Details
Movie TitleTremors
Release DateJanuary 19, 1990
TaglineThey say there’s nothing new under the sun. But under the ground...
Runtime96 minutes
DirectorRon Underwood
Screenplay Written ByS. S. Wilson and Brent Maddock
Story ByS. S. Wilson, Brent Maddock, and Ron Underwood
Is It a Remake?No. It is an original creature-feature horror comedy.
BudgetApproximately $11 million
Box OfficeApprox. $16.7 million domestic
Main Cast
Kevin BaconValentine “Val” McKee
Fred WardEarl Bassett
Finn CarterRhonda LeBeck
Michael GrossBurt Gummer
Reba McEntireHeather Gummer
Victor WongWalter Chang
Robert JayneMelvin Plug
Charlotte StewartNancy Sterngood
Ariana RichardsMindy Sterngood
Richard MarcusNestor Cunningham
Tony GenaroMiguel
Sunshine ParkerEdgar Deems
Awards
⭐ Saturn Award Nominee — Best Science Fiction Film
⭐ Saturn Award Nominee — Best Special Effects
⭐ No verified Academy Award nominations found.
⭐ Legacy Note — The film became a beloved cult creature feature and launched a long-running franchise.
Short Plot Summary
In the tiny desert town of Perfection, Nevada, handymen Val and Earl are ready to leave their dead-end jobs behind. But when people and animals start turning up dead, the town discovers giant underground creatures are hunting by vibration. With the roads cut off and the ground no longer safe, the survivors must climb, improvise, and outsmart the monsters before the graboids pick them off one by one.
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Key Quotes
“We killed that motherhumper!” — Val McKee
“Broke into the wrong goddamn rec room, didn’t ya?” — Burt Gummer
“Running’s not a plan. Running’s what you do once a plan fails.” — Earl Bassett
“Can you fly, you sucker?” — Val McKee
“There are two more, repeat, two more motherhumpers.” — Val McKee
Trivia
Director
- Tremors was directed by Ron Underwood.
- The story was created by S. S. Wilson, Brent Maddock, and Ron Underwood.
- The 3 Guys and a Flick ratings page lists the film as Episode 128 with Ron Underwood as director.
Cast / Casting
- Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward star as Val and Earl, a pair of desert handymen who become reluctant monster hunters.
- Finn Carter plays seismology student Rhonda LeBeck, whose knowledge helps explain how the creatures hunt.
- Michael Gross plays survivalist Burt Gummer, a role he would continue in multiple Tremors sequels.
- Reba McEntire made her feature-film acting debut as Heather Gummer.
Soundtrack / Score
- The film’s score was composed by Ernest Troost, with additional music by Robert Folk.
- The music blends western, suspense, and monster-movie energy to match the desert setting.
- The score helps make the graboids feel like both creature-feature threats and old-school adventure obstacles.
Location
- The story is set in the fictional town of Perfection, Nevada.
- Filming took place in California, including the Lone Pine area near the Alabama Hills.
- The wide-open desert landscape is essential to the film’s tension because the characters can see safety but cannot cross the ground to reach it.
Behind-The-Scenes
- The graboids were created using practical effects, including full-scale creature rigs, miniatures, and underground movement effects.
- The film was released by Universal Pictures on January 19, 1990.
- Although its theatrical box office was modest, the movie became much more popular through home video and cable television.
- The success of the film’s cult following led to multiple sequels and a television series.
Nostalgia
- Tremors became a go-to 1990s cable and VHS creature feature for fans of practical monsters and smart comedy-horror.
- Burt Gummer’s rec-room shootout became one of the movie’s most replayed and quoted sequences.
- The film’s mix of western, monster movie, buddy comedy, and survival thriller gives it a unique cult-classic identity.
Easter Eggs
- The monsters are eventually named “graboids” by store owner Walter Chang.
- The town name Perfection is ironic, given how isolated, broken-down, and doomed the place becomes.
- The film’s “don’t touch the ground” survival setup turns rocks, rooftops, poles, and heavy machinery into monster-movie lifelines.
Misc.
- Tremors was released in the United States on January 19, 1990.
- The movie runs 96 minutes.
- The film grossed approximately $16.7 million domestically against an estimated $11 million budget.
- Your 3 Guys and a Flick ratings page lists Don at 3.75, Ken at 3.75, Jon at 2.75, and the Overall Rating as 3.42.
Sources Cited
3 Guys and a Flick — Ratings
IMDb — Tremors
IMDb — Full Cast & Crew
IMDb — Awards
IMDb — Quotes
Box Office Mojo — Tremors
The Numbers — Tremors
Rotten Tomatoes — Tremors
Wikipedia — Tremors
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