Citizen Kane, Tremors might not be, and it might not stand up as one of the greatest horror movies ever, but the ’90s creature feature is undoubtedly one of the most fun
genre pics of the decade, and also one of Kevin Bacon’s best films. (I’ll die on this hill, no matter how many giant worms are burrowing around below.) The flick is a cult classic, with fans still calling for a big-screen follow-up that officially brings Bacon back as the loveable maintenance man Val McKee. The Footloose actor just addressed whether a new theatrically released Tremors movie could happen, and it’s a response that’ll make fans very excited.
Following the most recent trailer for Shazam! Fury of the Gods, a fan posted a screengrab of a monster that looks eerily similar to a Graboid bursting out from the ground, tagging Kevin Bacon in a request “to see a new Tremors movie” that doesn’t get relegated to direct-to-DVD hell. The Friday the 13th vet shared his own positive response, implying it could feasibly happen if and when a story comes together. You can read the Twitter exchange below:
I’m just waiting for the call…🪱 https://t.co/5H3zOB7IHwJanuary 27, 2023
Tremors was released in cinemas in 1990 after some initial delays, and though it was technically successful – bringing in over $16 million domestically on a $10 million budget – it performed far below expectations at the time. (And that was even before director Ron Underwood’s far bigger follow-up project, 1991’s City Slickers.) It was critically well-received upon release, however, with reviews at the time praising its diverse cast and well-crafted balance between scares and laughs. Iconic film critic Roger Ebert highlighted Kevin Bacon, as well as the team of Reba Mcentire and Michael Gross as the Gummers, in his positive review of the film, famously saying he was “embarrassed how much I enjoyed the movie.”
Its sequel, Tremors 2: Aftershocks, was released straight-to-video six years later, with only Fred Ward and Michael Gross returning from the original cast. That flick was followed by five(!) more low-budget sequels, a 2003 television series that co-starred future Breaking Bad lead Dean Norris, with a second planned TV series that didn’t get off the ground in the 2010s. To date, the only one of those projects that Bacon had anything to do with was the 2017 series, and it didn’t make it past the pilot stage.
Kevin Bacon declined to be a part of the first sequel due to the film’s direct-to-video nature, along with his involvement in the critically acclaimed drama Apollo 13. However, the actor has flirted with returning to the franchise for some time now, as evidenced by his involvement with the potential Syfy series. Despite that not coming into existence, the Mystic River actor must still have as much fondness for his time on the campy monster movie as fans do, if he is still feasibly entertaining a potential return to the franchise if there’s ever another project.
While the prospect of a new Tremors movie starring Kevin Bacon sounds incredible to fans like yours truly, it’s definitely sad that we’ll never see a proper reunion between the first movie’s main characters, Val and Earl. Fred Ward sadly passed away in 2022, with TMZ reporting his family declined to cite the cause of death.
Kevin Bacon might be game for another battle against gigantic prehistoric worms on the silver screen, but Universal Pictures would have to make decisions about the franchise’s return to theaters. So here’s hoping Bacon’s comments put a worm in execs’ ears.
CinemaBlend will keep you up-to-date regarding any news about future Tremors movies. Until then, check out our list of upcoming horror movies to plan your next shiver-inducing time at the cinema, and you can stream the first film for free (along with plenty of other great movies) on Tubi.