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This iconic monster movie, released on Paramount+, was one of Kevin Bacon's favorite projects

If someone had asked Kevin Bacon for commentary on the 1990 monster movie thirty years ago Tremblethey would have gotten a pretty gloomy answer. As the popular actor was strapped for cash and unsure of his future, he feared the giant flesh-eating worms had destroyed his career – but today he counts the horror hit as one of his favorite projects. Six sequels and a TV series later, Tremble' Graboids still has a hold on the hearts of fans around the world, and soon fans will be able to relive the magic of the original when it arrives on Paramount Plus this month.




At the beginning, Tremble had a tough climb from the bottom. The genre-bending creature confounded critics with its combination of spooky splashes and family-friendly entertainment and bombed at the box office. However, it proved to be a mega hit on home video and in the years that followed The up-and-coming film became a cult classic and one of the few Kevin Bacon films that the star says he has seen more than once. Fans agree that the exciting and endearing film has stood the test of time.


As the years passed, a tremble entered Kevin Bacon's heart


When Kevin Bacon took on the role of Valentine McKee, the stubborn everyman who fights off giant killer sandworms Trembleit was done with serious reservations. He and his wife Kyra Sedgwick were expecting their first child, his mother had just received a cancer diagnosis and his career peak had been reached Unbound was years behind schedule, so he felt he had no choice but to take the role — even though he feared the silly, nostalgic monster movie might send his career spiraling underground. He seemed to be right when it was a huge success at the box office, but things took a turn for the worse after home video Tremble Bacon eventually became a horror cult classic.

“Tremors” had a production budget of $6.4 million and grossed just $16.7 million in theaters, well below expected earnings.


Ron Underwood Tremble was difficult to market with its mix of horror and humor, but this nostalgic homage to classic creatures has delighted fans for decades. Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward play Val and Earl, two hapless tradesmen whose plan to leave the flyspot town of Perfection, Nevada, is thwarted by man-eating worms. Val and Earl team up with seismology student Rhonda (Finn Carter) and the town's misfits to defeat the creatures before they suck Perfection into the sand. Kevin Bacon told the official Tremors YouTube account why the film worked so well:

At its core, it's about ordinary people coping with extraordinary circumstances, and it's an antidote to superheroes… Nothing against superheroes, because I don't want to get in trouble like Scorsese! But when everyone has the power to destroy the world, you know, whatever, then you see that over and over again… and I think after a while it becomes kind of hard to relate to that.

The fantastic film benefits greatly from the earthy performances of Victor Wong, Reba McIntire and Michael Gross, whose compelling chemistry lends weight to their danger. Combine that with still-stunning practical effects, a deft mix of horror and humor, and an old Hollywood appreciation for the majesty of the desert, and you get a film that truly deserves its cult classic status.


Ryan Reynolds, The Thing, Leslie Jones

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Since Tremble debuted in 1990, was followed by no less than six sequels and a Syfy television series in 2003, and in 2003 Kevin Bacon tweeted positively about the possibility of an eighth film. This is highly unusual for the actor, who never played any of his previous roles again, but Valentine McKee had a special place in his heart. In fact, Bacon told an audience at the ATX TV Festival how he and Blumhouse almost brought Val to the big screen in 2015.

[Val] was pretty much the only character I played in a movie that I thought would be fun to try again 25 years later – because he was such a mess. Finding out what happened to him after the worming treatment would be an interesting journey. So I brought the idea to Jason Blum and we looked at a film adaptation… (but decided) it would be a great idea to make it into a series.

Unfortunately, this series never saw the light of day, although those who got to see the pilot gave it positive reviews. There's still hope for Val's future, considering Kevin Bacon's affection for the character and recent news Tremble The intellectual property is back in the hands of its creators at Stampede Entertainment. Screenwriters SS Wilson and Brent Maddock have suggested making a sequel rather than a remake or reboot of their near-perfect cult classic, meaning Kevin Bacon could still get in on the fun of a future installment. While fans wait for more news on the matter, they can enjoy the film that started it all on Paramount Plus.


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Helen in Death Becomes Her, Ash in Army of Darkness and Casey in Scream.

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