Tremors 3: Back to Perfection

Tremors 3: Back to Perfection

Year: 2001

Runtime: 104 mins

Language: English

Director: Brent Maddock

HorrorScience FictionComedyActionThriller

Survivalist Burt Gummer returns to his hometown of Perfection, only to find the quiet community once more under siege by the infamous underground predators. The Graboids have mutated again, growing larger and more ferocious, forcing Burt to battle the man‑eating monsters to protect the town.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline – Tremors 3: Back to Perfection (2001)

Trace every key event in Tremors 3: Back to Perfection (2001) with our detailed, chronological timeline. Perfect for unpacking nonlinear stories, spotting hidden connections, and understanding how each scene builds toward the film’s climax. Whether you're revisiting or decoding for the first time, this timeline gives you the full picture.

1

Burt Gummer returns to Perfection

Burt Gummer returns to his hometown of Perfection, Nevada after a hunt for Shriekers in El Chaco, Argentina. He finds that the town's preventive equipment for tracking Graboid activity has fallen into disrepair due to neglect by local residents.

After El Chaco Perfection, Nevada
2

Town defenses neglected

The town's warning systems and Graboid trackers are in disrepair as Miguel, Nancy Sterngood, and Mindy neglect maintenance. This leaves Perfection vulnerable to renewed Graboid activity.

Perfection, Nevada
3

New life in Perfection

Walter Chang's market is taken over by his niece Jodi, and a new resident named Jack arrives, offering mock-attack tours to visiting tourists. Jack's presence stirs curiosity and some resentment among locals.

Perfection, Nevada
4

Buford's death on tour

During one of Jack's tours, Buford is eaten by a Graboid, triggering a scramble as Jack, Mindy, and the customers manage to escape and warn the town. Burt determines there are three Graboids in the area.

Afternoon On Jack's tour route near Perfection
5

Government intervention

Government agents Charlie Rusk and Frank Statler arrive with paleontologist Dr. Andrew Merliss and block any hunting, claiming the Graboids are an endangered species. They insist on studying them before any human action.

Perfection outskirts
6

Deal to capture a Graboid

Jack reaches a deal with the agents: if they capture one live Graboid, Burt and the residents will be allowed to kill the remaining two. Burt reluctantly agrees, and he and Jack set out to trap one while the agents pursue another.

Perfection outskirts
7

Melvin's offer and Burt's swallowing

Melvin Plugg, a fellow survivor from the original attacks, tries again to buy Burt's land for development. Burt refuses, and soon after a Graboid attacks and swallows Burt whole.

Perfection, Nevada
8

Burt's rescue

Jack lures the Graboid to Burt's home, where it fatally collides with underground concrete barriers surrounding the building. He then uses a chainsaw to free Burt from the creature's belly.

Burt's home, Perfection
9

Merliss's warning and death

The group finds a badly wounded Merliss, who explains that he and the government agents were ambushed by Shriekers from the Graboid they were chasing. Merliss dies from his injuries.

Field near Perfection
10

El Blanco and infertility

While tracking the Shriekers, an albino Graboid named El Blanco traps them on rocks for the night. Miguel deduces that El Blanco can't produce Shriekers because it is infertile.

Night Rocks near Perfection
11

Ass-Blasters arise

Shriekers molt into winged, rocket-propelled Ass-Blasters capable of flight and carrying Graboid eggs. Miguel is killed by a creature, which then crashes into a metal fence and dies.

Around Perfection
12

Town attack and revelation about sleeping

Nancy and Mindy are attacked by an Ass-Blaster in town and hide in a freezer, distracting it with food. They learn that Ass-Blasters do not multiply but fall asleep after eating.

Perfection, Nevada
13

Junkyard plan and execution

Back at a junkyard, the group builds a potato gun from everyday objects to ignite the Ass-Blasters' stomachs and kill four of them. The plan gives them a fighting chance as more threats loom.

Junkyard near Perfection
14

Final confrontation with El Blanco

Burt is pinned down by El Blanco during the final confrontation; Jack takes Burt's ultrasonic watch and sticks it to the final Ass-Blaster. El Blanco devours it, saving Burt and Jodi in the process.

Perfection vicinity
15

Resolution and preservation

In the aftermath, Nancy sells the captive Ass-Blaster and Jack pursues a romance with Jodi, much to Mindy's disappointment. Burt proclaims Perfection a federally protected Graboid reserve to protect El Blanco, ending Melvin's development plans; the final scene shows Burt leaving Melvin on a rock with El Blanco circling below.

Perfection, Nevada and El Blanco's territory

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 16:40

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Tremors 3: Back to Perfection

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