As we expanded the graboid life cycle in developing Tremors 1, 2, 3, and 4 we implied that extra heat was needed to trigger a hatch, so we mentioned natural hot springs as possible sources of that heat. The idea wasn’t seen in Tremors 1, of course, as back then we didn’t think we’d ever have to answer the question!
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What were your original plans for a Tremors 5, and a possible next two installments?
A synopsis of the script is available at:
https://www.oneheatminute.com/articles/unseen-hollywood/2021/06/22/fair-dinkum-terror-graboids-down-under
Universal fired us as of making their version, so we had no input on plans for what came after.
When making the run for the mountains at the end, did anyone bring food or water. It doesn’t look like it in the shots we see. Even Burt and Heather seem to have brought only guns/ammo/bombs. And Burt has said it’s a long 38 miles to Bixby!
We have to admit it’s a good point. Doesn’t look like it to us, either. So, yes, it would have been a difficult trek w/no supplies.
What was the hardest you laughed (any of you!) during production?
Many years later memories have faded. But it would have been when things went wrong or actors flubbed lines. Quite a few moments can be seen in the outtakes included with the excellent DVD remaster of Tremors by Arrow.
What if a groboid fought fill-in-the-blank-movie-monster. Who would win?
We actually get versions of this question quite often. We admit we don’t spend a lot of time visualizing how such battles would go. Hopefully fans can argue the pros and cons among themselves.
Is it possible for the graboid tentacles to eat? Or are they strictly for grabbing?
Strictly for grabbing. While it looks like they have mouths, they are more like a crab’s pincers.
How many Shriekers were killed by Burt in the intro of T-3?
A lot. We did not count.
Has El Blanco ever been shot or shot at by a prepared tourist?
It could happen. Might have made a moment the TV series had we continued with it. Yahoos hoping for a high-profile hunting trophy.
Do assblasters ever hunt birds while in the air?
It would be possible, as birds are warm blooded and would be visible prey. But ABs mostly glide after takeoff. We don’t think they are agile enough in flight. Birds could probably out-maneuver them.
Now that the possibility of El Blanco’s fate lies in your hands, what is the probability of their survival?
We assume you are referring to our reclaiming the rights to the original script that became Tremors. It does not include El Blanco (invented for T3), so we don’t really control his fate. That said, we like the idea that he is exceptionally long-lived and remains a tourist attraction in Perfection.
Is it true Tremors 2 was completed and in the can in 1994 but Universal sat on it for two years before releasing it?
No. Just another internet myth.
Who designed the rifle prop that Burt users in the movie as his main gun and how did it get reused as the tranquilizer gun in the second Jurassic Park film?
Burt’s rifle in Tremors 2 is a real gun, built by L.A.R. It is distinctive looking, so the makers of Jurassic Park chose it to be their tranquilizer gun, even though it actually fires the 50 cal Browning Machine Gun round, as Burt says in T2.
Do you know where Doc Jim Wallace was building his home? I am trying to locate real locations on Google Earth.
The scenes were shot late in production, after we left Lone Pine. The location was along Highway 14, East of Canyon Country. Hazy memory says it was just north of the highway near where Soledad Cyn Rd turns South.
As we often do these days, we throw the question out to fans. Can anybody give us a more precise location? Or do triangulation on the movie (as one fan has actually done for other locations)?
Over the films and series, Burt often berates people doing creature research, yet is just as often blindsided by graboids/shriekers/Abs because he doesn’t anticipate their differences. Shouldn’t he support research — so he can be even better prepped?
To be fair, Burt usually opposes research in the moment, when the jeopardy is eminent (and so obvious!). On calmer days, we think he reads reports voraciously and calls Rhonda to consult, probably more often than she’d like.
Which Tremors was the most expensive to make?
Tremors 1. We had over double the budget of the sequels.
Did Mindy really count 640 or was she just being cute?
At two jumps per second, 640 is just over five minutes of pogoing. She totally did it.
How about genre-crunching? We get many suggestions for weird ways to go: How ’bout Tremors in space? Tremors meets Freddy Kruger? Graboids vs fill-in-the-blank?
Thanks to all, but we’re hoping to launch one more movie that is simply true to our original franchise.
If there is a new Tremors, who will direct it?
Still getting ahead of ourselves here. Yes, there is some hope for a new Tremors. In our perfect world Ron would direct, but we are still just trying to see if we can set even it up (Aug 2026)
Would it be possible to ride a graboid, or shrieker, or ass blaster?
A graboid? No. You’d be crushed or swept off the moment it submerged. And we don’t think individual shriekers or ABs could support an adult human. Plus they are highly untrainable.
Who is mayor of Perfection?
Walter Chang. Then Jodi Chang. But it’s more a local assumption/custom and not based on actual elections.
Do Graboids have any ways of differentiating their land-based forms from any other prey? I know at the end of 3, El Blanco eats an AB, but that’s only after they stuck the watch to it.
It’s hard to determine for sure, as graboid studies are fairly rare. But it’s felt that a graboid would easily be able to identify unique vibrations from Shriekers and ABs and avoid attacking them. That said, many animals are cannibalistic, so it’s not out of the question that they’d sometimes eat their “own.”
Was there ever considered another name for the town other than “Perfection”? Obviously it was renamed from “Rejection,” after the events of T4. But in the early drafts, any other names come up?
Our working title was Beneath Perfection, so no, there was never another name considered for the town. We developed the story for Tremors 4 years later, but enjoyed to opportunity to say the town started with a different name.
How exactly did Melvin make the money to start his real estate business?
Melvin may be underhanded but he’s a smart businessman. He started small, maybe even by selling his folks’ place in Perfection, and worked his way up, buying/selling larger properties. So he was pretty well off by the time of Tremors 3.
Is Rhonda from Mesa State University (MSU)? Seems like it would be pretty far from Perfection.
I think the art dept meant MSU to be Mesa State. So we have to say Rhonda was a very dedicated student to take over the seismo monitoring in such a remote location.
Did someone treat Melvin’s bite after being attacked by old Stumpy?
We certainly hope so. Probably Walter. Off camera.