18 More Things You Didn't Know About The Terminator
14. The Importance Behind The Word "Tech Noir"
Sarah Connor confronts the Terminator for the first time while hiding out in a disco called Tech Noir. This isn't just a random name for the club. James Cameron coined this term himself when referring to the film's genre.
Cameron hated the idea that The Terminator was erroneously labelled as a horror flick or a slasher since those genres were done to death during the 1980s. Even though the movie does have horror elements, Cameron emphasised that it combined the grittiness or noir stories with sci-fi, much like Blade Runner.
At first, you would assume Cameron hired out a facility for the Tech Noir scene. However, Cameron built a club from scratch called Tech Noir to highlight his self-titled sub-genre. It's hard to believe the building was just a set since it looks like a genuine disco. Funny enough, some people who lived in the area thought the same thing and tried to go dancing there, unaware it wasn't a real club.
Even the movie came out 26 years ago, the building still exists. Nowadays, it's a jewellery store and doesn't contain any murderous robots whatsoever.