Author's Note
"Tremors" is one of those rare monster movies that delivers on all counts. You get thrills, laughs, memorable performances and -- most important of all -- an original, well-executed monster.
When I first set out to write about the movie's graboid sandworms, I actually intended to limit them to a single page in a list of subterranean movie monsters. But the more I reacquainted myself with the creature and boned up on its life cycle, the more I realized they really deserved their own article.
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So there you have it. Graboids. As with my other movie monster articles on gremlins and xenomorphs, the real-world science examples should remind you that no matter how inventive we get with our imagined creatures, nature generally has us beat for all-out weirdness.
Related Articles
- How Mogwai and Gremlins Work
- How the 'Alien' Xenomorph Works
- Horror Movie Weapon of Choice Quiz
- The Monsters of 'Mystery Science Theater 3000'
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- Grazier, Kevin Robert. "The Science of Dune: An Unauthorized Exploration into the Real Science Behind Frank Herbert's Fictional Universe." Smart Pop. Dec. 11, 2007.
- Laing, Jemima. "Did prehistoric worms turn up in the sands of Torbay?" BBC - Devon. March 23, 2009. (Sept. 4, 2012) http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/content/articles/2009/03/23/worms_torbay_feature.shtml
- Parker, David B. "Sacred place vs. recreational space: Outdoors buffs sometimes miss the meaning of American Indian sites." National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers. March 19, 2003. (Sept. 4, 2012) http://www.nathpo.org/News/Sacred_Sites/News-Sacred_Sites52.htm
- Sanders, Robert. "Octopuses occasionally stroll around on two arms, UC Berkeley biologists report." UC Berkley. March 24, 2005. (Sept. 4, 2012) http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2005/03/24_octopus.shtml
- Schultze, H-P. "The late Middle Devonian fauna of Red Hill I, Nevada, and its paleobiogeographic implications." Vertebrate Paleontology. 2010. (Sept 4, 2012) http://vertebratepaleontology.biodiversity.ku.edu/late-middle-devonian-fauna-red-hill-i-nevada-and-its-paleobiogeographic-implications
- "Scientists search for Mongolian Death Worm." Mongbay. May 3, 2005. (Sept. 4, 2012) http://news.mongabay.com/2005/0503-rhett_butler.html
- Smithsonian Institution, department of paleobiology. "The Devonian Extinction." (Sept. 4, 2012) http://paleobiology.si.edu/geotime/main/devonian4.html
- Taylor, Christopher. "Most Unbelievable Organisms Evah!" Catalogue of Organisms. Feb 10, 2009. (Sept. 4, 2012) http://coo.fieldofscience.com/2009/02/most-unbelievable-organisms-evah.html
- "Tremors." Universal Studios. 1990.
- "Tremors 2: Aftershocks." 1996.
- "Tremors 3: Back to Perfection." 2001.
- "Tremors 4: The Legend Begins." 2004.
- "Tremors: The Series." SyFy Channel. 2003.