Tremors: The Complete Series

Tremors began life as a tongue-in-cheek 1990 creature-feature set in an isolated desert canyon town called Perfection, where prehistoric predators called graboids swam just beneath the surface of the earth as if it were water and periscoped up to feed on hapless humans. A number of direct-to-DVD sequels followed before the crazed subterranean horror thriller premise spawned a short-lived original series made for the Syfy Channel in 2003. Michael Gross reprises his feature-film role here as Burt Gummer, a survivalist gun-nut who refuses to leave his home despite the constant threat of becoming dinner for the underground omnivores, and he's joined by new arrival Tyler Reed (Victor Browne), who takes over a failed tour business and becomes Burt's wingman as they protect themselves from El Blanco—the mother of all graboids—and other feral species. The twist is that the valley has been turned into a government-protected sanctuary for the endangered graboids. But the other beasts on-hand are free game, which gives the humans plenty of opportunities to unleash arsenals of firepower, especially when the animals escape the confines of the valley. Marcia Strassman and Dean Norris costar in this gore-fest comedy-adventure show sporting bloody effects and a playful sense of humor. Although hardly must-see TV, this set compiling all 13 episodes of the series is a strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)