Maps of Movies
The Terminator (1984)
Where The Terminator says it takes place, and where it was really shot.
A film set in Los Angeles in 1984, and most of its night chases are real downtown streets.
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Scenes and places
A naked stranger lands in 1984 (1984)
A huge naked man appears in a burst of electric light and takes the clothes of the first people he meets. He asks only the date and the year, as if he has arrived from somewhere else.
Set in Los Angeles, 1984 — A dark spot above the city where the Terminator appears.
A hilltop observatory above Los Angeles, a landmark since the 1930s.
Filmed at Griffith Observatory, 2800 E Observatory Rd — Filming place named by one location blog; coordinates are the observatory itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
A second man arrives the same way (1984)
A scarred man in a long coat appears the same way and runs from the police who spot him. He has come for the same reason as the first.
Set in Los Angeles, 1984 — An alley where Reese lands.
A narrow downtown alley beside a 7th Street building.
A shopping list at the gun store (1984)
The Terminator walks into a gun shop and goes through the counter. He leaves with a full set of weapons.
Set in Gun shop, Los Angeles — A gun shop where the Terminator buys his weapons.
A Van Nuys address on Victory Blvd, now a used-car lot.
Sarah on her break (1984)
Sarah is working a busy shift when a coworker pulls her to the television. A news report names a woman called Sarah Connor who has been killed.
Set in Sarah's workplace, Los Angeles — The restaurant where Sarah works as a waitress.
A restaurant address in South Pasadena, according to one location blog.
Ginger, Matt and the answering machine (1984)
Sarah's date cancels by phone and she stays in with her roommate. A killer works through the Sarah Connors in the phone book while they carry on with their evening.
Set in Sarah's apartment, Los Angeles — The apartment Sarah shares with her roommate Ginger.
A building near Lafayette Park, according to one location blog.
Tech Noir (1984)
Sarah phones the police from a nightclub and is told to stay in public and visible. A stranger in a long coat crosses the room toward her and tells her to come with him if she wants to live.
Set in Tech Noir nightclub, Los Angeles — A nightclub where Sarah hides while she waits for the police.
A Hill Street building the location blog names; in the film the club is on Pico Boulevard.
Cars through the night (1984)
Reese and Sarah escape in a stolen car while the Terminator follows on foot and in a police car. The chase takes them through tunnels and city streets.
Set in Streets of Los Angeles — A night chase through the city streets.
A downtown road tunnel that appears in many films.
Filmed at 2nd Street Tunnel, 620 W 2nd St — Wikipedia lists the tunnel among films that used it; the scene placement comes from one location blog. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
A quiet morning in a motel (1984)
Reese and Sarah take shelter in a motel and make pipe bombs. After the night, Sarah tends his wound and they talk.
Set in Motel, Los Angeles — A motel where Reese and Sarah take shelter.
A motel address in Huntington Park, according to one location blog.
Truck against motorcycle (1984)
Sarah and Reese flee in a pickup truck while the Terminator follows on a motorcycle. Reese throws pipe bombs from the truck as they race.
Set in Streets of Los Angeles — A chase between a pickup truck and a motorcycle.
A downtown street on Bunker Hill.
The tanker truck (1984)
The Terminator hijacks a tank truck and tries to run Sarah down. A pipe bomb sets the truck off in a huge fire.
Set in Streets of Los Angeles — A street where a tank truck is taken.
A road outside an LAPD-owned building, near Union Station.
A lonely road (1984)
Far from the city, a filling station stands alone by the road.
Set in Filling station, Mexico — A remote filling station by the road in Mexico.
A desert road location in Littlerock, California, standing in for Mexico.
Characters
- Sarah Connor — A waitress in Los Angeles who learns she is being hunted.
- Kyle Reese — A soldier who says he has come from the future to protect her.
- The Terminator — A cyborg sent to kill Sarah Connor.