Behind the scenes, the answers is, of course, that the creators of the first film (many of whom stayed on for this movie, and every follow-up through Tremors 4) hadn't planned the shrieker stage when they were making it. In-universe, it's likely that the graboids simply weren't "ready" to give rise to the shriekers. Series creator S.S. Wilson mentioned on Stampede's official site that "none of the Graboids in Tremors 1 had yet started the metamorphic process which leads to Shriekers forming inside its body.".
While everyone else made money on the battle of Earl Bassett (Fred Ward) and Valentine "Val" McKee (Kevin Bacon) against four giant, carnivorous, underground graboids—that is, everyone except Earl Bassett. Earl decides to accept an offer to come to Mexico and help the Petromaya oil refinery eradicate a bunch of graboids that are killing their workers. The fact that Petromaya is willing to pay $50,000 for each graboid killed, with a $100,000 bonus if he can capture one alive, is a huge motivator. Earl teams up with enthusiastic admirer Grady Hoover (Chris Gartin), and the two of them set out to blow up graboids by tricking them into swallowing dynamite-rigged, remote-controlled toy cars. Their ploy works, until the graboids metamorph into above-ground "shriekers", and survivalist Burt Gummer (Michael Gross) shows up with a truckload of high explosives.
Tremors 2: Aftershock is a sequel to Tremors (1990) (1990), which was based on a screenplay developed by American screenwriters S.S. Wilson, Brent Maddock, and Ron Underwood, who also wrote the screenplay for Tremors 2, which was followed by Tremors 3: Back to Perfection (2001) (2001), a prequel Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (2004) (2004), Tremors 5: Bloodlines (2015) (2015) and a short-lived TV series 'Tremors (2003)' (2003).
The only characters to return are Earl Bassett and Burt Gummer. Valentine and Heather are shown in photographs. Val, Heather, and Walter are mentioned in dialogue.
Early in the movie, Earl tells Grady and Señor Ortega (Marcelo Tubert) that Val married a "good woman", presumably Rhonda LeBeck (Finn Carter), and refused to go on another hunt for graboids.
Burt first tells Earl that Heather (Reba McEntire) is visiting with her sister, but later admits that she is not coming back. He can tell because she asked him to send her the HK91.
In reality, Reba McEntire was in the midst of her country music tour and was unable to reprise her role. Thus, she was written out of the film.
In reality, Reba McEntire was in the midst of her country music tour and was unable to reprise her role. Thus, she was written out of the film.
Realizing that the graboids trapped inside the storage garage are feasting on the golosinas dulce (sweet snack food) stored there and that they will soon be popping out little graboids, Earl comes up with a plan. He sprays himself with the cold foam from a CO2 fire extinguisher then enters the garage to get the bombs out of Burt's truck. The graboids, being attracted only by heat, don't notice him until Earl starts to melt. He grabs a bomb and climbs higher in the garage while Grady lowers him a fire hose to climb out. "Run!" Earl shouts as he climbs out. "I set a bomb!" Earl, Grady, Burt, and Kate (Helen Shaver) run for cover, diving into a trench just as the bomb goes off, flattening the refinery and killing all the shriekers.. As they walk away, Earl agrees to stay with Kate a bit longer in Mexico, and Grady adds up the money they made: $50,000 × 28 worms, enough to start up Grady and Earl's Monster World theme park. Earl declines, but Grady reminds him that this could be his big, third chance.
He was intended to be in the second film, but Kevin Bacon declined; thus began a tradition of a different character filling his role in every installment. According to director S.S. Wilson, he called Kevin Bacon and asked him for the role. Kevin Bacon replied saying "Actually, I think I will do it!", but he never followed up. This is most likely because Bacon was filming Apollo 13 at the same time this film was in production.
Kevin Bacon also admitted that for a lot of years, he was bitter at Tremors, only taking the role because he needed money and his career was in a bit of a rough patch at the time. Bacon has since admitted that in retrospect, Tremors was the most fun he has ever had on a film set and it has become the only one of his films he can watch as a fan.
Kevin Bacon also admitted that for a lot of years, he was bitter at Tremors, only taking the role because he needed money and his career was in a bit of a rough patch at the time. Bacon has since admitted that in retrospect, Tremors was the most fun he has ever had on a film set and it has become the only one of his films he can watch as a fan.
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