In the Margins #6: Tremors on Blu-ray and A Kind of Magic goes Stateside
Hello from a chilly Edinburgh, where life continues in pretty much the same way as it has for the last seven or eight months, but now with the good news that a Covid-19 vaccine is finally on the way. Not that life will get back to normal anytime soon, but perhaps by 2022…?
Hopefully this newsletter finds you safe and well - during uncertain times we need to retreat towards things we find joy in, otherwise it can all get too much. That’s one reason I’m once again bringing you updates on Tremors, Highlander and anything else that I’m finding some solace in while we wait patiently for those vaccines to roll out.
First up is a preview of the forthcoming 30th anniversary Tremors Blu-ray, then a bit about Highlander, then something about my next project, and finally some other bits and pieces…
HD Graboids!
It was in November 2019 that I took the above photo in YouTube’s London studios, just before recording my contribution to the Making Perfection documentary that’s racked up more than 250,000 views on YouTube in just a month.
Little did I know that the documentary would also be heading to Blu-ray in 2020, but that’s what’s happening in 8 days time when, Arrow Video releases Tremors in the UK and USA in an extras-laden edition that arrived in the post a week or so ago.
Isn’t that box a thing of beauty?
I was invited to record a new commentary for the film and write a new article for the book that comes in the package, something I couldn’t turn down even if the idea of writing a 90-minute script was daunting. Luckily I did have some experience writing about the film for Seeking Perfection, but I didn’t want to replicate everything from the book.
Because I’m on the set I don’t feel I can do a “proper” review, but I did want to touch on why I think this set is worthy of your hard-earned cash.
Firstly, to my eyes the film itself has never looked better, with the disc featuring a brand new 4K restoration from the original print approved by director Ron Underwood and cinematographer Alexander Gruszynski. The exteriors look stunning and the night scenes retain some grain - the bigger your TV screen the better this is going to look.
Extras-wise, the team at Arrow has going above and beyond to bring fans the most exhaustive range of content on the film we’ll probably ever see. When I started writing Seeking Perfection back in 2012 I had to search far and wide to find information about the making of Tremors, a search that led me to interview dozens of cast and crew and try to find as many magazine articles as I could via eBay and the Internet Archive.
Today, anyone wanting to understand how Tremors made its way from the minds of S.S. Wilson and Brent Maddock to the screen only has to buy this set to watch hours of new material that I wish I’d had access to years ago (although having a copy of Seeking Perfection will add even more depth to your knowledge!).
As well as the 30-minute Making Perfection documentary created by Universal, featuring new interviews with the likes of Wilson and Maddock, Kevin Bacon, Ron Underwood, Michael Gross and Ariana Richards, there’s a commentary for the film from Underwood, Maddock and Wilson, one that’s been wanted by fans for 30 years.
Some of my favourite extras are The Truth About Tremors, a new 22-minute interview with co-producer Nancy Roberts; Bad Vibrations, a new 10-minute interview with Alexander Gruszynski; Aftershocks and Other Rumblings, a new 12-minute interview with associate producer Ellen Collett; and Music for Graboids, a new 13-minute video featuring composers Ernest Troost and Robert Folk.
Digging in the Dirt is a 20-minute look at the film’s visual effects with many of the team that worked on the miniatures (some of whom I didn’t get a chance to interview), while Pardon My French is a new 16-minute compilation of clips showcasing attempts by TV censors to tone down the film’s language - I’m glad “Broke into the wrong darned rec room didn’t you you big jerk!” didn’t make it into the final film.
There are also deleted scenes, an archive documentary, the electronic press kit, TV, cinema, radio and VHS trailers (plus trailers for all the sequels), a gallery of home video covers, rare behind the scenes photos, scripts, storyboards … the list goes on and on.
As for my commentary, well I can’t say much about that other than I hope people enjoy it.
Disc two features a batch of hour-long interviews with the creators and there’s also a chance to see some remastered student films from the Tremors creators that I mentioned in my book but didn’t manage to watch until now. There’s also a brilliant outtakes reel with optional commentary from S.S. Wilson, and… well there’s another extra that’s not listed anywhere on the box or the website, but which I provided from my own collection.
I’m sure someone else will mention it in a review, but I think I’ll leave it as a surprise for the curious viewer. I will say I recorded it myself in 2015 and it clocks in at just over an hour in length. It’s also unlikely to be available on any future versions of the Tremors Blu-ray, as disc two is limited to this set and when it’s gone it’s gone.
The 60-page book includes my 11-page look at the Tremors sequels, including the post-Stampede films Bloodlines and A Cold Day in Hell (plus a mention of 2020’s Shrieker Island), while Kim Newman pens a piece on the film and there’s an archive feature from Marc Shapiro from Fangoria. There’s also an archive press kit.
Throw in some posters, some postcards, and a bonus treat for fans of Chang’s Market, and you’ve got the finest tribute to Tremors ever assembled. I almost feel bad listing all the above material as it’s been a joy discovering them for myself and I want others to experience it as well. I think anyone with even a passing interest Tremors will discover new things about the creation of what I think is the last great monster movie made by Universal.
This new Blu-ray set - the 4K set will also be available and includes identical extras - isn’t cheap and I suspect that a one disc edition will be available in 2021. If times are tough then it might be worth holding off for that, but as I’ve mentioned you will definitely miss out on the book, the postcards and the second disc of extras that I’m amazed even exists. When I wrote Seeking Perfection it seemed unlikely that anything as comprehensive as this would be released, so kudos to Arrow, in particular James Flower, for putting the hours in on this package.
Thanks also to the team at Universal, in particular Matthew Snead, for putting the Making Perfection documentary into production in 2019 and for carrying out 24 hours worth of interviews that are likely to end up on the official YouTube channel in the coming months.
Where to buy:
Blu-ray
Amazon UK / Amazon US / Arrow UK
4K UHD
Amazon UK / Amazon US / Diabolik US link / Arrow Video link
(Some of those links are affiliate, so I’ll get a few pence if you buy anything after clicking through)
Highlander goes Stateside
I’ve mentioned my Tremors book a few times, so I need to give a bit of space to my recent Highlander book, A Kind of Magic, which has been out in the UK for a few months and which is officially released in the US next week, on Amazon and other online stores.
Due to the large number of pre-orders on Amazon, my UK publisher, Polaris, had to print more copies in the US, which is why there’s been a delay in the release.
Limited edition versions of the book are still available from Polaris’ website and those copies come with a free photo booklet that you can’t get elsewhere. Copies will still be available in early 2021, so there’s no rush if you want one.
If you want to read a bit more about the book then head over to this recent interview in the UK’s Press and Journal newspaper or this interview with Elizabeth Gracen, star of the Highlander TV series and the Raven spin-off.
I also recorded a podcast tribute to Sean Connery recently, you can hear that on the Blood of Kings website.
Finally, one of my favourite podcasts, The Projection Booth, invited me on to discuss the book - cheers to Mike White for that.
Oh, and you can also buy A2 versions of the book’s cover from illustrator Ben Morris’ Etsy store…
Looking to the future…
I’ve not talked too much about future writing plans, partly because a few deals are still being done, but one book I’ve been working on for the last couple of years is a tribute to Jim Henson and the people that worked with him.
I’ve loved the Muppets since The Muppet Show was first broadcast in the UK in the 1970s and 80s, and I've long wanted to write something about the world of Henson. I finally started reaching out to Henson collaborators a few years ago and I now have around 12 lengthy conversations covering many aspects of his world.
My hope is that I can self-publish the book in the spring of 2021, though it could get nudged close to the summer depending on my workload. If you want the latest updates and haven’t yet subscribed to this newsletter, please just add your email address below.
And finally…
My viewing, reading and listening over the last few months has been sporadic, but I have been hooked on watching the reality TV series Hunted on the UK’s All4 channel, plus The Boys on Amazon Prime. I also subscribed to the UK’s BritBox channel and have started watching Blake’s 7 for the first time.
A few films I’ve revisited are The Long Good Friday on Arrow Blu-ray and Galaxy Quest on Netflix, plus a few Sean Connery classics, The Man Who Would Be King and The Hill.
Being from Edinburgh, I was lucky enough to attend both King and The Hill at the cinema with Connery in attendance a few years ago, both very memorable evenings.
The only way to end this newsletter is to say farewell to Sir Sean, who I only met once, briefly, but who is such a big part of A Kind of Magic. He had an incredible career and in many ways helped to put Scotland on the map, at least from an entertainment point of view.
RIP Sean.
Until next time, don’t lose your head!
Jon