Day 338: Dog Soldiers

Dog Soldiers

Sup, dog?

Today's movie is a special request from Julian of the super catchy band Glory Days. You should go listen to them now and follow them on Twitter. I'll wait. If you're on Twitter follow Julian at @juliandimagiba and Glory days at @weareglorydays. Now that we're all done swooning, back to the horror. I have had a few requests spread out over the course of this past year. Most people pick a movie that they think I'll like or may have missed. Not so much with this request. I was given this movie to watch with the knowledge that the movie was not good. A quick search on Rotten Tomatoes shows that it actually had a pretty high rating. Who would be right?

Dog Soldiers is a 2002 British werewolf movie starring Kevin McKidd (Grey's Anatomy, Trainspotting) as Private Cooper and Sean Pertwee (Soldier, Event Horizon) as Sergeant Harry Wells. An unnamed young couple are camping in the woods when they are viciously attacked by an unknown beast. Private Cooper has a tryout to join an elite military unit. In order to pass, Captain Richard Ryan (Liam Cunningham, Safe House, Game Of Thrones) commands Cooper to shoot a dog. Cooper refuses and Ryan shoots the dog himself, failing Cooper in the process. A month later, a group of British soldiers, including Cooper, drop into the Scotish highlands for a training mission with the elite unit. The find the unit savagely murdered with Captain Ryan wounded, but alive. He mentions being attacked by someone or something, but doesn't make much sense. The group is attacked by a pack of large werewolves and they try to fight back. Sgt. Wells is badly injured Their guns prove relatively useless and they make a run for it. The find a road and are picked up by a woman named Megan (Emma Cleasby, Doomsday, F). She takes them to an empty house where they tend to Wells' wounds and fortify their positions. They fight off the werewolves, but ammunition begins to run low. Surrounded, the group decides to plan for an escape. Will they be able to survive and are both Megan and Captain Ryan hiding something?

Awoooo werewolves of Scotland

This may be one of the few times where I've watched a movie in English and desperately needed subtitles. It's even worse than in Dead Cert. The combination of thick accents, foreign slang, fast talking, and a sprinkling of military terms left me utterly lost and confused in certain scenes. It didn't make much of a difference in terms of the story, but it would have been nice to know just what people are saying. Speaking of the story, it's a fairly predictable werewolf movie with more gun play than some war movies. There are plenty of guns and explosions which is all well and good except they don't really stop the werewolves. What's the point of wasting the ammo when it's not really doing anything? The movie tries to go with a few surprises, but they were pretty obvious. The movie also makes it a point to inject humor into many scenes. Some are funny, but others are eye roll worthy.

Dog Soldiers knows it's a low budget B-movie and revels in it. Sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes it's a bad thing. The camera work was a little shaky and erratic during the action scenes making it hard to focus on what's happening. About 80% of the movie is action scenes so you can see how that would get old fast. The werewolves actually look good, but a little stiff. It's a shame the camera never really focuses on them as we get quick shots and individual body parts instead. What the movie lacks in story and logic it makes up for in loads of blood and gore. Sgt. If you like the color red, you're really like this movie. Wells actually has his guts spilling out yet manages to push them back in and get patched up for a majority of the movie. Come one, really? Injuring him makes sense, but don't eviscerate the guy and play it off like he's fine. Some may think this is nitpicking for a cheap horror movie, but it's just too hard to ignore. The direction is fine and the acting is good. 

Plunker! Tallywhacker! Wanker! Uh...Loo!

Between Julian requesting Dog Soldiers because it was terrible and online reviews saying it was great, I have to side with Julian and not just because we're both wrestling nerds. While the violence is good and there's plenty of blood and gore, it wasn't enough to keep me from slipping into bored annoyance. The accents were so thick that I was reminded of the scene in Austin Powers: Goldmember where he and his father speak “English” English. I know it's supposed to be a B-movie, but I found it too hard to ignore plot holes and predictable twists. The werewolves look good, but the film doesn't really focus on them. If you look at a movie like The Wolfman or An American Werewolf InLondon, we see plenty of werewolf. Why hide them? There are better werewolf movies out there and I suggest you find them before settling for Dog Soldiers.

4.5/10

Day 336: The Horde (La Horde)

The Horde

Hordehouse

When you've seen a lot of zombie movies, they all start to blend together. When you need your zombie fix, you have to find movies with something special to separate them from the pack. Sometimes it's a gimmick like zombie soldiers or zombies in outer space. Sometimes it's absurd amounts of gore and violence. And other times it's as simple as being in a different language. Now that horror movies are cheaper to make and widely distributed across the globe, there has been an influx in scary international movies. For today's review, we go to France where I have already reviewed one movie, Frontier(s). I really enjoyed that one so I was looking forward to seeing some French zombies chow down.

The Horde (also known as La Horda) is a 2009 French zombie movie starring Eriq Ebouraney (Lamumba, Transporter 3) as notorious drug dealer Adewale Markudi and Jean-Pierre Martins (Empire Of The Wolves, Felina And The Master Of Darkness) as policeman Ouesse. Following the murder of one of their fellow police officers, Ouesse, Aurore (Claude Perron, Amelie, Bernie), Jimenez, and Tony plan to avenge his death by killing his murders. The gang is lead by Adewale Markudi, a well-armed Nigerian who lives in a nearly abandoned high rise. As the group of policemen are about to raid Markudi's apartment, the buildings superintendent accidentally interrupts and Markudi gets the drop on them. The tie up one cop and Markudi's brother Bola (hip-hop artist Doudou Masta) shoots him multiple times. As they are preparing to execute Ouesse, Aurore and Tony, the dead cop awakens as a flesh-eating zombie, biting members from the gang. The gang shoot him multiple times, but he does not fall until he is finally shot in the head. Chaos reigns as an unexplained zombie plague spreads across France. The police and gang are forced to work together in order to escape the high rise and make it to safety. Along the way Aurore and Tony are separated from the group. Tony is bitten and Aurore eventually shoots him. An uneasy truce is formed between Ouesse and Markudi. The meet an old soldier named Rene (Yves Pignot) who has been fighting off zombies with an ax. Together, they raid the superintendent's apartment for weapons and begin the long descent to the ground. Will they be able to survive the zombies and each other?

"Who wants a piece of me? Oh, right. All of you. Crap."

The movie's main selling point is that it's filled with loads and loads of blood and gore. Blood is on the actors, on the floors, on the walls and everything else. If you like your zombie movies violent, then you'll be pleased. The Horde tends to rely more on computerized effects than traditional makeup and blood. Certain scenes look very good while others look blatantly fake. There is one very good scene where the audience can see the destruction of the city from the reflection in glass doors. It is subtle yet powerful. Later, they show direct shots of the city in flames and it looks too much like a green screen. Of course, you may not be too happy with how certain things in the movie play out. The characters learn fairly quickly that shooting a zombie in the head kills it. Despite this knowledge, they spend the rest of the movie shooting zombies everywhere but the head. They also learn that bites change people fairly quickly, but when one of Greco, one of the gang members, is bitten in the leg, they don't just shoot him. There are also multiple hand-to-hand fight scenes with zombies that, while looking good, doesn't seem like a smart idea. They are intent on surviving, but choose to ignore some very important facts.

For better or worse, the movie is very bleak. It's not the bleakness that bothers me so much as the predictability and pointlessness. You pretty much know how things are going to end and it's fairly disappointing. While it makes sense in the full context of the story, it also makes a lot of the story rather moot. There is some social commentary and the movie questions who really are the good guys and bad guys. The movie has great action and a few scenes worthy of a “best of” zombie clip show. The acting is good with Eriq Ebouraney putting in the best performance. I was happy that the movie was in French with subtitles rather than being dubbed. Dubbing rarely works and takes away from the quality of acting. There aren't a lot of cultural barriers so those not familiar with France and the French language shouldn't feel intimidated before watching. 

Avon calling!

The Horde could be considered a gorefest, though it's mostly just blood instead of guts. There is a lot of violence and good action scenes. The story is just OK, favoring action over substance. The basic premise of a police raid on an apartment reminds me of one of the opening scenes in the original Dawn Of The Dead. It's fairly obvious where things are going and the ending is disappointing, if expected. The acting and directing are good with some really enjoyable scenes spread throughout the film. The social commentary is passable, but it doesn't break any new ground or force the audience to change their way of thinking. The Horde is good if you're just looking for a zombie shoot-em-up filled with lots of blood and guns. If you need something deeper or unexpected, try elsewhere.

6.5/10

Day 316: The People Under The Stairs

The People Under The Stairs

I'm more worried about the skull over the roof

The term “master of horror” is thrown around a lot. It's attached to names like George Romero, Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, John Carpenter, and whoever directed Sex In The City. One person that has almost always received that title is Wes Craven. With a resume including such massive horror movies as A Nightmare On Elm Street, Scream, The Hills Have Eyes, and The Last House On The Left. Craven has also shown a desire to work in a mix horror with comedy, sometimes to mixed results. Movies like Shocker and Vampire In Brooklyn were less than stellar in terms of quality and box office draw. Were they just terrible movies or do people not want to see lighter horror movies?

The People Under The Stairs is a 1991 horror film starring Brandon Adams (The Mighty Ducks, The Sandlot) as Pondexter “Fool” Williams. Fool lives in the slums of Los Angeles with his sick mother. His family are about to be evicted when Leroy (Ving Rhames, Dawn Of The Dead, Pulp Fiction) recruits Fool to help with a robbery. Supposedly, the Robeson house outside of the city contains priceless gold coins. After a failed attempt at getting in the house with Fool dressed as a Boy Scout, Leroy's accomplice Spenser gets in dressed as a utility man. When Spenser doesn't return, both Leroy and Fool break into the house, narrowly escaping a guard dog. The are unaware that this is no normal house and the Robeson's are no normal family. Daddy (Everett McGill, License To Kill, Under Siege 2) and Mommy (Wendy Robie, Twin Peaks, The Glimmer Man) are a deranged, racist incestuous couple who terrorize and abuse their daughter Alice (A.J. Langer, Escape From LA, My So-Called Life). Fool ends up in the cellar where he comes across a group of deformed men. Terrified, he runs back up stairs and finds Leroy. Fool and Leroy discover the house is heavily fortified with unbreakable windows, automatic locks, and electrified door knobs. Daddy shoots and kills Leroy while Fool is able to escape through a labyrinth of tunnels in the house, thanks to Alice. Alice explains that Mommy and Daddy has been kidnapping boys for years and when they disobeyed, they were imprisoned in the cellar, resorting to cannibalism to survive. Will Fool and Alice be able to escape this house of horror?

That's the best tic-tac-toe board ever

On the surface, The People Under The Stairs has a pretty good horror story. A kid, trapped in a house full of homicidal maniacs and cannibals trying to find his way out. It's the movie's execution that takes away a lot of the horror. It's as if Wes Craven saw Home Alone (which came out the year prior) and said “Hey, I want to do that, but with more gore!” While The People Under The Stairs is certainly a horror movie, it's not the horror movie I was expecting. It turns out, the people under the stairs are just abused humans with bad skin. Kind of disappointing. I figured the people under the stairs would play a more prominent role in the movie, but more focus was given on Daddy and Mommy. They are completely deranged, to the point where they can no longer be taken seriously. Seeing Daddy run around the house in a full “gimp” BSDM suit could have been scary and disturbing, but just came off as silly and unexpected. The movie isn't exactly a comedy, but it does have comedic moments, complete with goofy sound effects. The movie still manages to be entertaining, but not in a horror movie sort of way.

The movie has a good amount of action and a surprising amount of gore. If you ever wanted to see Ving Rhames rib cage, this is your chance. The People Under The Stairs goes a different route by having children as the main characters. I feel that making them a little older would have allowed the movie to be more serious in nature and tone. Instead, we get wackiness and nominal scares. The acting is good throughout, with Wendy Robie and Everett McGill putting in the best performances. The house is very cool and you're never sure what is going to happen next. Craven uses many different styles of filming throughout the film, using different angles, extreme close-ups, and sped-up action. The writing occasionally feels like a white person writing for black characters, but it never reaches the level of Mitt Romney saying “Who let the dog's out?” when taking a picture in an urban area. 

"Welcome to the Republican National Committee."

The People Under The Stairs manages to be mostly entertaining even though it favored comedy over horror. I wanted more people under the stairs than what we were given, but Daddy and Mommy were such strong characters that it's a wash. The movie could have been very scary, but it's just too silly thanks to sound effects and over-the-top characters. The acting is very good and the direction is solid. I do have to question the movie using young children instead of teenagers in the main roles. It hobbled the potential for extreme content which would have added to the horror. While the overall themes in the movie are creepy, nothing is particularly scary. If you're looking for something a little different, give The People Under The Stairs a try.

6.5/10

Day 261: Survival Of The Dead

Survival Of The Dead

That zombie on the left just realized he left his wallet at home

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of George Romero's "...Of The Dead" series. Ever since watching the original Dawn Of The Dead with my father, on VHS no less, I've been hooked to Romero's brand of zombie movie. The combination of action, violence, scares, and social commentary create an epic and enthralling series of movies. While there is a debate over which movie is the best, I've enjoyed all of them. Even the newer ones, though lacking the same spark as the original three, still have their classic moments. I looked forward to seeing what Mr. Romero had to offer in his latest zombie installment.

Survival Of The Dead is a 2009 zombie movie directed and written by George Romero (Night Of The Living Dead, Creepshow) and starring Alan van Sprang (Saw III, Diary Of The Dead) as Sergeant Crockett. Crockett deserts his post with the National Guard not too long after the zombie outbreak spreads across the country. Joined by his fellow soldiers and friends Kenny, Francisco, and Tomboy, we see the group rob a group of college students, referencing the previous Romero movie, Diary Of The Dead. Not long after, the come across a group of rednecks in the woods. A standoff occurs, with the soldiers getting the better of the rednecks. They are joined by a teenager (Devin Bostick, Godsend, Diary Of A Wimpy Kid) and take an armored car full of money. The boy shows the soldiers a video of Patrick O'Flynn (Kenneth Welsh, The Aviator, Twin Peaks) who is advertising on the internet the safety of Plum Island, off the coast of Delaware, to any survivors. Unbeknowedst to the soldiers, O'Flynn has recently been kicked off the island by his rival Seamus Muldoon (Richard Fitzpatrick). The O'Flynns and Muldoons have been feuding for years and the rivalry was brought to a head when Patrick wanted to kill all the zombies on Plum Island. Seamus believed that while a cure may be available in the future, the zombies were still family and could have their humanity restored. After a gunfight between the outcast O'Flynn's and the soldiers, Patrick joins their group and takes them to Plum Island. We learn that other outsiders had arrived at the island only to be killed by the Muldoons. Patrick's daughter Jane has been turned into a zombie, but still rides her horse across the island. His other daughter Janet is still alive and offers to help Crockett and their group when Tomboy is captured by Seamus. With an island full of zombies and the family feud about to explode, how will Crockett and his group survive?

Who wants ice cream?

George Romero's zombie movies have always been in an ever-expanding scope. In Night Of The Living Dead, we start at a small farm house with just a few people. Eventually, the story grew to the entire coutnry being overrun by zombies who have begun to remember their past lives. Survival Of The Dead's story is inexplicably small in scope, focusing on a family feud rather than the usual small group of people trying to survive. We have a hint of that with Crockett's group, butt he main focus is really on the O'Flynns and Muldoons. For the life of me, I can't figure out what would possess George Romero to write about two Irish families fighting on a small island near Delaware. On top of that, he also throws in elements of Westerns by having cowboys and farms involved.Where does this come from? We went from zombies in malls and cities to an island farm? The location is beautiful, so that's no the problem. It just the addition of two Irish families feuding that left me a bit dumbfounded.

The family feud aspect doesn't make much sense either. I mean, if these were the only two families on the island, shouldn't they be inter-married and if not, don't they just have a massive incest problem on their hands? Romero goes for his usual social commentary, exploring the undying (pun intended) feud between families, but it falls flat. The movie would have been better suited as a Lord Of The Flies style breakdown in society with zombies thrown in. (Actually, that's a good idea. I'm trademarking it now.) The feuding doesn't make for a particularly interesting watch, especially considering just about everyone involved in the movie has certain irredeemable qualities. The movie has no hero, only villains. I suppose that can be seen as being "true to life" but that's rather existential for a zombie movie. Still, we need someone to cheer for and the main character isn't that person. Crockett is no hero because we see him robbing the students from Diary Of The Dead. I liked the direct connection from one film to another and it shows a lot of creativity and forethought on Romero's part.

"Stop asking about me lucky charms. It hurts me feelings."

Survival Of The Dead is the sixth movie in George Romero's "...Of The Dead" series of movies, though the movies no longer progress in a straight line. We can't completely ignore the first four movies since many of the same themes are touched upon in this film. What separates Survival Of The Dead from the others is the clear attempt at being funny. While his previous movies may have a scene or two with black humor, Survival goes for multiple scenes to actually make you laugh out loud. The comedy is too goofy for what is otherwise a serious movie. The kills and violence in the movie are pretty creative and will make you crack a smile. Unfortunately, they rely too heavily on computerized effects which look a little too fake for my taste. The acting is fine and Romero's direction is still good. There are a few scares and enough blood to keep the diehards entertained, but not enthralled.

"No hickies!"

There are lots of zombie movies out there, but George Romero is still the zombie godfather. We have come to expect a lot from him and it's a true testament to his previous films that we hold him in such high regard. With that regard also comes high expectations, much higher than your typical horror movie. Perhaps I expected too much, but Survival Of The Dead just didn't come close to his previous films. It's small-scope, strange story, weak social commentary, and forced humor are disappointing to see. The movie is still watchable, but it's clearly Romero's weakest zombie film. There have been reports of two sequels in the works and one can only hope that they're better than Survival Of The Dead.

4/10

Day 206: The Dead

The Dead

You know my love will not fade away

With zombies being all the rage in horror now, writers and directors are in search of new ways to break away from the pack and be something special. Some use more special effects, or better makeup, or bigger stars, or viral campaigns to get the audience's attention. What many fail to realize is that while the blood, guts, and flesh-eating is a lot of fun and certainly memorable, it's the story that makes a lasting impact. If you don't have the story then nothing else really matters and you movie just becomes another zombie film, thrown into the dollar bin at a gas station, never to be viewed. Social commentary is also an important aspect of zombie movies, but many zombie movies forget that. Take away the story and the commentary, all you have is some blood and violence. That can entertain the individual (usually one that dwells in a basement, surrounded by Evil Dead action figures), but it does not entertain the masses and makes for a boring watch.

The Dead is a 2010 horror movie starring Rob Freeman (Smallville, Dark Angel) as Lt. Brian Murphy. Murphy is an American engineer that survives the crash of the last evacuation flight out of Africa. The continent has been overrun by slow-moving zombies with no help in sight. Murphy finds a broken down truck and is able to get it running before being devoured by zombies. After a short time, the truck gets stuck in the mud. As the zombies close in on him, Murphy is saved by an African soldier, Sgt. Daniel Dembele (Prince David Oseia). Together, they are able to free the truck and Daniel joins Murphy in his search for help. Daniel reveals that he has deserted the army to search for his young son who was rescued by soldiers. They arrive at an airport in hopes of finding a plane, but the buildings are abandoned. The get gas and set out for a safe haven in the desert. During the trip, the truck hits a tree, breaking the axle. They sleep outside during the night and Daniel is bitten by many zombies. Before dying, he asks Murphy to find his son. Will Murphy be able to reach the safe haven and find Daniel's son and has the zombie outbreak spread to the United States where Murphy's wife and daughter live?

Rocks, my mortal enemy!

Before I can get to the story, I have to address the blatant racism in The Dead. Now, I don't think the writers or director had the intention to be racist. The movie brings to mind the criticism that Resident Evil 5 faced when it first came out, showing a white character shooting black characters. Most of the movie is just scenes of Murphy, who is white, shooting zombies, who are all black. Some may argue that they're just zombies and race shouldn't matter, but it is too much to ignore, especially given Africa's history of oppression enslavement by white Europeans. To make matters worse, when Murphy kills a bunch of zombies, saving a group of Africans, they praise him as their savior, even pouring water into his mouth. That just doesn't sit well with me. By having a zombie movie set in Africa, they had a chance to make some real social commentary, but didn't even attempt to do anything of the sort.

As for the story, it barely exists and is extremely boring to sit through. A majority of the movie is just Murphy and Daniel driving around the desert, getting out to fix the truck or get supplies, be surrounded by zombies, and then driving off. I don't think we ever learned what caused the zombies as there is very little background given. It's not like they had to ignore because the story was so great or the action so fast-paced. Speaking of action, it's one of the few bright spots in the movie. There is a decent amount of blood and some good feeding scenes. The zombies don't have much makeup beyond some powder and contact lenses, but it works fine. I didn't even know what the characters' names were until about half-way through the movie. There's not much in the way of character development and their motivations are too basic. The acting is pretty mediocre, but it's not like they had much to work with. The direction is weak as well, with certain scenes lingering too long or shots far too close to the actors.

He may be dead, but his fashion sense is alive and kicking

There are certain expectations when watching a zombie movie. Blood and gore are fun, but it should not be the sole focus. A good zombie movie requires a thoughtful story, strong characters, and social commentary. The Dead goes 0-for-3 as the story is incredibly boring and weak, there is no real character development, and the movie doesn't even scratch the surface of social commentary. What could have been a good opportunity to explore the issues of class and race, were completely ignored in favor of a white soldier killing a lot of African zombies. The Dead is dissapointing on many levels and boring to boot. It was probably called The Dead because they couldn't come up with a creative adjective, noun, verb, or adverb.

2/10

Day 154: Tremors

Tremors

"Jaws? Never heard of 'em!"

I remember watching this movie when I was little. I wasn't a fan of horror movies when I was younger because like most (read: normal) kids, they scared me. It was bad enough thinking there's monsters under your bed and vampires in your closet, I sure didn't need to watch scary movies. Freddy Kruger was particularly terrifying to little kids and with good reason. There were certain movies, though, despite being horror, that didn't strike fear into a young me and allowed me to enjoy the movie for what it was. One of those movies was Tremors.

Tremors is a 1990 horror comedy starring Kevin Bacon (Footloose, Apollo 13) as Valentine “Val” McKee and Fred Ward (Naked Gun 33 1/3, Road Trip) as Earl Basset. They word odd jobs around the miniscule Nevada town of Perfection. They meet a graduate student conducting seismology tests named Rhonda LeBeck (Finn Carter, Ghosts of Mississippi, As The World Turns). Rhonda tells them that her machines have been picking up some odd seismic activity, but they don't know anything about it. Fed up with Perfection, Val and Earl decide to head to Bixby, a bigger town about 40 miles away. On the road, they notice a local man holding onto an electrical tower. Val goes to check on him and is shocked to find him dead. The local doctor says that the man died of dehydration, meaning he had to have been scared of something so bad that he stayed on the tower for days. Val and Earl try to leave again, but come across another dead local, this time only finding his severed head. They try to flee, but something is holding their truck. Val floors it and they finally break free. When they arrive in town, the phone lines are down and the only road to Bixby is now blocked because of a rock slide. They discover a hideous dead snake creature had wrapped itself around their axle. The next day, Val and Earl leave by horseback to get help, but the horses are attacked by more snake creatures. The snakes are actually tentacles that shoot out of the mouth of a much larger burrowing sandworm creature. They make a run for it and dive into a concrete aqueduct. The sandworm slams into the concrete and kills itself. Rhonda appears and determines that there are three more creatures based on her seismic readings. They also discover that the creatures sense their prey through vibrations in the ground They make it back to Perfection, where the creatures, renamed Graboids by the package store owner Walter, now have the town trapped. Everyone gets on their roofs to avoid making sound of vibrations. The Graboids start to knock down the buildings and Val and Earl come up with an idea; make it to the local mountains where they can't be followed. Will the entire town be able to make the journey or will they become a lunch for these subterranean monsters?

"Hi! Can I interest you folks in some band candy?"

I loved this movie when I was young and I love it as an adult. The movie does have it's moments of horror and action, but it's biggest strength is it's humor. When I say humor, I don't want you to think I mean something like Family Guy or Two and a Half Men. I mean writing that is actually clever, well-thought act, and perfectly executed. The writing is really solid and is totally believable thanks to the great performances and chemistry between Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward. Tremors is practically a buddy movie with some horrible man-eating worms thrown in to the mix. Finn Carter also has really good chemistry with the two actors. Even the various townspeople play their parts well, particularly Michael Gross (the dad from Family Ties) and Reba McEntire (yes, the country music star) whole play survivalist gun nuts. The great writing and acting make for a thoroughly fun watch from beginning to end. It's not easy to make a monster/horror movie fun, but they managed to do it.

The Graboids, though hidden for most of the movie, look pretty good. They do draw a considerable amount of fear, mostly thanks to some good effects and clever camera shots. Director Ron Underwood gets the most out of his cast and the desert surroundings. It's such a shame that he was involved in the disastrous The Adventures of Pluto Nash. Despite being a horror movie about giant sandworm creatures, it's still very believable. The movie employs fast camera work along the ground shots, similar to those used in Evil Dead. The movie has plenty of action with most of the blood coming from the monsters themselves. There are a few good scenes of people being attacked and some creative deaths.

"If lassos don't work, I give up"

Simply put, Tremors is a fun horror movie. With the thousands of horror movies out there, it's hard to find one that is legitimately fun and funny with a good mixture of action and a few scares. The acting is great and the writing is spot-on. The dialogue is natural and nothing feels forced. The monsters look convincingly scary. There's a good reason that the movie spawned 3 sequels and a television show in 2003. Do yourself a favor and check out Tremors. You won't be disappointed.

9/10