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Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell (2018) movie poster

Timeline

Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell (2018) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2018 · 98 mins · English
Echo score 60
Directed by
Don Michael Paul
Starring
Kiroshan Naidoo, Keeno Lee Hector, Tanya van Graan, Danny Keogh, Jamie Kennedy, Greg Kriek

Burt Gummer discovers that enormous worms are being exploited as weapons at a research facility in Canada. He must race against time to develop an antidote from the creatures' venom, all while struggling to survive. The situation becomes increasingly dangerous as he uncovers the facility's secrets and battles the terrifying worms.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (9)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell
  6. 6 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell (2018)

Where can you watch Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and Fandango At Home: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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9 events in order · contains spoilers

Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell (2018) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Research team killed by a Graboid

    In Canada's Nunavut Territory, a team of young researchers collecting ice core samples of glaciers is ambushed and killed by a Graboid, marking the beginning of the disaster. The attack highlights the dangerous presence of Graboids in the area caused by Arctic heat conditions. This event sets the stage for the subsequent hunt and emergency investigations.

    Where
    Nunavut Territory, Canada
  2. Burt Gummer and Travis Welker are approached for help

    After a run-in with a tax agent, Burt Gummer and his son Travis Welker are contacted by Dr. Rita Sims and young Graboid hunter Valerie McKee. They seek assistance in investigating the increasing threat of Graboids and related creatures in the Arctic. The duo discusses plans to explore the phenomena and help contain the outbreak.

  3. Attack by an Ass-Blaster

    Their plane is attacked by an Ass-Blaster, a flying variant of the Graboid, forcing Burt and Travis to make a desperate run to the research facility. Despite the attack, they manage to reach the site, where they begin their investigation into the creature threats. The attack underscores the escalating danger posed by the monsters.

  4. Learn about Arctic heat and bio-engineering

    At the facility, Burt learns that the Arctic's abnormal heat has made the region ideal for Graboids to thrive and spread. He suspects that nearby research at DARPA is developing bio-weapons using the creatures. The connection between the heat and the creatures' proliferation becomes a core concern for the team.

  5. An Ass-Blaster attack injures Burt and reveals his infection

    During an Ass-Blaster attack, Burt rescues a researcher but experiences an episode and collapses. It is revealed that he has been infected with a parasite derived from Graboid venom, which he contracted while inside a Graboid months earlier. This discovery prompts urgent efforts to find a cure.

  6. Researchers attempt to escape and operate defenses

    The team tries to escape the facility while others work to activate defenses. Some members head toward the generator to repair the plane, while Swackhamer creates an underground electric fence. Concurrently, others attempt to turn off an active automated drill, trying to halt the environmental disturbances facilitating the creatures.

  7. DARPA agent joins the group and reveals intentions

    Agent Cutts from DARPA joins Burt and his group, revealing that their original mission was to extract water rather than develop bio-weapons. He agrees to Burt's demand that the government remove tax liens from their property and grants them tax exemption. The group continues their fight for survival amidst internal and external pressures.

  8. Trapping and extracting venom from a Graboid

    The team uses a storage container to trap a Graboid, spearing it from the side to immobilize it, and cuts off its tentacles. Travis then inserts a syringe into the creature's mouth to draw venom from its internal gland sac. This venom becomes crucial for developing an antidote to Burt's infection.

  9. Government grants property relief and they destroy the last Graboid

    After securing the venom, Agent Cutts provides the paperwork removing the tax liens, effectively freeing Burt and Travis from financial burdens as they prepare to leave. The team then evacuates and blows up the remaining Graboid to prevent further threat, concluding their battle with the creatures.

Last updated: August 05, 2025 at 06:59

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Timeline questions answered

Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell (2018): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why are there Graboids in the Arctic?

The Arctic's abnormal heat has created ideal conditions for Graboids to thrive and spread in the Nunavut Territory. The unusually warm temperatures melted ice and allowed the creatures to proliferate in areas where they normally wouldn't survive.

  • graboids
  • arctic
  • warming
  • nunavut
  • creatures
Q2

What happened to Burt Gummer during the Ass-Blaster attack?

Burt was infected with a parasite derived from Graboid venom that he contracted months earlier while inside a Graboid. The parasite was slowly killing him, causing him to collapse during the Ass-Blaster attack. The only cure required antibodies extracted from a live Graboid.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes early on that Burt has survived previous Graboid encounters, which sets up the delayed parasite infection.

  • burt gummer
  • parasite
  • infection
  • graboid venom
  • ass-blaster
Q3

How does the team create the antidote for Burt?

The team traps a Graboid using a storage container and spears it to immobilize it. Travis then cuts off the creature's front tentacles and inserts a syringe directly into its internal gland sac to draw venom. This venom contains the antibodies needed to create the antidote for Burt's parasite infection.

  • venom
  • antidote
  • graboid
  • extraction
  • cure
  • travis welker
Q4

What was DARPA doing at the research facility?

Agent Cutts reveals that DARPA's true mission was harvesting melted water from the Arctic glaciers, not developing biological weapons. Despite Burt's suspicion that they were weaponizing Graboids, the agency was actually focused on resource extraction.

  • darpa
  • research facility
  • water
  • weapons
  • government
Q5

Why does the government clear Burt and Travis of tax debts?

As part of the cooperation agreement, Agent Cutts removes the tax liens from Burt and Travis's property and grants them permanent tax exemption. This was a key demand from Burt, who wanted freedom from government interference and financial burdens in exchange for their help.

  • tax liens
  • government
  • burt gummer
  • travis welker
  • exemption
Q6

What is an Ass-Blaster?

An Ass-Blaster is a flying variant of the Graboid creature. It attacks Burt and Travis's plane during their journey to the research facility, forcing them to make an emergency run to the facility. The Ass-Blasters continue to pose a deadly threat throughout the film.

  • ass-blaster
  • flying graboid
  • creature
  • monster
Q7

Why is Graboid venom needed to save Burt?

The parasite killing Burt was derived from Graboid venom he was exposed to months earlier. Only by extracting fresh antibodies directly from a live Graboid's internal gland could the team create an effective antidote to counter the parasite.

  • graboid venom
  • antibodies
  • parasite
  • cure
  • antidote
Q8

Why does the team blow up the last Graboid?

The team destroys the remaining Graboid to prevent it from being exploited as a biological weapon. After extracting the venom needed for Burt's cure, they detonate the creature to ensure no one could harvest it for military purposes.

  • graboid
  • destroy
  • weapon
  • explosion
  • finale

Movie threads

More Movies Like Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Creature Feature Thrillers like Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell

Fast-paced tales of survival against deadly and monstrous creatures. If you liked the monster-hunting action in Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell, you'll enjoy these movies. This list features similar high-stakes survival stories with terrifying creatures, fast pacing, and tense, action-packed plots that keep you on the edge of your seat.

  • tense
  • thrilling
  • suspenseful
  • action-packed
  • urgent
  • anxious
  • Tone: tense, thrilling
  • Pacing: fast, relentless
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These narratives typically begin with the sudden emergence or discovery of a deadly creature, forcing a group of characters into a desperate fight for survival. The plot is a series of escalating encounters where ingenuity and courage are tested against overwhelming predatory force, often culminating in a final, explosive confrontation.

Why they belong together: They are grouped by their shared core experience: the primal fear of being hunted, combined with the excitement of a non-stop monster attack. The similarity lies in the high-intensity action, the constant tension of the threat, and the straightforward, satisfying goal of defeating a terrifying beast.

Remote Facility Horror Movies like Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell

Stories of containment breaches and desperate survival in isolated research outposts. Fans of the isolated research base and creature threat in Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell will find more to love here. These films feature similar claustrophobic settings where a small group must survive a scientific disaster, often involving a deadly pandemic or escaped monster.

  • claustrophobic
  • suspenseful
  • tense
  • paranoid
  • sci-fi horror
  • containment breach
  • Tone: tense, claustrophobic
  • Pacing: fast, escalating
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves a team at a remote scientific facility (polar, jungle, space) who discover or create a lethal entity. The story becomes a siege as safety protocols fail, trust erodes, and the characters must use their wits and the facility's resources to contain or escape the escalating threat, often uncovering a deeper conspiracy.

Why they belong together: These movies share a specific and potent combination of elements: the claustrophobic setting of an isolated facility, the theme of scientific overreach, and the intense pressure of a close-quarters siege against a non-human threat. This creates a coherent vibe of paranoia, desperation, and thrilling survival horror.

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Every angle

Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell (2018) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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