Tremors(1990)
1990 · Ron Underwood · 96 min
Val McKee and Earl Bassett are in a fight for their lives when they discover that their desolate town has been infested with gigantic, man-eating creatures that live below the ground.
Comedy · Horror · Science Fiction
6.93.7k votes
TMDB score
2/5
Intensity
2/5
Gore
1/5
Stays with you
How Tremors scares
It starts slow and folksy, easing you into small-town life before the danger kicks in, then turns into a tight, fast-paced survival romp once the creatures show up. The fear here is mostly about characters being trapped and outsmarting something that can attack from underground, not about dread or mind games. It leans hard into humor and clever problem-solving, so the scares feel exciting rather than heavy. Great for people who want monster thrills and laughs more than nightmares.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Tremors rates psychological 1/5, visceral 4/5, gore 2/5, lingering effect 1/5, and overall intensity 2/5.
- Psychological: 1 of 5
- Visceral: 4 of 5
- Gore: 2 of 5
- Lingering: 1 of 5
- Intensity: 2 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 45 of 100 — balanced
Supernatural vs Real-world: 75 of 100 — leans Real-world
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 10 of 100 — leans Fun-scary
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A relaxed, joking start that quickly turns into a bouncy rollercoaster of tense standoffs and action bursts, staying keyed-up through most of the back half before easing off right at the end.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 1, 1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 3, 4, 3, 4, 4, 3.
How scary is Tremors?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, Tremors rates 2/5 — moderately scary, balancing creeping dread with well-placed shocks. It attacks the body more than the mind — physical, in-your-face horror. Expect it to be moderately gory and fun-first. The dread fades once the credits roll.
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