Halloween is a time for surprises and this one caught me by surprise. The seventh film in the Tremors series (and one shortlived TV show) was released and it is in fact real. Tremors: Shrieker Island is out and in the wild!

Here’s my thing. I actually think the first Tremors may be the best monster movie besides John Carpenter’s The Thing. The mix of comedy and great effects was a treat.

And frankly, when I saw it, I didn’t expect much and it was great.

Then, the second one came out and that went direct to video. Kevin Bacon was gone, but we still got Fred Ward, who I liked from the Remo Williams movie, so I wasn’t complaining. That flick was pretty darn good. Not as good as the first, but still fun.

…and they kept coming out. Michael Gross’s one joke character of Burt Gummer slowly becoming the star of the series. While I would have preferred Fred Ward taking the lead, I understood and each movie worked exactly the same way for me.

I would underestimate it. Oh, now we only have the dad from Family Ties…but it was still kind of fun. When they added Jamie Kennedy to the mix, I predicted ruin…but it was still kind of fun.

So when I saw the Tremors pack with a new flick with NAPOLEON DYNAMITE, no less, being the support for Burt Gummer, I set my expectations low. This is going to be a SyFy channel creature feature, I mumbled, but picked it up just the same.

Well, this movie was full of surprises for me. While the effects have become less and less practical, they continued to be decent in this latest episode. Burt’s character, though initially grating in this go round, returns to his loveable, if cantankerous, old self relatively quickly in the proceedings. John Heder, somehow, pulls off his role. In fact, quite a bit more likeable than Jamie Kennedy’s part in the series. They spent a lot of time explaining Jamie’s disappearance from the movie, but I suspect no one cared. We get it. Jon Heder is cheaper. He’s also better, so move on!

This time, after runs in Africa and Antartica, the Graboids take up residence on an uncharted island run as a wildlife preserve. The preserve is owned by Bill (played by Richard Brake, of 3 From Hell and 31 fame) who creepily makes it difficult for anyone to leave. His involvement raises the stakes and makes for some actual scares and suspense in a series more known for the comedy relief than chills and scares.

It is another satisfying addition to the series. I’m sure this will be added to Peacock by next Halloween, and I suspect if this is successful the series will continue. Afterall, the Graboids haven’t attacked the New York Subway system (which would be a natural fit for them) yet. Tremors 8: Grabbing a Bite in the Big Apple coming to Peacock soon. I predicted it here first!

Grade: B+

Tremors: Shrieker Island (2020)