Tremors turned twenty five this year and there really should be more of a fuss. I was hoping for a 25th anniversary Blu-ray. I was of course being optimistic. Tremors is one of those movies that, for those of us of a certain vintage, you probably didn't see in the cinema but almost certainly saw on video. I remember seeing the clip for it at the cinema (possibly at Gremlins 2) and being intrigued but not to the "must see it" point. That's a pity.
I saw the movie for the first time when my brother rented it from our local video store. I was about 15 years old and my infatuation with monsters was in full flight. Jaws was, and remains, my favourite movie so this was right up my street. See, Tremors shares quite a few traits with the Spielberg masterpiece. Yeah they both feature people being eaten by huge creatures but much more importantly they have people who you genuinely like. Everyone knows Brody, Hooper and Quint. More people need to discover Valentine (Kavin Bacon), Earl (Fred Ward) and Rhonda (Finn Carter).
Val and Earl are "handymen" living in the desert town of Perfection (just asking for it with a name like that) and right off the bat they are established as an adorable odd couple. Their day starts with a game of "paper - scissors - rock" to decide who makes breakfast and a gentle trading of insults which sets the tone for the entire movie. The insults are drenched in affection and because of this we adore both men. Off they go to set about their daily oddjobs which do little more than keep them in beer money. It is on the way to one of these jobs that they decide to visit Perfection's latest visitor, Rhonda. Earl is hoping Val will take a liking to the girl as he feels that, while it's too late for him to settle down, there's still hope for Val. So they detour to meet the lady and, like our reluctant heroes, she's adorable. Val is less enthused... initially. Rhonda is a geologist who can't understand the readings she's getting in the area. She is warm and polite and we want to see more of her.
The movie sets up the characters in a simple but effective way. But what about the monsters? The creature fx are impressive. Like Jaws, Tremors doesn't show the foe right out of the gate. It hints at extraordinary power and real force. Also like Jaws the fx are practical. There are no CGI monsters in this movie and it really adds a tremendous amount of grit and believability to proceedings. An attack takes place where a middle-aged couple are killed in a fairly terrifying way. This is also a Jaws trait, lots of fun and interesting scenes bookended by a viscious, visceral attack. The scene ends in a station wagon where our doomed victim has ran to safety. It is at this point that we see snake-like creatures about 6ft in length that somehow manage to pull the station wagon underground... It later transpires that these creatures serve as the beast's tongue(s). So the snakes grab you and pull you into a much larger worm-like monster. Gross!
Speaking of Gross, the movie has a major secret weapon. Burt Gummer played by Michael Gross is one of these "survivalist" types. You just know he votes Republican and fought in Nam. He's a gun nut but more importantly he's an absolute gem of a man. His wife, Heather, played by C&W legend Reba McEntyre is also a hoot. These two have, perhaps, the most exciting scene in the movie where they face off against one of the beasts in their underground rec room. They become a wonderful addition to our group as they plan their escape from Perfection.
I don't want to talk too much about the movies many brilliant scenes because those of us who have seen the movie, know it inside out and I certainly don't want to ruin it for those who haven't. But I'll give away a tiny addition which I love. Tremors manages to give one of its monsters a little bit of personality! It all starts when Val reverses into a mud pile, no biggee. He hits the gas, the wheels are turning but he's burning rubber. Earl insists the truck is "hung up". Val disagrees. He manages to pull the truck away under duress, leading to another classic bit of Val and Earl banter. They return to Perfection to find one of the snake-like creatures attached to the underside of the truck. Clearly it had a hold of them. This, of course means one of the creatures is down a "tongue" and as a result it is instantly recognizable. Val even takes to calling him "Stumpy" and they have a running battle of wits in the final third of the movie. It's fucking hilarious!
Tremors is massive fun and again, this is thanks to the characters. It cost $10m and made, a not too shabby, $16m in the US (and a fair bit more worldwide) It deserved to make 10 times that! I'll leave you with the pole vaulting scene. Yes, pole vaulting. If Jurassic Park 4 features one single scene that makes me smile as much as this, I'll eat my megalodon tooth fossil:
Cheers,
G.
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