We actually struggled to come with with a cool name for the creatures. We threw different names around (grabbers, chompers, crunchers), and we don’t remember who first said “graboids.” We didn’t love it, and kept trying, but never came up with anything we liked better by the time we had to start to start shooting.
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Could (or would you like to see) Tremors exist within a monsterverse with Godzilla and Kong?
We tend not to be fans of mash-ups. We liked creating a world where the only super strange thing is the graboids and everything else is played straight. If a whole city were on the run from Godzilla, seems like graboids would be only a minor annoyance.
In Tremors 2, did Ariana Richards ever get to meet or connect with any of the cast that wasn’t in the 1st or 3rd movies, like Helen Shaver, Chris Garten, etc…? It was disappointing that Ariana or Charlotte weren’t included in the 2nd film. Was there ever a chance they could of been?
When T2 came out, were quickly made aware that fans missed the townsfolk. Indeed, that’s why Tremors 3 was called Back to Perfection. In our defense, when T2 went from feature film to very low budget direct-to-video title, we had to drastically cut everything we could. I don’t remember specific discussions, but we could never have built the Mexico refinery AND rebuilt Perfection to shoot scenes there. Also, from a strict story-telling perspective, there’d be no reason for Mindy and Nancy to get involved in the Mexico adventure. Why would they want to?
What was the idea for Dirt Dragons in Tremors 4
We assume you mean where did we get the idea. It came from our constant striving to come up with new things, but stay true to the movies that came before. Having the early Perfectionists just face graboids would only be repeating the first movie with an Old West look. We wanted to have something new for fans, so that’s where baby graboids came from. It was probably writer Scott Buck who added the idea of having the Changs invent the name.
Have you heard of the mobile game death worm? It’s basically a Tremors mobile game. You play as a giant worm and you eat as much people possible! It’s a really fun game and just wanted to mention it.
We checked the game out after getting this FAQ. Yes, it certainly looks Tremors inspired! But of course there were sand worms and underground critters that predated our movies. There’s even a really old TV show called Outer Limits that had a sand-shark like monster – “Invisible Enemy.”
What was the name of calculator watch that Finn (Rhonda) wore in Tremors? Was it just a prop or a real type calculator watch?
We checked with Ron Underwood on this, but he does not remember picking the watch, so we can’t say for sure. It is very unlikely that it was custom made (given our low budget), so it is probably a real watch from the time, found by one of our costumers and offered to Finn/Ron when they were finalizing her look for the movie. If any fans recognize it, please chime in!
Is there a story/reason behind why Earl has, in his trailer, a refrigerator that is covered in contact paper with little hearts all over it? I always assumed it “came with the trailer,” or he had shacked up with a woman and it went south, but would love to hear something more detailed.
For this one we are fortunate to have a reply direct from Production Designer Ivo Cristante:
“As far as the refrigerator goes, it came that way from the prop house if I remember properly. We kept it thinking that he would have picked it up at a thrift store. When fridges get ratty, they are often covered with contact/shelf paper to cover the grime, rust, etc. Point was, he couldn’t be bothered to redecorate.”
What is your favorite aspect of the show? Personally I would say its the character interaction. I recently just caught up with the show and it’s great! Such a shame it was canceled.
I liked the invention of mixmaster and the opportunity to come up with more monsters. But for ANY TV series, character interaction is nearly always the most important aspect and the thing the writers discuss most. You want the audience to get to know them and like them, so you can also slip in surprises as the show evolves. I’ve said in other places, for example, we were planning to reveal in season 2 that Rosalita wasn’t really related to Miguel.
What if a Graboid encountered a cave system it had no prior knowledge of? Would it tunnel right into it or just go around it?
Graboids prefer to stay in their element: loose dirt. It’s difficult for them to move in the open. So if a graboid did happen to poke its beak into a cave, it would mostly likely back up and go another way. Another consideration: caves tend to form in solid rock, not in alluvial soil, so graboids would rarely encounter them anyway.
Where did Val & Earl’s friendship come from? How did they meet? They obviously started a small business together & had good chemistry.
Great question, and one that actors would love answered. Some writers and directors come up with that kind of background to help actors. And some actors create it on their own if not given it because they feel it helps guide their performance. In our case, I confess we didn’t give a whole lot of thought to Val and Earl pre-Perfection. They just evolved rather quickly as we went through the early drafts of the script.
When Burt shot his gun who punched out the window?
When a real .50 caliber rifle is fired, there is a terrific concussion. It can easily break nearby glass (and ear drums). The blanks for the movie don’t have that effect, but I was hoping to imply it by having the window break. FX man Peter Chesney rigged a spring-loaded hammer to break the window when the gun was fired (we didn’t have a permit for explosives that day). The timing was a bit late, but we had no time for retakes and had to move on.
Would you consider Blood Beach – with its snakelike creature that hunts by sucking people under the sand – to be spiritually an offshoot of the Tremorsverse?
Well, Blood Beach predates Tremors by nearly 10 years, so I’m afraid we’d have to say it’s the other way around (if there were a Blood Beachverse). We don’t remember seeing it back in the day, but looking at it now, certainly the shots of people getting pulled under the sand are very similar to Tremors.
What is the proper collective noun for a group of Graboids?
We wish we could ask Rhonda. We feel graboids is correct. It’s how they are referred to in Tremors 2. But we’d be curious to hear fan opinions!
What company built Burt’s truck used in the series?
Sorry to say, this one has gotten away from us. Production on the series moved VERY fast and we were mostly up in LA frantically writing. At most we probably saw a photo early on from someone in transportation asking, “Is this truck okay?” And we said “YES!” and moved on.
Where was Rhonda staying while she was out in Perfection? Or did she commute? Love these movies so much!
With details like her folding lawn chair, we always felt she was camping out (maybe sleeping in the bed of her truck?), since she was only planning to be there a few days. Guess we should have added a small tent to her gear. Would have been more clear!
What was Burt’s tactical vest and where can I get one that’s authentic to it?
Sadly that’s one of those details that we don’t remember, if we knew it. It would have been bought by the costuming department, probably one of many different types that then would have been presented to director Ron Underwood and actor Michael Gross to choose among. These decisions get made in a rush, and possibly only the costumers knew the actual make/brand.
But like with the question about Larry’s car in the Tremors TV series, if any fans know the answer, send it to the FAQ page and we’ll add it here!
Did you ever have plans to go to Bixby.
Once we started the series, we may have discussed going to the neighboring town so often mentioned in Tremors 1, but we also kind of felt it was fun to have this place everyone talks about but that we never actually see.
Is there a different version of the script for Tremors 3? I’ve seen rumblings of it online.
We were so busy, once we worked out the story, we had to hand off script writing duties to the capable John Whelpley. We hassled him with lots of notes and changes as we worked through the process of getting to the final shooting script, so it’s possible there are other versions floating around out there. They might differ in details or scenes, but would not be drastically different from the basic story.
What was the thematic impetus behind Tremors 3? It’s the weirdest of the movies you did and I love it more every time I watch it but I feel like I’m missing a larger French filmmaker joke that Brent is heavily winking at the audience about. So what were your goals as writers and directors with this one? And what brought you to those conclusions? Or am I reading too much avant garde into this piece and you all were making a fun joke on yourselves?
There wasn’t really any avant garde to it (despite director Brent Maddock’s love of French film). In hearing reactions to Tremors 2, the one thing audiences consistently said they missed was the ensemble nature of the town in the first movie. So when we got the go-ahead for the 3rd film, we knew for sure we were going to return to Perfection and bring back as many cast members as possible. Then we just chose to explore how things would be different when the world knows that graboids exist. Hence: graboid tours and government interference.
What happened to El Blanco after Tremors the series?
We assume you mean the character, not the puppet (which would have returned to the effects company where it was made). We like to think El Blanco still lives semi-peacefully in Perfection Valley, enjoying his status as a protected endangered species.
Is there a significance to Burt’s license plate : UZI 4U?
We just thought it seemed like Burt’s sense of humor to refer to a machine gun on his custom plate.
Ever think on making a new Tremors in documentary-style horror, like Paranormal Activity or Quarantine?
We hadn’t considered it, but always enjoy learning all the different ways fans come up with for expanding the Tremors universe!
You guys are -understandably- harsh on Tremors 5. However, I believe the idea of different Graboid variants for different parts of the world is a interesting idea. Had the series continued under your banner, do you think that’s something you could have done? Like Graboids that can dig through harder ground types, Shriekers that can deafen or stun you with their screams, or Assblasters that can use their fiery farts as a weapon ala the Plasma Bugs from Starship Troopers?
Actually, our original script for Tremors 5, mostly not used in the final movie, included the idea that the Australian graboids were different from the U.S. ones. And it’s something we’d have liked to explore more had we continued with the series.
Burt and Heather were the opposite of the cliche of the overly prepared dying at the hands of the monster, to establish the threat. But was there ever a point in production you actually considered going the cliched route?
No. We always do opposite if we can figure out what it would be.
What would have been a cool Tremors idea that you and the team never got the chance to work on?
In our original script for Tremors 5 we had a sequence we liked where Burt has to face the mini graboids (first seen in Tremors 4). There is a swarm of them, and he guns them down using a 6 barreled super-rapid-fire machine gun, that he fires from the top of a careening Land Rover as he and two other characters try to out run the beasties.
We also had many ideas over the years for how we’d bring back Kevin Bacon as Val if that ever happened.