Tremors (1990)

A monster movie unlike any others, Ron Underwood’s “Tremors” is a blast from beginning to end. Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward make a great duo to follow along on what is glorious, pure B-movie cheese: Oversized, underground, carnivorous worms preying on a small town with a population of about a dozen people. Underwood manages to strike a delicate balance between the more comical aspects of the story and the occasionally grisly fates of its characters, keeping the focus on the characters (in particular its two likable leads) and their banter over any nascent desire to shock or horrify his audience. It makes for a rollicking good time and a perfect Friday night movie, and the only thing more surprising about the movie’s structural success is that it doesn’t seem to have a wider audience to appreciate its strengths.

Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)