As a seasoned gamer with a soft spot for 90’s cinematic oddities, I can wholeheartedly vouch for the iconic status of Kevin Bacon‘s “Tremors.” Though initially reluctant, Bacon himself has since confessed to cherishing his time on set, becoming a father for the first time amidst the chaos of fighting off killer worms.
Ordinary earthworms aren’t particularly dangerous. But imagine an enormous earthworm equipped with jaws instead!
990s film Tremors (currently streaming on Peacock!) captivated viewers with the thrilling tale of Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward battling menacing giant worms burrowing beneath the surface of their rundown western town. The quirky movie has since gained a dedicated fanbase and spawned multiple sequels, despite initial reservations from Bacon about taking on the role
Want to know more about the ‘Tremors’ movies? Here’s our ranking of them all.
Kevin Bacon on working with “ingenious” Graboids in 1990’s Tremors
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly for a 2022 retrospective on some of his most renowned films, Bacon stated that he had reluctantly taken the role. He was financially struggling, expecting a child, and his mother had fallen ill. Feeling compelled due to his circumstances, he exclaimed, “Oh my goodness, this is a film about subterranean monsters; how low I’ve sunk.”
Bacon’s perspective on the movie changed dramatically during filming – he now views the Tremors production as a “magical period.” During this time, not only did he experience fatherhood for the first time, but also had the privilege of collaborating with his co-star, Ward
One captivating aspect of the film Tremors was that Kevin Bacon had the unique opportunity to act against the quirky, monstrous worms known as Graboids. Since this movie premiered before the widespread use of Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI), these Graboids were often featured in intimate, up-close scenes with Bacon
“What makes Tremors truly exceptional is that it relies entirely on practical effects,” he noted. “It featured people wearing puppets or prosthetics and wires being manipulated. It was a brilliant approach to filmmaking. Acting with a puppet demands some skill, but as seasoned performers, we’re well-versed in pretending.”
The Graboid puppets were skillfully created by the team at Amalgamated Dynamics, a special effects studio founded by Tom Woodruff Jr. and Alec Gillis. In an interview marking the 30th anniversary of the original movie, Woodruff mentioned that he and Gillis were captivated by snapping turtle heads, which contributed to the final appearance of the Graboid – specifically, its hooked beak-like structure
Initially, the sketches appeared excessively phallic, which producer Gale Anne Hurd promptly noted. “Thus, we removed the tail part of the worms and revealed the head … We were actually borrowing from what [James] Cameron did with the Queen in Aliens, where when you first see the Queen, the head emerges from beneath a shell. However, it was used quite differently there. Gale was right; she was correct. She said, ‘I showed this drawing to the women in the audience, there’s no way we can make a film like this.’ We learned our lesson and were thankful for Gale’s insightful observation.”
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2024-09-04 22:17