Started in 1990, the Tremor franchise is enjoyed by many because of its perfect blend of monster horror and comedy. Since its release, the franchise has spawned 6 direct-to-video sequels and a 13-episode TV series.
The movies focus on worm-like creatures that prey on humans for food and keep evolving throughout the movies. We follow the story of Burt Gummer as he first encounters Graboids and slowly learns how to deal with them. Throughout the movies, Burt grows and knows how to kill the ever-evolving monsters and becomes a full-blown monster hunter by the end of the series.
Read: All Pacific Rim Movies
Since there are a total of 7 movies, the correct order to watch them can get very confusing. So, if you’re looking for the correct order to watch the movies or want to rewatch the franchise in the correct order, you have come to the right place. This article has all the information you need on the Tremor movies, so grab your popcorn and giddy up for these Wild West monster movies.
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All Tremor Movies in Release Order
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Tremors
Streaming On: Tubi TV, DIRECTV
Director: Ron Underwood
Writers: Brent Maddock, S. S. Wilson, Ron Underwood
Cast: Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross, Reba McEntire, Bobby Jacoby, Ariana Richards, Victor Wong, Bibi Besch
Genres: Comedy, Horror
Starring Kevin Bacon, Reba McEntire, Fred Ward, and Michael Gross, and set in Perfection, Nevada, we follow these four as they try to save themselves from being eaten by giant human-eating worms that have invaded a town.
Tired and bored with their job, Val and Earl leave their city and go to the neighboring one. When the duo finds a shepherd dead with skulls of sheep littered all around, they think a serial killer is on the loose.
They try to warn the resident and try to call outside but discover the line to be dead. When they try to escape the city, they find the exit blocked. When the duo returns to town, Val finds a dead snake-like creature stuck to the tire of his truck.
Van and Earl borrow horses to ride to the next town through the desert. A big worm-like monster attacks them on their journey, and the duo starts fleeing. The snake-like creature stuck to the truck is revealed to be the monster’s tongue. While chasing, the monster rams into the wall of an aqueduct, killing itself.
Rhonda, a student of seismology who came to the city to run tests, deduces that there are three other worms in the area. The three deduce that the worms are detecting their prey using seismic vibrations. The three escape using Rhonda’s truck.
One of the worms is killed by a survivalist couple in the city, while the other two rampage in the city. The trio loads the people into a trailer to save them from the worms and flee into the desert. Val gets one of the worms to swallow a bomb, which kills it. With the help of the other two, Val drives the worm off a cliff and throws a bomb on it as it falls, which confirms the worm’s death.
As the first Tremors movie, it does an excellent job setting up its world and characters. The movie is very well directed, with the action sequences filling its audience with energy and dread. The monster looks dreadful and is a very scary concept.
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Tremors 2: Aftershocks
Streaming On: Tubi TV
Director: S.S. Willson
Writers: S.S. Willson, Brent Maddock, Ron Underwood
Cast: Fred Ward, Christopher Gartin, Helen Shaver, Michael Gross, Marcelo Tubert, Marco Hernandez, José Rosario, Thomas Rosales Jr.
Genres: Action, Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Western
The movie shows that Val now marries Rhonda while Earl runs a ranch. Approached by Carlos Ortega, Earl is offered fifty thousand dollars for each Graboid (worm monster) he kills and double that if he captures one alive.
At first, with the help of Grady, they use RC cars with explosives to kill the Graboid but are overwhelmed by their numbers. The next day, Paul and Grady find a sick-looking Graboid and decide to take it back alive for the reward. When they return with the required equipment, the Graboid is already dead with a hole in its stomach.
The two return to the radio station, only to find it destroyed with two-legged Graboids running rampant in the building. The two can defeat one of them but run away when they start getting swarmed.
The next day, they return to headquarters and save Kate before a Graboid kills her. The group now calls them Shriekers and learns that they detect heat through a detector on their head.
Every time the group tries to kill them, the Shriekers find food and multiply exponentially. Earl drenches himself in a fire extinguisher filled with CO2 to hide his heat signature, leads the Shriekers near a hefty supply of weapons, and blasts them with a detonator, killing all of them.
The story is very fast-paced, with every minute being filled with entertainment. The movie shows how the franchise world has changed since the discovery of Graboids. The moral of not giving up during hard times is displayed throughout the movie.
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Tremors 3: Back to Perfection
Streaming On: Tubi TV
Director: Brent Maddock
Writers: Brent Maddock, S. S. Wilson, Nancy Roberts
Cast: Michael Gross, Shawn Christian, Susan Chuang, Charlotte Stewart, Ariana Richards, Tony Genaro, Barry Livingston, John Pappas, Robert Jayne, Billy Rieck, Tom Everett, Mary Gross
Genres: Action, Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Michael Gross returns to play his role of Burt Gummer as he returns to his hometown only to find out that it has been left in ruins by the Graboids and that Burt must restore it to its previous glory.
When Adventurer Burt returns to his hometown, he finds that the town has been left to ruins, and Jack, a new resident, gives fake Graboid attack tours. One day on tour, actual Graboid attacks, and the visitors run away. Burt determines that there are 3 Graboids in the area.
The Residents ready themselves to kill the Graboids but are stopped by Charles, Frank, and Andrew, three government agents who say that the Graboid is endangered. They strike a deal with the residents that if they catch one, they will go away.
During a conversation with Melvin Plugg, Burt is swallowed whole by a Graboid, but Melvin saves him by cutting the Graboid open with a chainsaw. Later, Burt finds Andrew fatally wounded and tells them about a new type of Graboid that can fly. They name them Ass-Blasters.
In the city, Nancy tells Burt that the Ass-Blasters go to sleep after eating. Burt teams up with Jack, Jodi, Miguel, and Nancy, rushes to a junkyard, and assembles a potato gun. In the end, the group avenges Andrew’s death and can capture an Ass-Blaster successfully. Burt’s hometown is declared to be a Graboid reserve.
Filled to the brim with non-stop action, Tremors 3 is an action-filled horror movie in which Burt returns to his homeland to restore its glory and, in the process, destroys many monsters. The film has very sharp and quippy dialogue and a fun core concept to keep it from feeling drawn out or tiring.
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Tremors 4: The Legend Begins
Streaming On: Tubi TV
Director: S.S. Willson
Writers: Brent Maddock, S. S. Wilson, Nancy Roberts
Cast: Michael Gross, Sara Botsford, Billy Drago, Brent Roam, August Schellenberg, J. E. Freeman, Ming Lo, Lydia Look, Sam Ly, Neal Kopit, Sean Moram, Matthew Seth Wilson, John Dixon, Dan Lemieux, Don Ruffin, Lou Carlucci
Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Western
A prequel to all the movies in the franchise, in Tremors 4, we follow Hiram Grummer as he discovers there are Graboids in a cave that he owns, tries to desert the village, and then owns up to his mistake and saves a whole town.
In 1889, when a hot spring was built near some Graboid eggs, the Graboids killed 17 miners. Hiram, Grandfather of Burt and owner of the mine, comes to the town to fix the problem. Hiram is surprised to see young Graboids and his companion Juan kill it with an axe.
Hiram hires Black Hand Kelly to kill the Graboids. They discover four fully-grown Graboids who devour Kelly while Hiram flees. At first, Hiram decides to leave the mine and the nearby town up to their fate, but when he receives a telegram briefing him about the Graboids heading to the city, he changes his decision and heads to the town with a bunch of weapons.
Traps kill the first two Graboids while the other one is lured to the ground, and Hiram attaches a rope to its tail, which drags the Graboid into a Steam engine that kills it. The townspeople decided to keep the monsters a secret as it would scare away other people. Hiram decides to settle in the town and changes its name from rejection to perfection.
As a prequel to the series, the movie clears up many questions about it while giving the series an intriguing and fun backstory. Michael Gross plays the role of Hiram perfectly and provides the movie with an authentic feeling while preaching values like owning up to one’s mistake.
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Tremors 5: Bloodlines
Streaming On: Tubi TV
Director: Don Michael Paul
Writers: William Truesmith, John Whelpley, M. A. Deuce
Cast: Michael Gross, Jamie Kennedy, Pearl Thusi, Rea Rangaka, Brandon Auret, Nolitha Zulu, Daniel Janks, Sello Sebotsane, Ian Roberts, Natalie Becker, Emmanuel Castis, Zak Hendrikz, Ernest Ndhlovu, Lawrence Joffe, Wayne Smith, Matthys Kuhn
Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
The fifth installment in the Tremor franchise shows how Burt has grown popular due to his skills and achievements in his life. He is hired to deal with some Graboids by corrupt officials looking to make a quick profit.
Burt has now become a popular actor with his web series. When his cameraman, Travis Welker, is approached by South Africa’s wildlife ministers, Erick and Johan, to help them kill some Ass-Busters. When he reaches there, all of his heavy weaponry is impounded. In exchange, he is given guns with small calibers.
When two paleontologists are eaten by a Graboid, Burt examines the fossil they were looking at and discovers a new Graboid. When an Ass-Blaster catches a tribal person, Burt tells everyone to evacuate and saves the person after killing the Ass-Blaster.
When Erick and Burt find some Graboid eggs, Erick reveals himself as a poacher and betrays Burt. Erick locks Burt in a cage and takes the eggs away to sell them on the black market. With the help of Travis, Burt goes after Erick only to find him being chased by a huge Graboid, which he names “The Queen Bitch”. Erick is eaten while the rest barely escape.
The group realizes that the village is under siege from “The Queen Bitch” because one of the villagers has a Graboid egg. The villagers come up with a plan to use lightning to kill the monster. When the storm starts, they lure in the monster with the egg.
The plan turned out to be successful, and it killed the monster and its egg. The movie ends with Burt and Travis becoming co-hosts of Burts TV show, where they kill various monsters around the globe.
Released nearly 11 years after the previous movie in the series, Tremors 5 is filled with funny moments and thrilling action that keeps its viewers entertained. The story keeps the viewers engaged while the humor lands perfectly, giving the movie a fast and flowy pace.
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Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell
Streaming On: Tubi TV
Director: Don Michael Paul
Writers: John Wheply, Brent Maddock, S.S. Wilson
Cast: Michael Gross, Jamie Kennedy, Tanya van Graan, Jamie-Lee Money, Kiroshan Naidoo, Keeno Lee Hector, Rob van Vuuren, Adrienne Pearce, Francesco Nassimbeni, Paul du Toit, Christie Peruso, Jay Anstey
Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A Cold Day in Hell provides a breath of fresh air to the series as the setting for the movie is changed from the usual sand to ice, and the story is set in a more professional environment than the previous movies.
While collecting some ice samples in Canada, a group of researchers is eaten by a Graboid. Burt and Travis are asked to investigate the case. Burt suspects that DARPA is trying to weaponize Graboids. There, they learn that the Arctic has suitable weather for Graboids. Burt knows that a Graboid venom had poisoned him from when he was inside one (Tremors 3) and that they need to extract antibodies to save his life.
When Graboids attack the research facility, several members head to the generator area. When Graboids attack Agent Cuffs and his researchers in DARPA, they team up with Burt’s group. Burt strikes a deal with Cuffs, and the two team up. After they capture a Graboid, they draw its venom using a syringe to create an antibody for Burt. Ultimately, Burt kills all the Graboids before Cuffs uses them as a bio-weapon.
As the movie takes place in Canada, the movie is beautifully shot with amazing landscapes while the characters keep the story feeling fresh and new. The movie shows Burt being clever and playing to the circumstances.
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Tremors: Shrieker Island
Streaming On: Netflix
Director: Don Michael Paul
Writers: Brian Brightly, Brian Brightly, S.S. Wilson
Cast: Michael Gross, Jon Heder, Jackie Cruz, Richard Brake, Caroline Langrishe, Cassie Clare, Sahajak Boonthanakit, Matthew Douglas, Randy Kalsi, David Assavanon, Boonma Lamphon, Iris Park, Aukrawut Rojaunawat, Bear Williams, Mikey Black
Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
The seventh and last installment to the franchise takes a very emotional turn and gives Burt’s character a complete growth and ending. We follow Burt as he gets mixed up in a death game for the rich, who have modified Graboids to make them more powerful. Burt comes to terms with his past mistakes and takes his fate into his own hands.
Dr. Jas discovers that Bill, a hunter, has a private island where he has genetically bred Graboids to make them more intelligent and powerful, to make his hunting more fun. Jas tells her companion, Jimmy, to contact Burt to help with the problem.
Burt refuses at first, as he opposes Jas for hiding that Travis is his son from him but later agrees to help her out. Bill warns Burt to stay off his island but decides to go anyway. When Burt tries to find weapons, he can only come up with machetes, two flamethrowers, and an unstable dynamite.
Burt reaches the island and kills some shriekers and one of the three modified Graboids. Burt warns Bill to call off the hunt, instead, Bill tranquilizes Burt and leaves him in a bunker with his friends.
Burt unties everyone using a paracord knife he had hidden. Bill and Anna encounter a powerful Graboid named “The Queen.” Anna gives up and runs away while Bill’s blood lust proves fatal, and he dies to the Queen.
Anna frees Burt’s group from the bunker, and Burt uses the dynamite to kill another modified Graboid, leaving only the Queen alive. Gathering up the survivors, Burt hatches a plan to lead the Queen into a volcano as she is hunting Burt specifically.
Ultimately, Burt successfully carries the plan out but gives up his own life to ensure the Queen dies. The movie ends with the best moments montage of Burt from all the previous movies.
Shrieker Island gives Burt complete character growth and neatly wraps up his story. The action is well-paced, and some very emotional moments are sprinkled throughout the movie. The movie boasts highly about morals like regret and repentance.
Conclusion
One of the longest-running American horror comedy series, the Tremors movies are about a Man who has committed to hunting down all Graboids and saving others. For over three decades, it has continuously offered an exciting fusion of horror and comedy that has won viewers’ hearts. The Tremors movies are a bunch of super-entertaining monster horror movies that keep the viewers on their toes while also giving them gut-wrenching laughter.
So, if you’re looking for a franchise that will give you chills and stomachaches from laughter, the Tremors franchise is the best pick.
All Tremor Movies According To IMDb Ratings
- Tremors (1990) – 7.1 By 143.1K Votes
- Tremors 2: Aftershocks (1996) – 5.9 By 31.5K Votes
- Tremors: Shrieker Island (2020) – 5.4 By 4.8K Votes
- Tremors 3: Back to Perfection (2001) – 5.3 By 18.5K Votes
- Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (2004) – 5.3 By 13.5K Votes
- Tremors 5: Bloodlines (2015) – 5.2 By 8.5K Votes
- Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell (2018) – 5.0 By 6.3K Votes
All Tremor Movies According To Box Office Collection
- Tremors (1990) – $16.7 Million
The rest of the movies are direct-to-video sequels, so their collection figures are unavailable.
FAQs
The following are all the Tremor movies in release and watch order – Tremors, Tremors 2: Aftershocks, Tremors 3: Back to Perfection, Tremors 4: The Legend Begins, Tremors 5: Bloodlines, Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell, and Tremors: Shrieker Island.
No. While the actors were more than ready to return for a sequel, the producers turned down the idea.
Yes. The MPAA rated the movie an R owing to its abusive language and horror elements.
Rhonda. It is stated in Tremors 2 that Val later married Rhonda and relocated out of state with her to begin a new life. After this has occurred, Val and Rhonda welcome a daughter, whom they name Valerie.
