I wrote about all four of the goofy Tremors films a few years back, before they came out with a new sequel in 2015. After revisiting the first batch of sequels over the next three Thursdays, I’ll present a new Monday post on Tremors 5: Bloodlines.
A while back I wrote about one of my favorite dumb movies, the 1990 goofy comedy-horror flick, Tremors (see my post, “Guilty Pleasures: Tremors”). I’ve watched it many times, and while I knew that there had been three sequels made, I had always avoided them—until recently. To begin with, they were all direct-to-video productions, and that usually doesn’t bode well. And more often than not, sequels do not come close to the original.
So okay, while none of the three equaled the first movie, they were nonetheless entertaining. Some laughs (intentional and otherwise), a few thrills, and—gasp!—even a bit of originality in each. Here is an abstract on the second film. The rest will follow.
TREMORS 2: AFTERSHOCKS
“Evolution: It’s a Bitch” served as the tagline for the first sequel, released in 1996, and indeed it is. Fred Ward is back as Earl Bassett, now trying to make a go of it with a failing ostrich ranch. A guy from a Mexican oil company asks for Earl’s help. Seems that Graboids (the giant worms from the first movie) are killing workers at an oil field in Sonora, and since Earl knows how to destroy the creatures… Earl initially refuses, but his sinking bank account, along with a bounty of $50,000 per Graboid, changes his mind.
Along with new partner Grady Hoover, Earl drives down to Mexico. At the oil field he meets a scientist named Kate Reilly, who is investigating the Graboids. Things go well initially, as Earl and Grady destroy a bunch of the things by sending out remote control cars carrying dynamite and detonating them from afar. But because there are way too many of the monsters, Earl calls for backup: outrageous right-wing survivalist Burt Gummer (Michael Gross), who appeared in the first movie. The Mexican army has provided Burt with one hell of an arsenal. They fan out into the desert and resume the hunt.
This Shrieker is looking for lunch…
Later, Earl and Grady confront what appears to be a sick Graboid. It eventually dies as something bursts out of it. This is the next step in the evolution of the Graboids: a disgusting monstrosity that, for soon-to-be obvious reasons, they call a Shrieker. This hermaphrodite creature can replicate at an alarming rate after eating, and since it initially chows down on some unfortunate humans, it multiplies into a horde. (Or is that a herd?)
No spoiler alert: Earl, Grady, Burt, and Kate are all that remain at the oil company’s field offices, under siege by the Shriekers. No help is coming; they don’t have much in the way of weaponry; the beasties are still multiplying; and, they’re growing smarter. How will Earl & Company save the day?
Check it out. It’s a blast—literally.