The direct-to-video sequels to the 1990 cult classic keep coming, but this latest entry is a prequel with co-creator (he's been involved in the entire series and co-wrote the first two) S.S. Wilson taking the helm.

Michael Gross is also back but this time he plays an ancestor of fan favourite character Burt Gummer who comes to the small Arizona town of Rejection (before being renamed the much more upbeat, Perfection) to see why everyone has been moving away and his mine has been shut down. He soons finds out it's because the mine, and all the land around it, is filled with giant, man-eating sandworms and he has to team-up with the remaining residents to try and not only stay alive, but to also try and get rid of them so the mine can re-open and so the town isn't abandoned completely.

One of the weaker entries in the series the main problem with this one is that the creatures don't show-up until about a third of the way in, but thanks to alright characters (Gross does a good job making his a jerk at first) and an okay mood it's not overly noticeable.

But throw into the fact that the effects in the sequels continue to look a bit too rubbery at times (though I'd have to say the effects here are probably the poorest of the four) and that the finale is much too silly and it's just too light on the fun and creature attacks fans have come to expect; then you have a mostly passable time.

B-movie veteran Billy Drago brings in a tiny bit of amusement as the gunslinger they hire to help rid the town of the beasts. (Chris Hartley, 8/20/04)

Directed By: S.S. Wilson.
Written By: Scott Buck. Starring: Michael Gross, Sara Botsford, Brent Roam, Ming Lo.