Movie · 1990 · Horror, Action, Science Fiction, Comedy · 1h 36m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 5.7/10 (167.9K ratings)
They say there's nothing new under the sun. But under the ground…
Overview
Val McKee and Earl Bassett are in a fight for their lives when they discover that their desolate town has been infested with gigantic, man-eating creatures that live below the ground.
Ratings
Curator score: 5.7/10
IMDb: 7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Metacritic: 65
TMDB: 6.9/10
Director
Ron Underwood
Production
No Frills Film, Wilson-Maddock Production
Cast
Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross, Reba McEntire, Victor Wong, Robert Jayne, Ariana Richards, Charlotte Stewart, Tony Genaro, Richard Marcus, Bibi Besch, Conrad Bachmann, Sunshine Parker, Michael Dan Wagner, John Goodwin, John Pappas, Frank Welker, Tom Woodruff Jr.
Curator Review
Verdict
A lean, cleverly built creature feature that turns a simple monster premise into a hugely entertaining mix of suspense, practical effects, and dry humor. It’s especially rewarding if you like tightly paced genre movies that feel smarter and more handcrafted than their setup suggests.
Best for
fans of practical-effects monster movies
viewers who like horror-comedy with a light touch
people who enjoy ensemble survival stories
audiences looking for a brisk, rewatchable 90s genre film
Skip if
you want serious, oppressive horror
you dislike campy creature features
you need heavy character drama or emotional depth
you prefer modern CGI-heavy spectacle
Overview
Tremors is the rare creature feature that feels both scrappy and polished. It takes a goofy premise — giant underground killers in the desert — and plays it with just enough straight-faced tension to make every attack work, then lets the cast’s chemistry and the script’s wit do the rest.
Worth noting
What makes it endure is the construction. The movie keeps escalating cleanly, with each set piece adding a new rule, a new vulnerability, or a new joke. The practical effects still land because they’re used with discipline, not excess, and the film understands that anticipation is often scarier than the reveal.
Bottom line
It’s also a great example of a studio B-movie that knows exactly what it is. The tone is playful without becoming a parody, and the result is a monster movie that’s easy to love whether you’re here for suspense, creature design, or just a very efficient good time.
Top Letterboxd reviews
#1 gizmo fan (4.5★) · 2278 likes
Uh dare I say, the greatest and most homoerotic film ever made?
Jay (3.5★) · 1712 likes
pity timothee wasnt there to teach them the sandwalk
Mike D'Angelo (4★) · 1280 likes
74/100
There are 95 reviews for this film on Letterboxd as I write my own [10 YEARS LATER: There are now 16,000], and roughly 95% of them, judging from a quick skim, include the word "fun" somewhere. And it is enormously fun, which is distinct from being funny. Though it's often that, too. What really struck me this time, though, is how deftly constructed it is, especially (GET OFF MY LAWN!) compared to today's studio genre fare. Each scene builds… more
Sydney🚀 (4★) · 1179 likes
I’m a simple woman - I like practical effects, and i like when very smart and funny people make B movies