I depends on how “loud” the sound/vibrations are. They heard the intense noise from Burt and Heather’s cartridge case cleaner at what looks like a mile or so in the movie. But we feel they would not hear normal walking at further than a hundred yards or so. So tip toeing would work, especially if you paused between steps even if you were pretty close to one.
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Will you try to make a deal to use mixmaster in a future film?
We would like to use many concepts from the first four movies and the series, and we have mixmaster in one version we are working on. Of course you are correct that Universal has to grants the rights to use it if we go forward with that one.
How do Graboids handle the winter months in places like Nevada? Do they hibernate or are they generally unbothered by the cold?
Well, graboids benefit from the fact that the temperature below ground does not vary as much or as fast as surface temperature. In very cold weather a graboid could just “dive” say 20ft down and stay comfortable.
What was the direct reason you sold the rights to tremors to universal? Seems like it just screwed up everything for everyone, and Universal just abandoned it.
When you sell a screenplay, there is no other option than to sell all rights for all time. Such studio contracts have been set in stone since the beginning of movies. There are super rare exceptions where a writer (like say J.K. Rowling) has huge power and can keep control of some rights — but we were nowhere near that category when we sold Tremors. It was only a little-known part of US copyright law that allowed us to get back our rights (after 30 years) to the original script.
How long do Graboid eggs lay dormant? It’s been shown hot springs can hatch them, but are their other factors? Could human activity such as fracking, construction, etc be blamed for such a large scale appearance of the graboids?
We think it’s probable that the human activities you suggest could possibly cause a hatch by disturbing the eggs. We admit it’s a little limiting to say it’s ONLY hot springs that cause hatches.
Now that Stampede won back Tremors. Will we finally see the Long-Forgotten TREMORS 5 script put into film as a sequel to Tremors?
It is not likely. We have only the rights to the original Tremors script, not any of the sequels that were written later.
If you were able to do a modern Tremors remake with complete creative control and a modest budget, what would that look like? What would you do differently? And would you still mainly rely on practical effects for the graboids or would you use a mixture of animatronics/puppets and CGI?
As we announced at Tremors Fest Santa Fe in October 2024, we are not interested in remaking Tremors. We are in discussions about what to do with the rights to the original script, but are hope to pursue some sort of sequel, not a remake. That aside we’d always love to do effects practically as much as possible, but there will be pressure to augment with computer graphics, so that’ll be an ongoing discussion if anything happens.
Will Stampede Entertainment re-build the actual Perfection NV town for tourists?
That’s a lovely thought, but while our fans are very loyal, Tremors doesn’t have the gigantic followings of Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. We doubt it would be feasible to build Perfection and expect it to be as successful as Hobbiton in New Zealand.
How long can graboids go without eating?
That’s a fun thing to think about. We’d like to say it’s a pretty long time, maybe similar to how long some snakes can go without eating — which can be months. A related question we answered is: do graboids need water? If so, how to they get it? We’re not sure about that!
In T2 is there a deleted scene of Burt fighting/killing/shooting the skriekers after he turns off the video recording while driving in his truck in the dark? If so, where can I find that deleted scene?
Yes, we did shoot that scene. It was really only one shot showing Burt blasting the shriekers off the truck’s hood from inside. S. S. Wilson actually doubled for Michael Gross in the shot. You can find it in the extras on the new Tremors 2 HD-DVD from Arrow. We cut it from the final movie because we realized it was better NOT to know if Burt survived until we reveal it later.
Looking back at the marketing of Tremors in 1990, were there some fun and memorable marketing and PR stunts? Perhaps some lesser-known promotional activities the fans would love to hear about? Thanks!
There were cardboard graboid tentacles that theater owners were offered to hang from the lobby ceiling. Also there was a large motorized lobby poster (called a “standee”). S.S.Wilson has one of the only known complete ones. It will be on display at the Tremors Fest in Santa Fe Oct 25-27, 2024.
What happened to Val and Earl’s truck after filming for Tremors 2 ended?
Movie vehicles are usually rented or bought by the company transportation department. And usually they’re sold or returned to the rental places after production. So that’s what happened to the Jeep Gladiators we used on Tremors 2. They just went off to be rented or sold again. We know, not very romantic.
When Burt was looking for the lab at the end of “Project 4-12” why didn’t he just use a leaf blower blowing the sand off the buried road — or use an RC with a built in camera in the vents in the mines possibly leading to the lab?
In “Project 4-12,” it was our intention that Cletus shows Burt a tiny piece of roadway that is mostly destroyed and that only goes a few feet (so can’t be followed). But with a different director on every episode, things didn’t always get shot the way we hoped, so it does look like the road keeps going if you keep uncovering it. In “Ghost Dance,” Twitchel explains the government plans to seal the mine, so Burt can’t access it.
In the episode where El Blanco made a ninety degree turn and followed a straight line. Was that the location of the underground lab? Also would Burt have found the underground lab? If the lab would of been discovered would there be several mixmaster creatures in it or maybe one big one that ate all the others and using the lab as a lair?
Yes, El Blanco is following one wall of the underground lab. It’s one of Burt’s early clues once he learns about its existence. And yes, if we’d had another season of episodes, it would have been fun to finally enter the lab and possibly make discoveries like those you propose.
In “The Key” why didn’t Delores have El Blanco loaded facing the inside of the truck as opposed to having him facing out the back so he could grab her? Might have saved her life. Eh?
One: she would have to be able to see the future and know how and where they were going to try to cut up El BLanco, and also know that Larry was going to be there to screw things up. Two: wasn’t her choice. Tyler was the one with the expertise in how to winch El Blanco aboard.
After Mindy distracts the graboid with her music through the radio, why don’t Burt and the others just hop in Burt’s truck and drive off?
The situation is, Burt and the others are desperate to kill the shriekers in the box canyon behind them before they multiply any further. But they can’t hunt the shriekers with with El Blanco near by. So Burt uses his truck to lure El Blanco away.
Double rifle or shotgun? Burt supposedly gives Grady and Earl double rifles chambered in .375 H&H. But in several scenes you can see both muzzles at the same time and the bore size on Earl’s gun is much larger – like a shotgun possibly a 12ga. Grady’s is mostly definitely a rifle. Any way you could confirm this? It’s puzzled me for years,
Actually, when Burt hands them the guns he says one is a Westley Richards .480. The other (Grady’s) is 375 H&H mag. That said, .480 is probably still not the correct caliber for the Westley. But that company did sell an elephant gun that fired a 12ga solid bullet. I’m guessing that’s probably what we actually had from the prop department.
How many evolutions do these creatures have?
It is just three: graboid, then shrieker, then AB. The ABs lay eggs (seeking out earth warmed by hot springs) and graboids hatch from the eggs — sometimes a very long time later.
Will there be some proper video coverage of the upcoming Tremors Fest 2024 this October? There were some great panels last year, but those who couldn’t attend couldn’t even really see a recording of it aside from a few fan made ones on YouTube.
The festival is very impromptu, has no budget, and basically is put on by volunteers. That said, we very much agree that video of the panels would be a great thing for those who can’t make it. I’m told the organizers are looking into ways to try to make it happen. So fingers crossed.
Mindy’s pogo stick defies gravity before being sucked in by a Graboid after Val saves her. Was that meant to be a cool shot (to your guy’s credit, it was), or was the idea that the Graboid already had hold of the pogo stick, and was that close to eating Mindy?
We totally intended the second thing: that it was that close!
When Val impaled the graboid in the head while saving Rhonda, how the hell didn’t it at least not suffer any brain damage? Could you explain the anatomy of the graboid in that context?
You are assuming a graboid’s brain is roughly where most critters’ brains are. We are not assuming that. It might be lower down or maybe further back in the “neck.” Or maybe it’s just small and Val missed it!
Did Burt’s basement really explode 8 times? Or was it a dramatic effect.
Dramatic effect. We are always trying to make explosions look spectacular. And we always shoot with multiple cameras. Editors often use the different angles to “extend” the blast. It’s not very realistic, but at least in Burt’s case we can justify it by assuming he had stashes of many different flammable, volatile and explosive materials going off at different times.
Do ass blasters instinctively know when they’ve eaten too much so they don’t doze off in mid-flight and hurt themselves once they eat?
Absolutely.
Rhonda’s truck has a Mesa State University decal. Did you ever consider where her university was located during production? I always assumed it was located in Bixby.
We feel it’s a little more mainstream than that. Maybe in Reno.
In the synopsis for the original script for Tremors 5, the Australian graboid is said to be bigger and look different than its American relatives. Was there any concept art produced for it?
No. As with the original Tremors, we did minimal description in the script and didn’t imagine much beyond it. That’s the joy of working with world class creature designers. They do the heavy lifting!
Fans can see the synopsis referred to here:
https://www.oneheatminute.com/articles/unseen-hollywood/2021/06/22/fair-dinkum-terror-graboids-down-under