The filming location for Ron Underwood’s Tremors was instrumental to the plot of the 1990 horror comedy starring Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward alongside Finn Carter, Michael Gross, and Reba McEntire. More than providing a visually appealing backdrop for the film, it yielded the right, if not perfect atmosphere for Tremors’ story to thrive. The movie follows natives of a small, isolated desert town in Perfection, Nevada, who take up arms against strange underground creatures with a large appetite for human flesh — the Graboids.
Released to mixed-positive reviews, Tremors grossed over $16.6 million against its $6.4 million production budget. Despite its moderate success at the box office, the film spawned six direct-to-video movies to become a multimedia franchise with a television show and at least two video games. The Tremors series ran on Syfy for a single season in 2003. It was shot at Fox Baja Studios in Mexico, unlike the Tremors movies filmed at various locations around the globe.
The First Tremors Film Was Shot In Lone Pine, California
The first Tremors film is set in a small, fictional town in Nevada called Perfection. There’s no such town and the movie wasn’t filmed in Nevada. Most Tremors’ scenes were shot in the desert in Lone Pine, California. The movie explored the landscapes of Owens Valley, an arid valley of the Owens River in eastern California embodying Lone Pine alongside other towns like Big Pine, Bishop, and Independence. Some scenes were filmed in Darwin, Olancha, and Alabama Hills — all located in and around Inyo County, California.
Tremors II: Aftershocks (1996)
Tremors II: Aftershocks follows Fred Ward’s Earl Bassett as he hunts the worm-like creatures at an oil field in Chiapas, Mexico. This wasn’t where the second Tremors film was shot. Aftershocks was initially planned with Australia as the destination for its principal photography. After its $17 million budget was slashed to $4 million, S. S. Wilson settled for a U.S. location. The movie was filmed in Valencia, a scenery community resting northwest of Los Angeles County, California.
Tremors 3: Back to Perfection (2001)
The third entry of the Tremors franchise, Back to Perfection took the story back to the desert town in Nevada. This time, it follows Michael Gross’ Burt Gummer as he wages war against an evolved and deadlier species of Garboids. Tremors 3 was filmed in Santa Clarita, Los Angeles County, California. The film introduced the use of computer-generated imagery to create the flesh-eating monsters. It was released to positive reviews with a Best Visual Effects nomination from Video Premiere Award.
Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (2004)
The only prequel of the franchise, Tremors 4 depicts how the Man vs Garboids story began in Rejection, which was later renamed to Perfection. It revolves around Burt Gummer’s ancestor Hiram Gummer and his efforts to defend the town against Garboids, then known as Dirt Dragons. The Legend Begins was filmed in various California locations, including Santa Clarita where the third Tremors movie was shot. Principal photography for Tremors 4 took place in Bronson Caves, a section of Griffith Park in Los Angeles. Other scenes were shot in San Bernardino’s ghost town Calico, and at the Veluzat Movie Ranch in Santa Clarita.
Tremors 5: Bloodlines (2015)
Over a decade after The Legends Begins, Universal Pictures reset the franchise with Tremors 5: Bloodlines. The film follows Burt Gummer and his cameraman Travis Welker (Jamie Kennedy) as they fight off the man-eating worms in South Africa. Bloodlines was filmed in Johannesburg, South Africa. The fifth film initially titled Gummer Down Under was based on the unused script for Tremors 2, with Australia as the destination for principal photography.
Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell (2018)
The sixth film in the Tremors series began filming in Cape Town, South Africa in January 2017. The original plan was to explore Bulgaria’s mountainous landscape. But then, the country faced a severe snowstorm that left the crew searching for another destination. Set in Nunavut, Canada, Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell follows Burt Gummer as he investigates the weaponization of Garboid while struggling to get rid of the creature’s poison killing him.
Tremors: Shrieker Island (2020)
Universal Pictures greenlit the seventh film in the Tremors franchise in December 2018. Filming began roughly a year later in Thailand, leading up to the film’s release in October 2020. The premise of Shrieker Island is built around a group of wealthy trophy hunters who genetically modify Garboid eggs, creating a species of larger and more intelligent Garboids in their quest for a prestige hunting experience.
It seems Universal Picture is done with the franchise. Michael Gross also thinks so. “There’s a part of me that feels that Universal Home Entertainment might’ve had enough of Tremors,” he told the Boo Crew Podcast. Check out why Tremors shouldn’t be revived.
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