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Parents' Guide to

Tremors

By James Rocchi, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Modest monster flick is great fun for teens.

Movie PG-13 1990 96 minutes
Tremors Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 10+

Based on 11 parent reviews

Hinesley Mom
Hinesley Mom Adult
November 25, 2021
age 6+

Nostalgia

I watched this old favorite with my 10, 7, and 6 year old. The main problem with the movie is the language. The cussing is about every fifth word, but my children really don’t catch on to it. The 6 and 7 year olds don’t really know what’s a cuss word. My 10 year old is mature enough not to care. There were 10-15 human deaths with several severed body parts including face shots. My girls were scared at parts, but it wasn’t realistic, and of course it ends well. The blood from the monsters was yellow and orange. There were no sexual connotations. Only a light kiss at the end. We all enjoyed it and I found it harmless.

This title has:

Too much swearing
1 person found this helpful.
Brendan A.
Brendan A. Parent of 2, 4 and 6-year-old
April 25, 2023
age 6+
Some cursing, but it's PG-13 level cursing. Not a ton of gore. A couple of people die in mostly comical ways. A couple of jump scares, but the movie is mostly campy. There's one brief scene where the female protagonist gets her pants torn off by a monster and has to run to safety in her underwear; but otherwise there is no nudity in the movie. Overall, a good film for kids.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 11 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In TREMORS, handymen Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward are two semi-employed handymen who make the decision to get out of the sleepy burg of Perfection, Nevada; their decision to leave is complicated by the sudden appearance of hungry, colossal tunneling worm-creatures who hunt prey by vibration -- including humans. As Perfection comes under siege, Ward and Bacon rally the town's handful of residents to try to escape before they become a meal for creatures from the beyond.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (11 ):
Kids say (30 ):

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.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the appeal of monster films, as well as the tradition of the B-movie -- low-budget, low-starpower films that nonetheless become cult classics. They can also talk about the communitarian message of Tremors, and how the town of Perfection comes together to survive.

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