Tremors (1990)

Directed by Ron Underwood. Starring Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross, Reba McEntire, Victor Wong, Bobby Jacoby, Tony Genaro, Charlotte Stewart, Ariana Richards, Richard Marcus, Bibi Besch, Conrad Bachmann. [PG-13]

The tiny, isolated town of Perfection, NV finds itself under siege from subterranean worm-like creatures that have no eyes to see, but can sense vibrations in the ground, which they use to chase down their prey and attack. A monster movie done right—stick to the formula, but make the most out of it. The beasts are smartly-designed and have a good “hook,” the special effects are used sparingly and are often quite convincing, the cast does solid work across the board (even country star McEntire), the direction is creative without becoming too showy, the balance between humor and thrills never tilts too far to either side, the locations are nicely photographed, the suspense scenes are well-edited, and the music (from Ernest Troost and an uncredited Robert Folk) smoothly shifts between lighthearted adventure and frenzied intensity…indeed, everything comes together just right in this one. Bacon and Ward make for an affable pair of unlikely heroes, and Gross is a kooky delight as an intense survivalist with a heavy attitude and heavier arsenal. Though it didn’t do much business during its theatrical run, the home video release was a runaway success, resulting in a considerable cult following, numerous straight-to-video sequels, and a short-lived television series.

84/100