“I vote for outer space. No way these are local boys.”
Tremors (1990) has a very soft spot in my heart. It’s one of the few things in my life that gave me a connection with my father. While my dad and I have always had a wonderful relationship, we are very different people. We don’t have very much in common outside of Thor comics (maybe I’ll expand on that some other time) and a few films. Tremors is one of those films, and it’s one of the best movies in that small group. We saw it together in a nearly empty theater way back in 1990. That theater is gone, but the memories of that day and that film are still with me.
The movie, for those who are unaware, stars Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross, and Reba McEntire, in her acting debut. In the film, Bacon and Ward play Val and Earl, two handymen in Perfection, NV, who are trying to leave town and find bigger and better work elsewhere. Unfortunately for them, a small group of subterranean creatures that are large, fast, and very intelligent have appeared seemingly out of nowhere and are hungry. They utilize vibration caused by movement and sound on the surface and attack from below. Teaming up with college gradutate student Rhonda LeBeck, Val and Earl try to save their friends in Perfection before the creatures eat them all.
The film is carried by the performances of Kilmer, Ward, and Carter, and the hilarious supporting cast, specifically Gross and McEntire as Burt and Heather Gummer, two survivalists who have chosen to live in a compound in the area due to its isolation from the rest of the world. The film’s special effects are practical and great. The film bombed at the box office but grew a cult following when it arrived on home video. The years have been kind to the film, as it has gained more and more fans over time. The film spawned multiple direct-to-video sequels, all of which starred Michael Gross as Burt Gummer. Kilmer never returned to the franchise and Fred Ward only appeared in the first sequel. A short-lived television series was also produced. Kilmer pitched his own TV series recently, but it didn’t draw any interest from major studios.
Tremors is an excellent creature feature. The sequels degraded in quality with each release, but Michael Gross delivered a great performance in each film. I wrote a much, much more in-depth review a few years ago that you can read here, but just know that this is a fun, action-packed horror film that doesn’t take itself too seriously and is definitely worth watching!
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