Prior to the movie beginning, Michael Gingold came down to the front of the theater to introduce the screening. He first tells us that we should all stick around after the movie as Kevin Bacon would be coming down for a Q and A session. He then says that Tremors was one of his favorite monster movies. He went on to say that the film did not do well In theaters upon its release back in 1989, but had since gone on to become something of a cult favorite. Then there was the little graboid factoid that the creature designers had done plenty of slimy monsters, but this was the first time they had to make a creature that was convincing while dry. It's not as easy as you may think.
As for my personal relationship with Tremors? Well, it isn't a strong one. Not because I don't like it, it just isn't one that I have not seen many times. As a matter of fact, I am not sure if I have seen it since the 90's. So, the idea of seeing it on the big screen for the first time in a long time was really the perfect way to revisit it,not to mention I had never seen it in a theater before. I guess I am part of the reason it wasn't a hit so many years ago.
The lights went down, we get the no talking message (make sure you don't!), then a couple of classic 35mm trailers. Predator 2 was the first one, been awhile since I have seen that, had forgotten what a good cast it had. The next trailer was for Popcorn, which I know I have seen. But do not remember much of at all. Would like to see that again.
Tremors began to play and proved itself to be worthy of my positive memories. The movie is a comic/horror blast. It is not a gory movie , but it does induce that paranoia of the monster under the bed, only this time it is under the ground. It is really pretty scary. And even being a comical film, it is still scary and feels believable.
The movie has a strong cast that has very good chemistry across the board. Fred Ward and Kevin Bacon worked great together, as if they had known each other their whole lives. Add in Michael Gross, being cast way against type coming off Family Ties, and Reba McEntire's first movie role and you have an interesting collective.
The print is in fantastic shape. There were some marks and scratches, but the colors were sharp and the only real sense of age was early in the last reel the colors go off briefly and there were a few more scratches. Really nothing to complain about, looked great, especially for a movie that takes place during the day.
If you haven't seen the movie, you should. It is a lot of fun. Bacon is great as the lead character. The humor is on point and not obvious, this not a wink and a nudge horror comedy. It balances nicely with build of tension and suspense. Frankly, I think I like it more now than I did then. It is just an enjoyable film, and another one that shows PG-13 horror can work.
As the credits finished rolling, Michael Gingold returned to the front of the theater to introduce Kevin Bacon, who walked down the right side aisle to thunderous applause from the near capacity crowd.
The first batch of questions came from Michael before being opened up to the crowd. I will also apologize here, I made the mistake of not writing down any notes afterwards, and there was no video recording, and my memory is always a touch fuzzy. Kevin Bacon spoke about working with Fred Ward and his penchant for jazz guitar, and how there was such an easy chemistry on the set. It was also interesting to listen to him discuss not wanting to be tied to pop movies and how that led to some failures following Footloose and how he was running out of money on top of being a newlywed with a baby on the way.
The interview covered topics like the difference between working on television vp versus film and how his career has changed over the years. When he first started acting he wanted to be a film actor and there was a line between film and television actors. Also, he said he was offered the first Tremors sequel, but was not interested when told it was going straight to video, he could not imagine making a movie that was not going to play in theaters. There was discussion about the Bacon mentions in Guardians of the Galaxy, which led into the interesting note that Bacon was in James Gunn's movie prior to Guardians, Super, and he was also in Jon Watts last film before a blockbuster (he was in Cop Car for Watts whose next film is the forthcoming Spider-Man film). So, if you want to make a Marvel movie, cast Kevin Bacon in your movie.
Other topics covered include his acting style and if he takes a character home with him, referencing The Following. He is not so method that he remains in character, however he did feel the need to play other roles in between seasons, making Cop Car, Black Mass, and another unreleased horror film. As for Tremors questions, he was asked what his most difficult scene to shoot on the movie was, his answer was whenever he was running because he was wearing cowboy boots.
Kevin Bacon was a very friendly guy and seemed to enjoy talking about the movies, and sure to mention that he would love to do a Tremors sequel and revisit his character. I would be all for that. The session ended, He waved to the crowd and made his exit.
I have to say it was a lot of fun, it was great seeing the movie again and on the big screen, helping me realize why I enjoyed it in the first place, and making me like it more. Seeing Kevin Bacon was pretty great. The audience was into it and the energy was good. Hopefully we can get some more of these movies with a guest screenings.
The next in the Prints of Darkness series will be Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight in October. Keep your eyes on the Alamo Drafthouse calendar for the exact date and details.
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