Tremors? You mean…like an earthquake? Well, sure, but this isn’t your average shaking ground movement! This is something worse. As the tagline of the movie says, “They say there’s nothing new under the sun. But under the ground…”

Tremors is a monster film released on January 19, 1990 starring Kevin Bacon (Valentine or “Val”), Fred Ward (Earl), and Finn Carter (Rhonda) as the main characters. The movie takes place in Perfection, Nevada, a remote and less than perfect desert town, with a population count of 14. One day, Rhonda, a seismologist sees strange readings on various seismograms. She doesn’t think much of it, but mentions it to Val and Earl who passed by to see who she was. Both Val and Earl decide to move out of Perfection for good to get a better life instead of work as handymen. On their way to what seems to be freedom, they see another resident of the town all the way at the top of an electricity tower. Val climbs the tower to check on him, but sees he is dead. They go back to town and get him checked out by a doctor to find out the cause of death, which was dehydration. Everyone thought that it was a little bit weird. Why would the man have purposely stayed up on the tower? It’s not like he wanted to die. Val and Earl begin to head out of town again, but once more they encounter a dead citizen who’s cause of death is strange as well. What could it be?! As they head back to town they encounter men drilling the road. They warn them that a killer is on the loose, but the men think they are just trying to scare them. Unfortunately, when Val and Earl head back out to get the authorities, these men are dead, too and the road is blocked. Why and how is all of this happening? What’s doing this?

It is a monster movie, so of course, a monster is doing this! What makes this monster scarier than a lot of others is that it’s under the ground! At least with many other monsters, you know where the thing is and can try to save yourself, but what can you do with a creature that lives underground. Practically nothing! You’d never know where it is, so you’d never know when to attack it or defend yourself.

The movie wasn’t necessarily scary, but the concept of the underground creatures itself was scary. The movie is, however, filled with loads of suspense. There is so much suspense that you almost feel like you’re living through the events with the town. What can you do when people in your town are being killed one by one? What else could you do, but wait in fear for who could be next or what was in store for your town? That’s exactly what happens in Tremors.

Aside from the movie itself, the characters were very engaging, especially Kevin Bacon’s character. He was my favorite, because he really brought his character to life. All the characters are unique in their own way and really help make the movie more captivating. I also think the way these characters had to be brought together, because of the killer-monster situation was in some ways a lesson we can take from the movie. In times of struggle, we have to work together and that’s exactly what this movie shows us!

I definitely recommend this movie for anyone, because it has various components. It has action, adventure, sci-fi, suspense, horror, comedy, and a little–JUST A LITTLE–touch of romance. It’s basically the full package! Watch Tremors and maybe you’ll SHAKE in awe after watching.