Tremors (1990)

In the small, isolated Nevada town of Perfection, two aimless handymen Val (Kevin Bacon) and Earl (Fred Ward) were just minding their own business working their latest gig when they suddenly discover strange things occurring....including the inexplicable death of some one who has hidden way up on a light pole in the middle of nowhere.  What were they afraid of....something on the ground....or underground perhaps? :o Well as it turns out, this town has been invaded by large, strange creatures travelling underground....and what results is a wild adventure which might be described as "Jaws on Land." Ron Underwood (City Slickers, Heart and Souls) directed this now beloved cult classic which first under-performed in theaters back in 1990 but has since spawned several sequels and even a TV spin-off.  It also starred Michael Gross, Reba McEntire, Finn Carter, Victor Wong, and....some very nasty sand-worms?

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Transcript

TREMORS - 1990

Directed by Ron Underwood

Starring Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Reba McEntire, Victor Wong, Robert Jayne, Ariana Richards, Charlotte Stewart, Tony Genaro, Richard Marcus, Bibi Besch, and Michael Gross

Genre: Sci-Fi Adventure (Audio clip)

I can't recall how many times I have seen this but it's a lot....it's one of father's favorite movies and lord knows we watched it a bunch of times on cable or video when I was a teenager. This might be one of the first times I actually just started it on my own and....I still quite like the adventures of Val (Kevin Bacon) and Earl (Fred Ward) trying to survive on Arrakis. :) 

Bacon and Ward just have great chemistry as two journeymen "handi-men" trying to get out of the EXTREMELY small mountain town of Perfection, NV (seriously with only about a dozen families in town, how COULD you expect to get regular gigs??)....when they suddenly they start discovering mysterious corpses all over town and the main road out of town is now obstructed with several boulders. 

As is turns out, the culprits of these murders are NOT human...nor likely of this earth. They're SANDWORMS but not just any run-of-the-mill sandwich - THESE creatures are very nimble and smart and use tentacle creatures as their extensions out over the ground to check things out above the surface and do the most damage. :o The practical effects portraying these "grab-oids" are pretty damn impressive - especially for the time - as they are almost always shown under the stark brightness of the sun in this case and still look relatively convincing. 

And from there, the movie just takes off as a kinda sorta Jaws-on-Land but not as serious....and with a couple of different characters competing to be this world's version of Quint. :) ONE of whom I will get to in just a bit…..

Just a balls-out good time with thrills, spills, and laughs aplenty - Bacon, Ward, Gross, McEntire bring it all home along with Victor Wong who ALL know the movie they're in, one of the better camp classics of the '90's!

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

This film’s overall vibe of fun and adventure is helped in no small part by a boisterous score crafted by journeyman composter Earnest Troost – I couldn’t find out that much about him except according to his IMDB, he’s got more than 90 credits with most of them either direct-to-TV and/or children’s short films which I never heard of.  But make no mistake his mix of tense orchestral music with down-home rock-a-billy fits this movie like a worn-out work glove.  Loads of strings and harmonica, brass of course…..it’s never more fun than a sequence about 40 minutes in when our two main heroes – PLUS a brainy geologist Rhonda who they meet along the way played winningly by Finn Carter – all find themselves cornered and seemingly trapped atop some residual rocks surrounded by a grab-oid.  Fortunately, Rhonda notices several long wooden sticks nearby and comes up with the brilliant idea of using these sticks to pole vault…..from one rock to the next, all in a path to their pick-up truck. So off they go…. (Audio clip) 

And undoubtedly it’s a fun image to see the three of them in a long shot each individually pole vaulting from one rock to the next….and even adding to the fun more is one lively piece of the score to accompany them.  It’s loaded with accordion, genuinely rambunctious and even kinda sounds similar to the now iconic bluesy score which Danny Elfman had composed for previous episode Midnight Run a couple of years prior….just truly fun stuff, this track is fittingly called, “Pole Vaulting.” (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film): 

I would just like to take the opportunity to give a special shout-out to one of the main stars of this gig who sadly left us just a couple of years ago – he played Earl and his fun performance here was in the middle of a nice, sterling run of memorable supporting roles…I’m referring to San Diego’s own….the late, great Fred Ward. (Audio clip) 

I grew up in the ‘80’s always enjoying Ward’s gruff, no-nonsense persona but always imbued with wit and charm….in movies as varied as Secret Admirer, The Right Stuff, and…..a highly anticipated but sadly underperforming potential franchise kick-off for him starring as Remo Williams in Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins….based on a large series of best-selling adventure novels.  The movie flopped but Ward was just lights-out fantastic playing the charismatic hero… (Audio clip) 

Ward was an Air Force veteran before becoming an actor in the 1970’s and he always brought some true gravitas to his performances….he would have a couple of more opportunities at leading man stardom including his titular role as Henry Miller in the highly controversial Henry & June which came out the same year as this movie…..and had the unique distinction of being THE first film to be released with an NC-17 rating.  It wasn’t as well received as expected but fortunately the cult success of THIS film helped kick off a strong run of supporting roles for Ward where I THINK he really found his groove…..in smaller dramas like Bob Roberts, Miami Blues, and TWO fantastic Robert Altman films including what I consider my personal favorite Fred Ward performance….the sharply dressed head of studio security Walter Stuckel who acts as if he's from another time period….and can’t shut up about the movies from that time period either. (Audio clip) 

Ward is of course great here playing so well against Bacon…..he was just one of those invaluable character actors from this era in the tradition of Wilford Brimley or Robert Prosky….guys who were just seemingly born looking around fifty years old and simply STAYED that way….great face and voice of course.  He would eventually win a Golden Globe for a supporting role in ANOTHER Robert Altman classic…Short Cuts….and would go on to retire from acting in the early ‘00’s.  He passed away in 2022 for health reasons which were never fully revealed….his legacy will of course continue with appearances in gems like this one.  Rest in Peace Mr. Ward…he was a true original who left a mark. 

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

Now I had mentioned the character of Quint from Jaws….the mysterious loner who has a personal chip-on-his-shoulder against the creatures in question and comes into this situation with ONE goal: to KILL it with his bare hands if necessary or by any means necessary.  Well there aren’t any characters here EXACTLY like that.  But probably the one who comes closest is Michael Gross - HOT off of just finishing his epic run as the Mr. Keaton on Family Ties - as Burt Gummer, heavily armed survivalist with Reba McEntire as his wife Heather who is ALSO heavily armed. Well roughly about an hour into this saga, one graboid comes calling to their home…..and they’re READY as it blasts through the brick wall of their basement. (Audio clip)  

They’re pumping lead into this creature side-by-side…..and then the camera pans behind them to reveal a WALL of WEAPONS.  It’s a brief exchange but thrilling and funny none-the-less as the Gummers successfully team up to take down this creature, likely leading to the film’s signature line.  (Audio clip) 

"Broke into the wrong goddam rec room, didn't ya you bastard!" 

MVP (person most responsible for the success of this film):

At the end of the day…for a lower budget “creature feature” like this to succeed, there needs to be a strong captain at the helm.  This includes making the most of limited locations as this almost filmed entirely in a remote area of southern California with the Sierra Mountains in the distance….and a pretty small cast of only 14….and limited resources for practical effects which included life-size animatronics and even some stop-motion animation.  It all looks pretty seamlessly put together, it’s well-paced, there’s solid tension, and it ends on a satisfying note….AND…..this was helmed by a first-time director no less.  That’s right….born and raised in Glendale, CA, Underwood already some TV work under his belt and would follow this up with the smash success just a year later of City Slickers along with some smaller but well-received comedies throughout the ‘90’s including Speechless and Heart and Soul….before eventually going back to TV where he would direct episodes of several prominent shows including Burn Notice, Castle, Desperate Housewives, Boston Legal, and Monk.  For helming what would end up being one of the more deliriously entertaining feature debuts of its era, Ron Underwood is the MVP. (Audio clip)   

Final Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Oh and on a personal note…Stu Gershon, my father who not only took me to see this in theaters but ended up watching it multiple times with me on video and cable….it’s not only one of his favorites but this episode will be posted the same week as his birthday.  So…..Happy Birthday Pop, thanks for everything you do! 

Streaming on Paramount Plus and Prime Video

And that ends another SEISMIC review!