We agree there’s definitely a similarity. As critter designers sought more unusual looks, multi-part jaws sort of inevitably became a thing. See also Predator. See also Alien.
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How successful was Earl and Grady’s theme park? Any ideas where it was located? And, what was its final name?
We like to think Earl and Grady did well at least for a time. The park would have been located in the southwest, in an area similar to Perfection valley, but more easily accessible. Given that they had a fair amount of money to start, it wouldn’t have been too cheesy. But likely would have gone downhill as the novelty wore off; and they faced competition from Perfection’s graboid tours, with El Blanco for a draw. Finally: we lean toward “Worm World.”
I’m working on a diorama involving graboids, shriekers, and Ass-Blaster. I would love to have some proper dimensions of them if possible.
Not much of that information gets saved, but creature designer Alec Gillis has kindly provided this response from memory:
Graboid- full length 20 feet. The black head shell/carapace measured 3 feet from tip of nose to start of neck hide.
Shriekers- stood about 4 feet tall at the highest point, which is normally the hip bone. . Using that measurement one could extrapolate from photos the body length from tip of nose to end of tail.
Ass Blasters- about 6 feet from tip of nose to end of tail.
Hope this helps!
Was there ever a idea or thought about a graboid outbreak in Bixby?
No, it was just a funny name for the town Val and Earl were hoping to reach. But since Dead Meat host Zoran Gvojic has now turned Bixby into a veritable meme, we probably have to consider the possibility.
Since there are have been 2 batches of eggs that hatched in Perfection Valley. Is it safe to assume there are more hidden egg batches in the valley and surrounding area or just the valley?
We feel that graboid eggs can lay dormant for a long time, so yes, there could be more!
For “The Key” episode do you remember what creatures DNA would be in the bat creature? like maybe a bat and hummingbird or something like that?
We don’t remember specifying — so we’ll go with your version!
Did you guys know there’s a copy of the original film in Tremors the series Chang’s market? Hard to think jodi watching her uncle getting eaten huh?
We did not know that! Perhaps it was an in-joke by the set dressers. Maybe someone can helpfully tell us which episode it appears?
Did Cletus or creature 4-12 ever encounter the “Stumpy squad?”
If by that mysterious term you mean the graboids of Tremors 1, then no. The idea in the series is that the secret lab closed before the events of the first movie.
In the original T1 script, there was a character named Viola who owned both an old mobile home near Chang’s and a small yappy dog, unnamed. She, and poor dog, met an unhappy end to the graboids during the initial onslaught of Perfection. What was the inspiration behind this deleted character? Were there ever casting calls for Viola? Were there any parts of her character transferred to those we see in the final cut?
Viola and her dog were cut very early on, due to budget and length concerns, so early that Brent and I both forgot we ever wrote the character; and in fact some years ago we claimed she was never in the scripts when fans asked. But an early version we had somehow lost turned up and we had to re-think our answer! In fact, it’s that version author Christian Francis used for the new Beneath Perfection novelization, so Viola has returned for her revenge!
Are the tongues of Graboids alive? In Tremors 1 when the Graboids attack the Doctor and his wife they seem to roar as if they were alive. Do Graboids just have some insane tongue control or do the tongues of a Graboid think for themselves?
It’s insane tongue control. The tongues are super-articulate tentacles like those of octopus and squid. Yes, the high-pitched shriek we gave them does make it seem like they might have a mind of their own but that’s unintended. We’d argue that, since graboids are all about sound and vibration, the tentacle noises are an added way for them to communicate with each other.
Did you originally intend for Burt Gummer to be autism coded
We created Burt long before such terms and diagnoses were common. So, no. We just thought of him as an off-beat, somewhat obsessive guy.
Do graboids use echolocation to detect solid objects?
Yes! Good call!
Will the novel be released this year?
Yes! For anyone who has not seen it, the novelization of Tremors by Christian Francis, “Beneath Perfection,” has been released [late 2025]. And there is an audio version narrated by Dead Meat’s Zoran Gjovic. The book includes scenes from an early script that were not shot, as well as expanded character moments.
In the movies the graboids are referred to as worms. But hypothetically, might they be closer to cephalopods — with their beak-like mouth and tentacles? Could they come from prehistoric squid?
It’s a good theory. Certainly the beak and tentacles lean that way. In Tremors 2 we (rather unscientifically) said they were Precambrian, so that would preclude their having evolved from earlier forms. Maybe Rhonda will eventually disprove Kate’s assumption and shed new light on their origins.
How did Nestor come to be in Perfection? Did he own the junkyard?
We’re not sure of Nestor’s path to the valley, but yes, he did own the junkyard. There was a scene showing him there that got cut. But there are still lines from Val and Earl indicating he owns it and pays them to work it.
In “Project 4-12,” when Cletus tells Burt about the Proudfoot lab, Burt is initially dismissive because he has lived in the valley for a long time and would have noticed it. How did they avoid the gaze of Burt Gummer? Were they that well hidden?
Seems like we have to say, “Yes they were that well hidden.” It was super secret and underground. And Perfection Valley is quite large, so that’s our position and we stand by it!
Do you have any pictures of an intact graboid egg like before one hatched?
Sadly our photo archives have been picked over many times. So far none have turned up.
We want to license Tremors board games, artwork, pinball machines, graboid plushies, etc. Can we?
Per our statement on the Stampede welcome page, our reclaimed rights do not allow us to license anything from the Universal movies.
How long do you guys think it took for Jodi to clean up the mess el blanco made in her store?
6.35 hours, not counting hired construction/repair work.
Did Cletus know or have any interaction with Old Fred? Edgar? Or know of them at all?
Good question. Seems like it would be possible.
When Walter says “I didn’t do it” about his phone being out, does that mean he sometimes sabotaged it to force people to make additional calls?
No. Just means, “I didn’t do it.”
In the Tremors 4K Arrow release there is a piece of artwork breaking down the biology of a Graboid and it shows the “Grabbers” aka the tentacles have venom sacks near the mouths. Does that mean Graboids are somewhat venomous?
We confess we haven’t gone over in detail the many extras in the Arrow extras, and had not noticed this. We hadn’t originally intended that graboids are venomous, but could argue it’s something that came up in Rhonda’s later ongoing research!
I noticed the first two Tremors done in 4K from Arrow mentioned they were approved by the director. What was the level of involvement?
S.S. Wilson did not have much to do with T2 other than adding commentary. However, Ron Underwood was very involved with the transfer of Tremors 1. Here are his comments:
“I was involved with the transfer to 4K – and I also got Alexander [Director of Photography] involved as well in the color timing. It was a great process and Arrow cared so much about the quality of their product. I was so impressed with them.”
Happy 9th Annual Burt Gummer Day! Did you ever think that someone would make an international holiday out of your characters?
Not sure how “international” it is. But we were surprised to find it is indeed something noted by fans. So — thanks! And no, very unexpected.
Was the moment Juan Padilla, or more accurately Brent Roam, broke the 4th wall by glancing at the camera in Tremors 4 a scripted scene or an improvised moment?
We would not have scripted it. Could have been improvised by Brent, or could even be an accidental glance at camera (actors try not to do it) that editor Harry spotted and decided to use because he thought it worked well.