It’s taken five years, but I’m about to go back to Perfection with a stunning new Tremors Blu-ray and UHD box set from Arrow - and you’re all invited!
It was in 2015 that I published Seeking Perfection: The Unofficial Guide to Tremors, my book on the monster franchise that I’ve loved since I first saw 1990’s Tremors on late night TV. While researching it, I spoke to more than 50 cast and crew involved in the first four films and the TV series, and I struggled to find in-depth, behind-the-scenes interviews anywhere else.
All that will change later this year with today’s announcement that the UK’s Arrow Films is releasing a brand new 4K restoration of the film for its 30th anniversary, PLUS a Graboid-sized package of extras that I’m proud to be part of.
I was invited down to London in late 2019 to film an interview for Universal Studios definitive documentary on the Tremors franchise, Making Perfection, and at that point I thought it would be an online-only release. The producers were going all out to interview almost as many people as I did about their work on the first film and the sequels, travelling the world to meet the creators and actors.
Earlier this year I was asked to part of a new Arrow release, recording a new audio commentary and writing a new article for the 60-page book that focuses on all the sequels, the TV series and the Kevin Bacon pilot.
I then heard that Making Perfection would be on the Blu-ray, along with longer versions of newly-filmed interviews that will stretch to many hours in length. Here’s the full description for the UHD version of the film (the Blu-ray is almost identical) which is due out on 14th December 2020:
A MONSTER MOVIE THAT BREAKS NEW GROUND!
A pulse-pounding love letter to 1950s creature features that delivers horror and humour in equal measure, Tremors is a bonafide cult classic that has grabbed audiences’ affections ever since its release and spawned a successful franchise that continues to this day.
Good-ol’-boy handymen Val (Kevin Bacon) and Earl (Fred Ward) are sick of their dead-end jobs in one-horse desert town Perfection, Nevada (population: 14). Just as they’re about to escape Perfection forever, however, things start to get really weird: half-eaten corpses litter the road out of town; the phone lines stop working; and a plucky young scientist shows evidence of unusually strong seismic activity in the area. Something is coming for the citizens of Perfection… and it’s under the goddamn ground!
Bursting with indelible characters, quotable dialogue and jaw-dropping special effects, Tremors is back and bigger than ever in this 4K-restored and fully loaded collectors’ edition.
4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
New 4K restoration from the original negative by Arrow Films, approved by director Ron Underwood and director of photography Alexander Gruszynski
60-page perfect-bound book featuring new writing by Kim Newman and Jonathan Melville and selected archive materials
Large fold-out double-sided poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matt Frank
Small fold-out double-sided poster featuring new Graboid X-ray art by Matt Frank
Six double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproduction artcards
Limited Edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matt Frank
DISC 1 – FEATURE & EXTRAS (4K UHD BLU-RAY)
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Restored DTS-HD MA original theatrical 2.0 stereo, 4.0 surround, and remixed 5.1 surround audio options
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
New audio commentary by director Ron Underwood and writers/producers Brent Maddock & S.S. Wilson
New audio commentary by Jonathan Melville, author of Seeking Perfection: The Unofficial Guide to Tremors
Making Perfection, a brand new documentary by Universal Pictures interviewing key cast and crew from the franchise (including Kevin Bacon, Michael Gross, Ariana Richards, Ron Underwood, Brent Maddock & S.S. Wilson, among many others) and revisiting the original locations
The Truth About Tremors, a newly filmed interview with co-producer Nancy Roberts on the film’s rocky road to the screen
Bad Vibrations, a newly filmed interview with director of photography Alexander Gruszynski
Aftershocks and Other Rumblings, newly filmed on-set stories from associate producer Ellen Collett
Digging in the Dirt, a new featurette interviewing the crews behind the film’s extensive visual effects
Music for Graboids, a new featurette on the film’s music with composers Ernest Troost and Robert Folk
Pardon My French!, a newly assembled compilation of overdubs from the edited-for television version
The Making of Tremors, an archive documentary from 1995 by Laurent Bouzereau, interviewing the filmmakers and special effects teams
Creature Featurette, an archive compilation of on-set camcorder footage showing the making of the Graboids
Electronic press kit featurette and interviews with Kevin Bacon, Michael Gross and Reba McIntire
Deleted scenes, including the original opening scene
Theatrical trailers, TV and radio spots for the original film as well as trailers for the entire Tremors franchise
Comprehensive image galleries, including rare behind-the-scenes stills, storyboards and two different drafts of the screenplay
DISC 2 – INTERVIEWS & SHORT FILMS (BLU-RAY - LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE)
Extended hour-long interviews from Making Perfection with Ron Underwood, Brent Maddock, S.S. Wilson, Nancy Roberts and creature designer Alec Gillis
Outtakes with optional introduction and commentary by S.S. Wilson
Three early short films by the makers of Tremors, remastered in high definition, including S.S. Wilson’s stop-motion horror/comedy classic Recorded Live (1975)
How incredible is that line-up?
I never expected to see the film given this treatment, but now fans finally have a chance to delve into every corner of Perfection by combining this new set with a copy of my book, a perfect pairing. You’re going to want to try and get hold of this set with the bonus disc, because once it’s gone it’ll go for crazy prices on eBay.
Here are the order details (some links are affiliate):
4K UHD
Amazon UK / Amazon US / Diabolik US link / Arrow Video link
Blu-ray
Amazon UK / Amazon US / Arrow UK
In addition, October sees the Blu-ray release of the SEVENTH film in the franchise, Tremors: Shrieker Island, so it’s a bumper year for fans!
I’m proud to be part of this anniversary edition and I can’t wait to crack open the set in a few months time.
Sign-up to this newsletter and I’ll send out more information on this set in the coming months…