I may have answered this elsewhere, but the question comes up a lot from fans bothered by Universal’s handling of Tremors. In Hollywood, unlike in book publishing or in theater, the studios long ago figured out that they wanted exclusive control over material. You can ask to withhold or retain some rights, but only the most mega-powerful writers would ever have a chance of getting such a contract. The standard contract, which we signed when we sold Tremors, states that we are selling all rights for all media that exist (or are invented in the future) for all time. So you just have to hope you aren’t thrown off your own creation, which we eventually were.
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Is there a reason that Grady has what looks to be a P-38 can opener around his neck (the whole movie!)? He wore it as he was recruiting Earl for the Graboid hunt, so it wasn’t for any cans of food that the Mexican army was offering to him and Earl? Was Grady just a lonely bachelor who ate canned food a lot?
The things you folks notice! Yes, that is a p-38. Sadly I don’t have a good answer. I’ve never paid much attention to what people wear, including myself, so as a director I’m very dependent on the wardrobe people to come up with a character’s look based on the script. I was probably asked about it at the time and obviously okayed it, but don’t remember what the reasoning was (given that, yes, Grady never uses it). Over the years re-watching the movie I’ve never noticed it. All the more ironic because I still have my original GI issue p-38 and used to use it a lot on camping trips.
Are you familiar with the recent Limited Edition release (3,000 units) of the full Tremors soundtrack by La-La Land Records on Dec 2, 2020? Also, can you talk about your opinion on the original music by Ernest Troost compared to the additional replacement music by Robert Folk?
Nice to see that Universal allowed someone to release the sound track. As to your question, at the time we felt Robert’s additional music was overblown, too bombastic and “traditional.” However, we respected Gale Ann Hurd’s decision that we needed a different “take” on the big action cues, as Ernest’s versions were too subtle.
You stated you sold the screenplay/rights to the original Tremors to Universal. Recently, a lot rights to famous film franchises have reverted back to the original writers after 35 years because of U.S. Copyright Laws such as A Nightmare on Elm Street reverted back to Craven’s estate, The Terminator reverted back to James Cameron, etc. Will you be obtaining the rights to Tremors back in 2025? If so, what would you like to do with the series?
We have not explored the option of reacquiring the rights. Having the franchise taken away from us left us less inclined to think about what we might have done had we been allowed to keep creative control.
I’ve just bought the remastered Tremors Blu-ray from Arrow and I am so glad I waited for the day it would get a proper release – Would you guys be willing to restore and remaster T2-thru-4 as well, given the opportunity?
We would be willing, but we do not own the rights to the Tremors franchise. Such decisions are made exclusively by Universal studios with no input from us whatsoever. We did not even know they were remastering Tremors until Arrow contacted us for additional material.
I have an lots of detailed ideas for a video game based on Tremors. Who do I talk to to get the rights?
Unfortunately, not us. We do not own or control the rights to Tremors. You’d have to try to get to someone at Universal Studios and see if they’ll license the rights to you to make a game.
Greetings from Estonia! I’d like to know, even though you did not work on T7, how did you feel about the way Burt’s character came to a close?
Hello, Estonia. We have not seen Tremors 7, so have no comment.
What classifies a movie as a B or A list monster movie?
Back in the day, in the studio system, an “A” movie had a big production budget, and a “B” movie was low budget. I don’t know that people use the designations much any more, with so many projects being made at so many budget levels by so many different companies.
Is Burt’s canon a non-canon since we never see it?
In our minds Burt’s cannon is totally real. We imagine it’s a replica of a smallish Civil War era muzzle loader. It’s probably on display in his living room, which we also never see, but is also totally real.
In the beginning were Val & Earl building that fence all wrong to show us they weren’t the brightest, or did the actors and director actually not know? Posts weren’t dug, or tamped. Wire nailed on top of the post as opposed to a few inches down the face. Wire wasn’t pulled taught with a stretcher, etc.
Well, in our defense, we’ll say that our intention was that Val and Earl were repairing the fence, not building it. They were just adding a strand to replace one that had broken. The points you make are valid, of course. I don’t think we consulted fence professionals about the specifics.
How much did Nancy and Mindy sell the AB for?
OMG, never thought about it! So we’ll have to make a semi-educated guess. Given that they sold it privately to Las Vegas entertainers with a major animal act, we think they got top dollar. While their sale was legal, ILLEGAL rare animal sales can be 10,000, 20,000 or more (even for dead animal parts). So, let’s say Nancy and Mindy got maybe 30,000 or 40,000, or maybe more!
What kind of hat is Earl wearing in T-2? A Stetson?
Sadly these questions are getting harder to answer. I’ve not stayed in touch with the costumers on T2. It would have been something they discussed with Fred Ward, as I didn’t get into costuming details very much. These decisions are made quickly in the rush of pre-production, with many options discussed. Today, they probably wouldn’t remember themselves what it was.
What was the walkie-talkie Burt was using in the first Tremors movie?
It’s actually a hand-held CB radio. Walter had a counter-top version in the store (that Val and Earl use when they’re on the roof). Even though cell phones have largely replaced them, Citizen Band radios are still used for short range communication in some situations.
I understand if you can’t release the Universal-owned script you wrote for Tremors 5, but could you shed any light on that Australian version? I know universal used small bits of it for their effort, but I’m always fascinated by lost films.
This question comes up a lot. I understand fans’ interest. So SS Wilson’s new compromise idea is to post a synopsis of our version of T5. He’s working on it now (Mar 2021), so we hope to have it up soon.
What are the glasses Burt uses in T2, the ones with the magnifiers on? Were they a made prop or are they a real thing?
They are a real thing. Small binoculars you wear like a pair of glasses. These days you can find many different kinds on line. I don't remember if our prop people came up with the idea or if it was suggested by Michael Gross. He was very into researching things Burt might use.
In T2 Earl calls Burt to come help him out. What did Earl mean when he asked Burt if he was laying low?
Our feeling was that Earl already knew that Burt and Heather were having some difficulties in their marriage (which he asks about next). So he’s trying to ease into his question by first suggesting he knows Burt hasn’t been seen around Perfection much lately.
I live in Valencia, CA where Tremors 2 was filmed. In what exact part of Valencia was it filmed?
Tremors 2 was shot in the hills just southwest of Magic Mountain. The refinery set was in a secluded valley in those hills. Also, I remember that we could see Route 126 from the location of the rock that Earl and Grady crash into. Sorry, can’t be much more specific. Long time ago!
Were any of the horses injured in the filming of “Tremors”?
No. We had great animal wranglers and the company took very good care of them. The only horse that got nervous was the one that had to lie on the ground and “wear” the rubber tentacles after Val and Earl are thrown off their mounts. The horse didn’t like those tentacles very much, but its handlers were able to keep it calm enough to get through the scene.
What do Graboids taste like? Would any part of their body make a good meal and would the others Graboid forms taste better/worse?
As we keep saying, “Thirty years later and we’re STILL getting new questions!” We never thought about this. But it’s surely the first thing any American hunter would have asked. Our theory is, based on the strong smell and extremely powerful musculature, Graboid meat probably doesn’t taste very good and is extremely tough. Maybe it would be okay made into sausage with lots of added spices. Shriekers are technically young, so, maybe, a little better. ABs are clearly very stringy and lean, so likely are not appetizing. They’ be like eating crow or vulture.
Why did the series end?
Simple question. Simple answer. We were close, but by the end of the first season we didn’t have the viewership ratings Sci Fi network wanted for the show. Not enough viewers: no show.
First off, sincere thanks for the years of fun entertainment and joy the franchise brought! Secondly I was curious about El Blanco’s intelligence. Graboids are smart and get smarter with time, and the big white would be the oldest by far. Any stock in the notion Tyler said where El Blanco seems to have a soft spot for the townsfolk? Not saying it’s friendly, but progressing to not seeing them as active prey.
We love that, after all these years, fans are still expanding on and adding to our ideas. We hadn’t thought of El Blanco in that way, but it is quite logical. Animals living around humans adapt in surprising ways. It could have led to a fun moment in the series, wherein El Blanco makes an unexpected choice to help someone like Nancy or Tyler!
Not really a question, but I just saw T7 and it is as bad as 5 and 6. To add insult to injury [SPOILER COMMENT REMOVED BY STAMPEDE EDITORS]. Thank you guys so much for the first 4 movies (the REAL Tremors movies) and the series. Big, big fan since the first came out.
Yes, not really a question, but we wanted to post it anyway. Thanks!
If, hypothetically, Universal asked you guys if you wanted to come back to do one more film with them, whether or not it pans out to be the last movie in the franchise (T8 or whatever), what would you say in a hypothetical scenario?
We hypothesize we’d say no. We tried very hard to create a consistent, logical set of rules and to establish a carefully balanced tone of comedy vs scares. Tremors 5, 6, and 7 destroyed those norms, so it would be impossible to construct something we believed in.
Did you guys ever consider the possibility of an aquatic variant of Graboid in any future movies or series?
When we were creating the sequels and series, we had fans and studio execs ask this question all the time. But our answer was always the same: we don’t think it works — because an aquatic Graboid is really just a shark!
In Ghost Dance, Burt lists a set of coordinates where he believes the lab is. Out of curiosity I looked them up and found they were smack dab in the middle of real life Moapa Valley, Nevada! It seems to match all the in-series descriptions of the valley. Was Perfection modeled after Moapa from the beginning?
Brent Maddock and I wrote that episode, but I have to be honest and say I don’t remember discussing what coordinates. The shows were written under intense time pressure and I can only say what MIGHT have happened. We might have asked someone on our staff to give us coordinates for central Nevada and then just wrote them in. As to part 2 of the question, no, we didn’t model our location on a specific area, as we knew there probably wasn’t any place that actually fit all our needed parameters (Burt: ” We got the cliffs to the north! Mountains to the East and West!”