Tremors (PG-13, 1990)

Modestly made, Tremors is nonetheless a real crowd-pleaser, in part thanks to the chemistry between Ward and Bacon; while the film's got a modest budget, the script has real polish and integrity, as it hews close to the rules it sets and applies real logic and care to its scenes.

There's some adventure violence and peril in the film, yes, but the movie's so wonderfully aware of what it is, hewing close to the B-movie tradition, that it never overdose the rough stuff; instead, it's simple fun that works remarkably well. There have been several straight-to-video sequels, but the original is clearly the best of the bunch -- and a great modern iteration of an old-fashioned creature feature.