Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Total Recall was originally released in 1990, and a remake starring Colin Farrell was also released in 2012.
The original movie’s storyline was about a man named Douglas Quaid (Schwarzenegger) who, in the year 2084, decided to take a virtual “memory trip” to Mars as a Secret Agent after having troubling dreams about Mars. The company providing the virtual memory trip, Rekall, was supposed to implant a memory of this vacation but during the procedure, something went wrong. Quaid began to experience suppressed memories of actually being a Secret Agent and ultimately ends up on Mars.
Total Recall was one of the most expensive films made at the time of its release, but it was also one of the most successful, winning several awards. The film not only inspired a novel, but also a video game, TV series, comic series, and a remake. There was also supposed to be a sequel Total Recall 2, but it was never filmed and the script was adapted into Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report.
You can watch the movie trailer below:
Where Was Total Recall Filmed In Nevada?
In the original 1990 Total Recall production, although most of the filming took place in Mexico City and Estudios Churubusco, Valley of Fire State Park in Overton, NV was used as a double for Mars. Nearly all of the outside Mars scenes were filmed at Valley of Fire State Park.
If you are a fan of the original movie, check out this Behind the Scenes Making of Total Recall:
We’re just getting started with our Scene in Nevada series, but if you like it, check out our interactive Nevada Film Tourism Map where you can find more film locations from your favorite movies and more!
Valley of Fire State Park is a popular filming location in Nevada. If you are interested in using this location for your production, you can view full Valley of Fire State Park location details here. You can also view the Valley of Fire State Park Roads location details here.