REVIEW: TREMORS

**Fellowship of the Reel — Tremors (1990)**  

Hosts: Phil, Sherry, James, Chris · ~76 min · **Four recommends**

Four friends dig into Ron Underwood’s cult monster comedy. Handymen Val and Earl try to leave Perfection, Nevada; the Graboids won’t let them. The table’s case: this might be one of the tightest scripts ever written. All gas, no brake. Comfort movie for most of them, and a hit that happened on home video, not in theaters.

**Money and critics**  

January 19, 1990. Budget never confirmed, estimated $5–11 million. Domestic about $16.7 million; international a reported $1,000. Critics kinder than fans (~88% vs ~76%). Bacon took it for the money and found the fandom later. Seven films follow; Michael Gross becomes the franchise. Burt dies in the last one; creatures eventually fly. Late 2024: Wilson, Maddock, and Underwood reclaimed the rights. Not a reboot. A return-to-Perfection sequel is being outlined, Bacon as Val possible, nothing promised.

**Beats (short version)**  

Monster in the House — the house is the town. No sin summons the worms; origin not required. Setup is the general store: every character, the noisy cooler, and the stampede gag planted at once (tan sleeping bag, red lining — Earl (looks like a worm). Catalyst is the sewage job and Edgar Deems dead of dehydration on the tower. Break into Two is the horseback ride for Bixby, not the rockslide — they’re still debating a human killer until then. The movie is two guys trying to leave town. Midpoint is the aqueduct kill and a false victory. All Is Lost is Walter’s store breached and the roof turning into a wave pool. Finale: Val finally has a plan, baits Stumpy off the cliff. Closing image: he stays and kisses Rhonda.

**Votes**  

James: recommend — does what *Jaws* does, keeps the monster underground, fine for families. Chris: recommend, but he got a little bored on a rewatch and can’t point to a flaw. Phil: recommend — internally consistent, as quotable as *Big Trouble*. Sherry: recommend — saw it as a teenager at Phil’s apartment and tiptoed down the sidewalk so nothing would come out of the ground.

**Lines they quote all day**  

“We plan ahead, so we don’t have to do anything right now.” · “We faced temptation and did not blink.” · “We just left this town one damn day too late.” · “Broke into the wrong goddamn rec room, didn't ya?!.”· “Stampede!”