Film Review - "Tremors" (1990)

3/5 Stars

Director: Ron Underwood
Valentine McKee: Kevin Bacon
Earl Bassett: Fred Ward
Length: 96 mins
Rated: R

I love this movie. Tremors is, in my mind, the defining film of the comedy-horror genre. It may be an homage to 50s monster B-flicks like Them and The Blob with its giant beasts, screaming faces and constant running, but that's where the similarities end. It isn't a comedic accident as a result of bad film-making, it's a unique and surprisingly competent spectacle of terrifying fun and excitement.

All 96 minutes take place in the peaceful (at first), isolated desert town of Perfection, Nevada, with a population of only 15. That population grows suddenly as some new residents appear in the form of 30 foot worms with unquenchable appetites for flesh. Sound like a good time already? Just wait, there's more. These graboids, as they are nicknamed, tunnel through the dirt faster than horses, chasing those willing to run and eating those who aren't. They spew forward tentacles from their gaping mouths (each with a little mouth of its own) that latch onto their prey, then retract, pulling it in for dinner; what more could you want from a monster. Ah yes, they have to have a weakness and that weakness is blindness. Don't make a sound and they can't find you. Silence is a virtue after all. Seems simple enough. That is until the refrigerator kicks on and one bursts through the floorboards and eats someone. Time to run again.

The dialogue is constantly producing quotables throughout, especially the witty banter between our two heroes Val and Earl, played by Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward (Earl: Is this a job for an intelligent man? Val: Well, show me one and I'll ask him.). I could have done with a little less of the shrill whine of Reba McEntire or the constantly annoying and awful performance of Melvin Plug, played by Robert Jayne, which if eaten, may have added at least another half-star to my rating.

Tremors was in-production at a time where the special effects aspect of the film industry was still on the wrong side of the competency barrier of computer generated effects. Wisely, director Ron Underwood decided not to ruin his movie with unrealistic, cartoonish digital effects and went the old-school route with puppets, robotics and very convincing makeup. If only more directors would consult with you before ruining their own movies Mr. Underwood. If only.

The excitement level is high, as is the cheese-level, but with tolerable acting and a consistent pace that keeps the adrenaline pumping, Tremors really is quite a gem. The story doesn't get too bogged down with ridiculous explanations, yet it isn't completely dependent on the audience's own speculation.

This is a great movie. It's not going to be winning any awards, but it isn't intended to. It's fun and funny. It's campy without being vulgar. And it's exciting as hell. It breaks one of the unofficial golden rules of monster movies by taking place almost exclusively in the daytime making it quite a unique perspective on the genre.

At the very least, where else are you going to see a certified multi-platinum selling country singer and the dad from Family Ties (Michael Gross) fire a few thousand rounds of ammo from a seemingly endless supply of weapons in a standoff with a giant worm-monster whose crashed through the wall of their basement? Scenes like that have lead to cult success, which in turn has lead to three sequels and a short-lived television series. One piece of advice: don't watch them.