History Film / Tremors

* CryingWolf: The boy Melvin Plug repeatedly plays pranks on Earl and Valentine, including wrapping a Graboid tentacle around his head and pretending it's attacking him. Finally he starts yelling and Earl, thinking he's still joking, says he's going to kick Melvin's ass. When they go outside, they see Melvin cowering on top of a metal pole -- making them realize that this time he isn't kidding -- the Graboids are here. [[spoiler:You'd likely expect a jerk like Melvin to be counted among the victims in a film like this, but ironically, he survives.]]

* DigAttack:

* CoolGuns: Happens a whole lot in the movies, almost always being used by Burt. Examples include basically everything from Burt's WallOfWeapons, but especially the William Moore & Co. 8 gauge "elephant gun" from the first movie, the gatling gun and punt gun from the fourth movie, and of course Burt's LAR Grizzly Big Boar .50 caliber BMG anti-tank rifle.

* DrawAggro: Near the end, three characters are stuck on the sand where the graboids can get them. While they are forced to stand still, other characters on a rock make noise to get the graboids to come to them. Unfortunately the graboid doesn't fall for it (but fortunately Val comes up with a plan).

* WallOfWeapons: In Burt Gummer's rec room in the first movie. The Graboid that broke in there got more than it bargained for. The same Graboid's head can be seen, stuffed and mounted on a wall in the same room, in the second movie.
* WritersCannotDoMath: Shriekers are described as reproducing exponentially, one becomes two; two become four; four become eight, ad infinitum. Exponentially would mean one becomes two; two become four; four become ''sixteen''.
** When I took calculus, exponential functions were in the form of "N to the power of x," where N is an constant (calculus courses prefer the irrational number e, but other bases work just as well). If N = 2, then for x = 1, 2, 3, ... you get 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, and so on. So it appears that these writers were using the math correctly. On the other hand, they're not that good at biology: ALL living organisms reproduce exponentially, so long as they don't run out of food or space (as Malthus pointed out in his book on population).

* DaylightHorror:
** All four movies and the TV series take place mostly during the day, with only a few horror scenes (and even fewer actual death scenes) taking place at night. Justified in that none of the four life stages of the creatures - dirt dragons, graboids, shriekers, or assblasters - use light to see, so they'll attack at any time night or day; they may in fact not even be aware there's a difference.
** The fifth movie double subverts this trope, as it states that the African assblasters are nocturnal, because it's more difficult for them to hunt using heat-vision in the African heat of the day... but then they start attacking during the day anyway. [[spoiler: [[MonsterIsAMommy It's because the protagonists have their egg]]]].

-->'''Burt''':Just doing what I can with what I got.

* ''[[Series/{{Tremors}} Tremors: The Series]]'' (2003)

%%* TheAce: Burt.

* BizarreAlienSenses: Graboids pinpoint their prey using sound and other vibrations, while Shriekers and Ass-Blasters use heat vision.
* BreakoutCharacter: Burt was a very popular part of the movie and became the only character present in every film and the TV series as a result, more-or-less starring in the franchise since 2001. Even the fourth film stars Burt's lookalike ancestor.

* AsianStoreOwner: All the same family/store. The one in the first movie is eaten; in the third movie, his relative comes to take over the store; and in the fourth, it's their ancestor settling in the town. Averted at last in the sixth film, in which Jodi has moved to Reno and left Burt to run her late uncle's shop.

* WritersCannotDoMath: Shriekers are described as reproducing exponentially, one becomes two; two become four; four become eight, ad infinitum. Exponentially would mean one becomes two; two become four; four become ''sixteen''.

* TheHero: An interesting progression. In the first film, Val [=McKee=] is The Hero, Earl Bassett is TheLancer, and Burt Gummer is just one of the various townspeople. In the second film, Val is PutOnABus, Earl is The Hero, and Burt is The Lancer. In the third film, Earl is Put On A Bus and Burt becomes The Hero, remaining in that role for the subsequent two films and the [=TV=] series.

The ''Tremors'' franchise is a series of movies about a hitherto unknown species of giant burrowing worm-creatures dubbed "Graboids", most of which star Creator/MichaelGross as [[CrazySurvivalist survivalist]] Burt Gummer.

%%* BadassMustache: Burt, of course.

* RealityEnsues: Application of explosives creates...debris.

* WallOfWeapons: In Burt Gummer's rec room in the first movie. The Graboid that broke in there got more than it bargained for. The same Graboid's head can be seen, stuffed and mounted on a wall in the same room, in the second movie.

* OnlyShopInTown: Chang's General Store. Of course, it's a ''very'' small town.

* WallOfWeapons: In Burt Gummer's rec room in the first movie. The Graboid that broke in there got more than it bargained for. The same Graboid's head can be seen, stuffed and mounted on a wall in the same room, in the second movie.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Earl's borrowed horse is last seen sprawled on the ground, injured, and Val's runs off when the first Graboid to be killed attacks its companion.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse?: Earl's borrowed horse is last seen sprawled on the ground, injured, and Val's runs off when the first Graboid to be killed attacks its companion.

* WallOfWeapons: In Burt Gummer's rec room in the first movie. The Graboid that broke in there got more than it bargained for. The same Graboid's head can be seen, stuffed and mounted on a wall in the same room, in the second movie.

* ''Film/TremorsShriekerIsland'' (2020)

Production on a seventh direct-to-video film, ''Tremors: Shrieker Island'', began in November 2019. It once again stars Gross, Jon Heder, Jackie Cruz, and Richard Brake. It was released on direct-to-video on October 20, 2020.

Production on a seventh direct-to-video film, ''Tremors: Island Fury'', began in November 2019.

* VillainBasedFranchise: While Burt Gummer is a recurring character in ''most'' of the franchise, he cannot really be said to be the primary one. The Graboids and their different life cycles are the center of attention.
* WallOfWeapons: In Burt Gummer's rec room. The Graboid that broke in there got more than it bargained for. The same Graboid's head can be seen, stuffed and mounted on a wall in the same room, in the second movie.

The ''Tremors'' franchise is a series of movies about a hitherto unknown species of giant burrowing worm-creatures dubbed "Graboids", most of which star Michael Gross as [[CrazySurvivalist survivalist]] Burt Gummer.