fun and you should see it if you haven’t yet. Its blending of horror, action, and comedy is…..Perfection.

This movie is one of my favorite films of all time. It spawned five sequels, one prequel, and one television series that lasted for one season. All of the sequels and the prequel were released direct to video. The first sequel, Tremors 2: Aftershocks, starred Fred Ward and Michael Gross. All future films and the television series would star Gross as Burt Gummer with the exception of Tremors 4: The Legend Begins, where Gross portrays Burt’s great grandfather, Hiram Gummer. The third film would also see all of the first film’s survivors return with the exceptions of Ward, Bacon, McEntire, and Carter. A second television series starring Kevin Bacon was being developed in 2017 but failed to get picked up by SyFy or any other channel.

Thanks for reading my post. I love this film and have enjoyed all of the sequels and the prequel to varying degrees. The first film was perfect but, as I’ve already stated, I’d love to see Val and Earl face off with the monsters just one more time.