Tremors — Review

Few movies that blend horror with comedy can so expertly walk the narrow tightrope between genres as Ron Underwood’s 1990 classic, TREMORS; a loving throwback to B-movies from the ‘50s with undeniable parallels to JAWS. Beyond simply replicating the iconic poster of Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster mega-hit, TREMORS swapped out the sleepy coastal town setting and ravenous great white threat for a landlocked valley surrounded by mountains and vast swathes of Nevadan desert, with a handful of worm-like predators tunnelling beneath. Perfection is a town with a population of only 14 people, making it the ideal isolated community to be terrorised by intelligent creatures who can detect even the slightest footstep.

Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward lead an eclectic cast that includes an enthusiastic seismologist, a shifty shop owner and a survivalist couple with an armoury that would put any small army to shame. Unabashedly goofy but never reaching the realm of self-parody, TREMORS takes full advantage of its setting to set up progressive set pieces. Our man-eating sandworms are magnificent practical creations that learn as the movie progresses, ensuring the characters can’t ever become complacent and thus allowing a degree of tension to percolate throughout the film. With its pervasive sense of paranoia and captivating set pieces, TREMORS is a rip-roaring cult classic that seamlessly blends light melodrama with effective humour and compelling genre trappings.