The ‘90s often get a bad rap with horror fans. After the numerous successful slashers and creature effects films of the ’80s, the ‘90s offered a different variety of horror fare. Though there were plenty of hits, hidden gems, and misunderstood classics, the ‘90s usually don’t get the kind of love that other decades get when it comes to horror. It’s time to change that.
This column has been a real treat because I’ve gotten a chance to see what people think about the movies I’ve chosen to champion. As always, there will be debate and I welcome it! One comment that got me thinking posited that the back half of the ‘90s was where a lot of the better horror offerings began to appear. So, I wanted to go all the way back to the start of the decade and find some good flicks to highlight. Well, as luck would have it, 1990 offered up a movie that I’d argue is not only one of the decade’s best but a stone-cold classic.
You know I’m talkin’ about Tremors.
The story of the isolated town of Perfection, Nevada and its subterranean giant worm problem is well-known by now. The film has spawned five (soon-to-be six) sequels, a television series, and a pilot for a new series that I WOULD KILL TO SEE. …Um, anyway, the point is that y’all know what Tremors is about. Instead of hashing out the plot, let’s examine just why Tremors might be a perfect movie.
To clarify, Tremors is perfect for what it is: a small scale creature-feature effects film. That sounds like it’s the kind of movie that’s a dime a dozen, but you’d be surprised how hard it is to pull off such a concept. Actually, it’s not that it’s hard to execute. Rather, it’s difficult to accomplish this kind of production and make every aspect of it sing. Tremors is a movie that understands the tiny corner it’s playing in and it uses that to its advantage.
Let’s clear up a few things. When I say “small scale,” I’m talking about the actual size of the story. This is all about a tiny town with less than twenty people in it, and the threat they are facing doesn’t pose an issue to the outside world. Tremors doesn’t have to worry about anything bigger than the story it’s telling and the characters it’s playing with. That sense of isolation is a benefit to Tremors; it allows the danger to feel big because it’s a huge disruption to a very minuscule community.
Thankfully, that community is littered with phenomenal characters and actors. Every single member of the ensemble does exactly what they need to do. Of course, the lead performances by Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward are absolute delights; Val and Earl are a dynamite duo that are immediately likable, funny, and believable as two poor schmucks who just picked the wrong damn day to leave town. And special mention needs to be given to Michael Gross and Reba McEntire as the gun-crazy couple who end up with the best showdown in the movie.
So, let’s address that headline up above. I’m sure there are some of you that raised an eyebrow when I made such a bold statement. Here’s the thing: Jaws is my absolute favorite film of all time. When I say Tremors is as great as Jaws, and that is what I’m saying, I’m not being cavalier about that comparison. There is only one big difference between the two: Jaws has Big Character Drama and Tremors doesn’t. But, that isn’t an inherently negative thing if it’s factored into the script. Tremors has plenty of character beats but it understands that they don’t need to be too complex. In fact, their simplicity is an asset. The budding romance between Val and seismology student Rhonda (Finn Carter as a pitch-perfect nerd) is straightforward and adorable. Tremors isn’t the kind of movie that would benefit from deeper digs into the serious lives of its characters. The streamlined story is reflected in its characters.
Just because Tremors’ dramatic aspirations aren’t on the same level as Jaws doesn’t mean it’s a lesser film. Tremors sets very specific goals for itself and meets them at every turn. At the same time, it delivers the same kinds of thrills and adventure that you find in Jaws. Director Ron Underwood has masterful control over the movement of the camera and the pace of the edit. Combined with S.S. Wilson & Brent Maddock’s script – which deserves exuberant praise on how it handles escalation in regards to the monsters – Tremors moves at exactly the right clip, spending just as much time as it needs to with each character to establish who they are and how they function in this community.
Of course, we can’t talk about Tremors without talking about graboids. The underground beasties are easily some of the best movie monsters in the history of the medium. From conception to execution, these gigantic worms are an absolute marvel of practical effects work. And like I mentioned earlier, the script does a superb job at evolving our knowledge about the creatures. At first, they appear to be smaller eels. Then, we see that those are just a part of a larger animal’s tongue. And, to make things even better, the graboids are capable of pattern recognition and learn how to outsmart our heroes. This gives the graboids a sense of personality even though they are acting like a normal animal. Like the shark in Jaws, the graboids feel like a menace with purpose without tipping into cartoon buffoonery. I could go on and on about how great graboids are, but I’m sure I don’t need to convince you.
What I do hope to convince you of is Tremors’ classic status. I’m not talking cult classic or genre classic, but full tilt film classic. There are reasons I can speculate on as to why Tremors isn’t as widely respected as it should be – the intentionally simplistic nature of its drama; the dilution that’s caused by over-franchising; its lighthearted nature undercutting any sense of Important Filmmaking – but that’s part of why I want to do this column. There are plenty of ‘90s horror films that don’t get the love they deserve. And even when they do – Tremors is certainly loved but in a very niche way – they aren’t afforded the same landmark status as many other films.
Tremors is a landmark film. It kickstarted the ‘90s in the best possible way and it’s a movie that none of us should be looking down on. In a better world, Tremors is recognized as the absolute masterpiece of drive-in cinema that it is. Let’s start treating it that way.
