Tremors (1-3)

They say there's nothing new under the sun. But under the ground...

TREMORS (15)

D: Ron Underwood

Universal/No Frills (Brent Maddock & S.S. Wilson)

US 1990

96 mins

Science Fiction/Horror/Comedy

W: S.S. Wilson, Brent Maddock & Ron Underwood

DP: Alexander Gruszynski

Ed: O. Nicholas Brown

Mus: Ernest Troost

Kevin Bacon (Valentine McKee), Fred Ward (Earl Bassett), Finn Carter (Rhonda LeBeck), Michael Gross (Burt Gummer), Reba McIntyre (Heather Gummer)

Tremors is more than just a throwback to B-movies of the 1950's, it's a B-movie for a brand new generation. It's exactly the sort of film you'd pull into a drive-in for; a creature feature with a cheesy script and shoddy effects, but so much fun you can forgive every bit of its tackiness.

In Perfection, a small town in the Arizona desert, the population are terrorised by a species of subterranean worm-like monsters who pull people beneath the ground to feast upon. A pair of odd job men hatch a survival plan, with the assistance of a female geologist and a gun-obsessed husband and wife duo.

Despite the visual effects being a little on the unconvincing side, everything else here, for a low-budget production, is bang on the money.

8/10

TREMORS 2: AFTERSHOCKS (12)

D: S.S. Wilson

Universal/MCA/Stampede (Nancy Roberts & Christopher de Faria)

US 1995

90 mins

Science Fiction/Horror/Comedy

W: Brent Maddock & S.S. Wilson

DP: Virgil Harper

Ed: Bob Ducsay

Mus: Jay Ferguson

Fred Ward (Earl Bassett), Christopher Gartin (Grady Hoover), Helen Shaver (Kate Reilly), Michael Gross (Burt Gummer)

More a Jurassic Park spin-off than a sequel to the original film, with the worm-like monster evolving into carnivorous, blind dinosaur-like creatures.

It's still reasonably entertaining due to the enthusiasm of the cast, with Fred Ward and Michael Gross reprising their roles from the predecessor and Christopher Gartin doing his very best to ensure that Kevin Bacon's character isn't missed too much.

6/10

TREMORS 3: BACK TO PERFECTION (PG)

D: Brent Maddock

Universal/Stampede (S.S. Wilson & Nancy Roberts)

US 2001

104 mins

Science Fiction/Horror/Comedy

W: John Whelpley

DP: Virgil L. Harper

Ed: Drake Silliman

Mus: Kevin Kiner

Michael Gross (Burt Gummer), Shawn Christian (Jack Sawyer), Susan Chuang (Jodi Chang), Charlotte Stewart (Nancy Sterngood), Ariana Richards (Mindy Sterngood)

Both Kevin Bacon & Fred Ward are missing from this second sequel, with Michael Gross taking the reins for this direct-to-video follow up.

The events practically follow the same plot lines from the first two movies, with more grabboid hunting in the small desert town of Perfection, Nevada.

The film does its best despite budgetary limitations, but it does feel like flogging a dead horse at this point.

I have some admiration for the subtitle, but the film itself is a bit of a dud.

4/10

Michael Gross in Tremors 3: Back To Perfection