Tremors (1990)

Natives of a small isolated town defend themselves against strange underground creatures which are killing them one by one.

Director:

Ron Underwood

Writers:

S.S. Wilson (story), Brent Maddock (story),

Stars:

Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Bacon	...	Valentine McKee
Fred Ward	...	Earl Bassett
Finn Carter	...	Rhonda LeBeck
Michael Gross	...	Burt Gummer
Reba McEntire	...	Heather Gummer
Robert Jayne	...	Melvin Plug (as Bobby Jacoby)
Charlotte Stewart	...	Nancy Sterngood
Tony Genaro	...	Miguel
Ariana Richards	...	Mindy Sterngood
Richard Marcus	...	Nestor
Victor Wong	...	Walter Chang
Sunshine Parker	...	Edgar
Michael Dan Wagner	...	Old Fred
Conrad Bachmann	...	Dr. Jim
Bibi Besch	...	Megan

Storyline

A small town gradually becomes aware of a strange creature which picks off people one by one. But what is this creature, and where is it? At the same time, a seismologist is working in the area, she detects _tremors_. The creature lives underground, and can 'pop up' without warning. Trapped in their town, the town-folk have no escape.

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Plot Keywords:

graboids | monster | underground | seismologist | nevada | 

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Taglines:

The ultimate underground movie. It will leave you legless!

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Official Sites:

Fan site German Tremors poster

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 January 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Beneath Perfection

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$11,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$16,667,084 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, No Frills Film Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original ending of the film was much different. Val and Earl head out to Bixbie and Val doesn't hook up with Rhonda. But it is implied. The two are looking for their lighter and realize that Rhonda still has it, they turn around and head back. This ending was shot, and tested for one audience, and was not well received. It is available in the documentary on the DVD.

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Goofs

When Burt and Heather are being attacked in their rec room and Heather is grabbing another weapon off the wall there are two pistols hanging near her right shoulder. While the ground is shaking, the top one can be seen falling off it's pegs but when the scene flashes back to Heather only one or two seconds later, it's back on the pegs.

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Quotes

Valentine McKee: [to Rhonda] GET OUT OF YOUR PANTS!

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Connections

Referenced in Pluto Nash (2002)

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Soundtracks

"You Are the One"
Written and Performed by Fahrenheit

User Reviews

Cult Movies 18

18. TREMORS (SCI-fiction, 1990) Welcome to Perfection, Nevada. Population: a couple. Opportunities: none. That's why handymen Val (Kevin Bacon) and Earl (Fred Ward) have always planned to leave town. And this time they mean it. Suddenly a series of bizarre killings prevent them from leaving. With the help of a seismology student, they discover giant-worm like creatures living under the desert sand. Now their goal is to leave town in one piece.

Critique: Lighthearted horror, sci-fi, comedy 'mish-mash' has an interesting premise, oddball characters, and wonderfully ferocious action. As our embattled heroes struggle to survive against the relentless creatures, the battle of wits that ensues becomes inventive and exciting.

The film shares strange similarities with Spielberg's legendary 'Jaws'. As the suspense and body count mount, the threatening desert sand (water) becomes an infinite playground for the bloodthirsty worms (sharks), as they use scare tactics against their unbeknown victims (swimmers). Not knowing where they will strike next, people tiptoe their way across town trying not to alert the creatures. It all makes for 'TREMEndous' fun.