Tremors (1990): Monster Movie Fun Perfection

An early 90s creature feature with a great cast and a fantastically wild plot. Massive predatory worms of an unknown biological nature, or monsters that move like worms underneath the surface of the ground, have started to attack the desert town of Perfection. Their origin is unknown, and there’s not much time to argue the point. The monsters are blind, but fast-moving and extremely sensitive to sound vibrations. The only sure course of action is to climb on top of rocks, or up an electricity pylon, and wait them out somewhere safely above the surface.

Unfortunately, these are patient monsters. If you remain atop that pylon waiting for the coast to clear you will only end up dying of thirst (a fate that tragically befalls one of Perfection’s 14 inhabitants). On the other hand, and unlike many monster films, the powers of the monsters, called Graboids, have clearly defined limits. They are very much mortal: running one into a brick wall might be enough to kill it. They are also limited in quantity, so there’s a real battle to be waged, to kill all four before the town runs out of ideas & ammo. The townspeople are able to put up a good fight using a combination of wits, community spirit, and the limited resources at their disposal. There’s a tug-of-war going on, humans versus monsters, and it’s not clear which side is stronger. It’s like a big game of…