Tremors 4: The Legend Begins
Encyclopedia
Tremors 4: The Legend Begins is a 2004 straight to video movie, that premiered January 2, 2004 on the Sci-Fi channel
. It is the fourth film
in the Tremors
series of monster films. It is a prequel
to the earlier movies.
causes Graboid
eggs to hatch, the mine becomes too dangerous to work. The mine's owner is Hiram Gummer, great-grandfather of Burt Gummer
. He arrives in town to fix the problem, but finds he is in way over his head dealing with the monsters, which they have dubbed "Dirt Dragons" when they attack his camp one night. One of his companions, Juan, kills one with a pick-axe and they barely get away.
Hiram calls for a gunfighter, Black Hand Kelly. He promises Kelly all the silver he can carry once the mine is reopened, but has to give him his diamond cuff links and double eagle
watch fob as a down payment for his services. While setting a trap, they find the severed head of a resident who had not been seen in weeks. The two do not get along well, and eventually Kelly is eaten alive but not before discovering there are four of the creatures that hatched, with three remaining since Juan killed one.
Hiram decides to abandon the town and leave the townsfolk to their fate, but they force him to give them the silver mine, threatening to alert potential buyers to the danger if he sells it out from under them. In Carson City, Hiram hears a telegram revealing that the Graboids have made it through the pass and are headed for the town. So he changes his mind, buys a bunch of weapons, and heads back to town to lead a last stand against the creatures. He apologizes and says, "a friend once told me it is not important how you spend your money, it's how you spend your life." He then reveals that he sold his gold pocket watch to pay for the weapons.
The town readies itself for a final showdown with the Graboids. Hiram uses a punt gun
to blow a hole in one of the Graboid's heads, killing it instantly, but a second one pulls the gun underground. Tecopa then attracts one of the Graboids by sticking a saw in to the ground and banging on it, when the Graboid rushes to eat him, it impales itself on the saw. The third and final Graboid grows smarter, however, and avoids all their traps. Hiram tricks it into coming to the surface and then attaches it by the tail to the wheel of a steam traction engine
. The Graboid is reeled in and slammed against the wheel with such force that its head is crushed on impact. With the creatures dead, the town decides to keep the creatures secret out of fear no one would settle in the area if it was known and use the proceeds from the mine to pay for things for the people of the town. Hiram settles in Rejection (renamed Perfection at the close of the movie), building his home in the same place Burt's would one day be. He is also gifted with a machine gun and begins target practice, enjoying it. This love for guns would be passed down in his family to Burt.
on January 2, 2004 at 8:00 PM. It was given a TV-PG rating for "some violence, and blood".
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
. It is the fourth film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
in the Tremors
Tremors (film)
Tremors is a 1990 American science fiction horror comedy film directed by Ron Underwood, based on a screenplay by Brent Maddock and S. S. Wilson, and starring Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross and Reba McEntire...
series of monster films. It is a prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
to the earlier movies.
Plot
In 1889, the site that will become Perfection Valley is home to the town of Rejection Valley. The inhabitants are completely dependent on the income from a nearby silver mine, and when a hot springHot spring
A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There are geothermal hot springs in many locations all over the crust of the earth.-Definitions:...
causes Graboid
Graboid
The graboid is a fictional species that acts as the primary antagonist of the Tremors film series. As Suzanne Ferriss and Mallory Young explain, the "destruction of 'graboids', as they are quickly dubbed, becomes the central tension of the film." The creature made its debut in the 1990 film...
eggs to hatch, the mine becomes too dangerous to work. The mine's owner is Hiram Gummer, great-grandfather of Burt Gummer
Burt Gummer
Burt Gummer is a fictional character, played by actor Michael Gross, from the Tremors film series and the short lived SciFi Channel TV program of the same name...
. He arrives in town to fix the problem, but finds he is in way over his head dealing with the monsters, which they have dubbed "Dirt Dragons" when they attack his camp one night. One of his companions, Juan, kills one with a pick-axe and they barely get away.
Hiram calls for a gunfighter, Black Hand Kelly. He promises Kelly all the silver he can carry once the mine is reopened, but has to give him his diamond cuff links and double eagle
Double Eagle
A Double Eagle is a gold coin of the United States with a denomination of $20. . The coins are made from a 90% gold and 10% copper alloy....
watch fob as a down payment for his services. While setting a trap, they find the severed head of a resident who had not been seen in weeks. The two do not get along well, and eventually Kelly is eaten alive but not before discovering there are four of the creatures that hatched, with three remaining since Juan killed one.
Hiram decides to abandon the town and leave the townsfolk to their fate, but they force him to give them the silver mine, threatening to alert potential buyers to the danger if he sells it out from under them. In Carson City, Hiram hears a telegram revealing that the Graboids have made it through the pass and are headed for the town. So he changes his mind, buys a bunch of weapons, and heads back to town to lead a last stand against the creatures. He apologizes and says, "a friend once told me it is not important how you spend your money, it's how you spend your life." He then reveals that he sold his gold pocket watch to pay for the weapons.
The town readies itself for a final showdown with the Graboids. Hiram uses a punt gun
Punt gun
A punt gun is a type of extremely large shotgun used in the 19th and early 20th centuries for shooting large numbers of waterfowl for commercial harvesting operations and private sport. Punt guns were usually custom-designed and so varied widely, but could have bore diameters exceeding and fire...
to blow a hole in one of the Graboid's heads, killing it instantly, but a second one pulls the gun underground. Tecopa then attracts one of the Graboids by sticking a saw in to the ground and banging on it, when the Graboid rushes to eat him, it impales itself on the saw. The third and final Graboid grows smarter, however, and avoids all their traps. Hiram tricks it into coming to the surface and then attaches it by the tail to the wheel of a steam traction engine
Traction engine
A traction engine is a self-propelled steam engine used to move heavy loads on roads, plough ground or to provide power at a chosen location. The name derives from the Latin tractus, meaning 'drawn', since the prime function of any traction engine is to draw a load behind it...
. The Graboid is reeled in and slammed against the wheel with such force that its head is crushed on impact. With the creatures dead, the town decides to keep the creatures secret out of fear no one would settle in the area if it was known and use the proceeds from the mine to pay for things for the people of the town. Hiram settles in Rejection (renamed Perfection at the close of the movie), building his home in the same place Burt's would one day be. He is also gifted with a machine gun and begins target practice, enjoying it. This love for guns would be passed down in his family to Burt.
Cast
- Michael GrossMichael Gross (actor)Michael Gross is an American television, movie, and stage actor who plays both comedic and dramatic roles. His most notable roles are as the father Steven Keaton from Family Ties and the Graboid hunter Burt Gummer from the Tremors franchise.-Early life:Gross was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son...
as Hiram Gummer - Sara BotsfordSara BotsfordSara Botsford is a Canadian television and film actress. She is probably best known for her role of Ann Hildebrand in the television series E.N.G. for which she won a Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role...
as Christine Lord - Billy DragoBilly DragoBilly Drago is an American actor known for his roles as villains in television and motion pictures.-Personal life:Drago was born William Eugene Burrows in Hugoton, Kansas to William and Gladys Burrows. He took his grandmother's maiden name as his stage name to keep from being confused with another...
as Black Hand Kelly - J.E. Freeman as Old Fred
- Brent Roam as Juan Pedilla
- August SchellenbergAugust SchellenbergAugust Schellenberg is a Canadian actor. His ethnicity is Mohawk and Swiss-German. He was trained at the National Theatre School of Canada.His first film was Rip-Off in 1971. In 1981, he did voices for the animated film Heavy Metal...
as Tecopa - Ming Lo as Pyong Lien Chang
- Lydia Look as Lu Wan Chang
- Sam Ly as Fu Yien Chang
Release
This fourth installment in the Tremors series premiered on the Sci Fi ChannelSci Fi Channel (United States)
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
on January 2, 2004 at 8:00 PM. It was given a TV-PG rating for "some violence, and blood".