Tremors creator, writer, producer and director SS Wilson (!) takes us behind the scenes of the first four movies the original creative team worked on, as well as the TV series and a potential 8th movie bringing back Kevin Bacon!
GB and SS spend an hour and a half chatting about all things Tremors, with questions from our supporters on Patreon and Instagram, as well as a little moment to talk about his involvement in a CLASSIC cartoon from the 80s.
You can listen in full below, at Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you get your pods.
What unfolded was a warm and insightful conversation about filmmaking, luck, and the strange afterlife of a movie that refuses to fade.
Wilson, who co-created the Tremors franchise with longtime collaborator Brent Maddock, reflected on how unlikely its success once seemed. “Every studio in town passed on it,” he recalled. “Even Universal didn’t quite get it at first. They just said, ‘Okay, we’ll make this weird movie.’”
READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Studio Picks New Tremors Sequel from Original Creators
Yet from those uncertain beginnings came one of the most enduring monster films of the modern era- equal parts horror, comedy, and western.
GB made the point that Tremors embodies everything Rewind Classic Movies was designed to celebrate: smaller-budget films that gained loyal audiences over time. “When we rewatched it,” he said, “everyone – listeners, Patreon supporters, even our Instagram followers – gave it an A rating. It’s the first time it’s ever been unanimous.”
Wilson, clearly touched, credited the film’s staying power to a mix of craft and serendipity. “We wrote a good script and had Ron Underwood, the perfect director,” he said. “But a lot of good fortune came our way too – especially in the cast.”
That cast, led by Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward, helped make the Nevada desert town of Perfection a place fans never wanted to leave. The balance of humor and tension, along with the now-iconic subterranean “Graboids,” gave the film a personality few studio monster movies could match.
More than three decades later, Wilson is still closely associated with the series and proud of how it continues to resonate. “I’m still involved in Tremors after forty-some years in the business,” he said. “It’s amazing how the audience keeps it alive.”
The conversation underscored why films like Tremors endure – because they’re made with care, invention, and a sense of fun that transcends time. What began as a modest creature feature became a shared memory for generations of fans. And for SS Wilson, that lasting affection is the greatest reward of all.
