It’s never too late to catch up on a classic, right? Though I admit, I’m surprised it took me this long to finally watch the 1990 creature feature Tremors since, in theory, it seems right up my alley.
I remember that back in ’90, when I was 13 years old, Tremors didn’t look particularly scary to me; more than anything, it seemed pretty silly. Giant monsters in the daytime? No thanks. Along the same lines, the two lead actors, Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward held little appeal, definitely not enough to get me to see this in the theatre. I was way more excited for Dick Tracy.
What can I tell you? I made a mistake. Today, I consider myself a fan of both Bacon and Ward, the latter of whom I feel was highly underrated in his lifetime. If you haven’t seen The Player or Short Cuts, both directed by Robert Altman and featuring Fred Ward in significant roles, do so now. I can wait.
At the time of its release, I think many folks seemed to feel the same way as me. Tremors didn’t do much business upon its release; however, it did find a huge audience on home video and cable—so much so that it actually became a direct-to-video franchise, with seven instalments and a TV series. Still, it took me until this past Friday night, nearly 35 years after the original film’s theatrical run, that I finally saw what I’d been missing.
If you’re unaware, the film’s plot is pretty simple and concise: Two handymen (Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward) help the natives of a small isolated town defend themselves against strange underground creatures that are picking them off one by one.
Directed by Ron Underwood from a screenplay by Brent Maddock and S.S. Wilson, Tremors holds up remarkably well all these years later. The performances from Bacon and Ward are endearing, as is the work of Michael Gross, who plays survivalist and conspiracy theorist Burt Gummer. If, like me, you only knew Gross from his role as Steven Keaton on TV’s Family Ties, you’d be very surprised to see him believably play a badass role here, but he does it well (as does Reba McEntire as Burt’s wife, Heather).
The script for Tremors moves quickly, and none of its 96 minutes is wasted. The creatures that terrorize the small town of Perfect, Nevada, are suitably monstrous and deliver solid scares and kills. It’s worth noting that the film isn’t particularly gory and can absolutely serve as gateway horror if you’re a parent looking to introduce your spawn to the joys of the genre.
Having finally caught up to a film everyone else has likely watched, I’m happy to report that Tremors is indeed a classic that’s stood the test of time. In fact, I may not even wait 30 years to check out the other films that have followed. As long as they have Michael Gross in them.
