20 Things You Didn't Know About The Terminator

It’s hard to imagine a world without James Cameron’s seminal first feature, The Terminator. Cast your mind back to a time before 1984. No one has ever heard of Skynet, the T-800, or John Connor. When you say ‘I’ll be back’, people think that, well, you'll be back. The Terminator is ingrained into our popular consciousness, and for good reason.

People often talk fondly of the sequel, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, but they frequently forget how great the original is. It’s an expert blend of horror and action, with a clever science fiction twist.

Of course, now when you say ‘I’ll be back’ in your best Austrian accent, people think you’ll come back in a car and loaded to the teeth. Schwarzenegger's Terminator is as recognizable as Batman or James Bond.

The production of the film is just as exciting as the film itself. Everyone knows that Arnold originally couldn’t say ‘I’ll be back’, but there are so many other interesting aspects of the production that broaden out just how unique the shoot was. From cutting corners where they could to a far more complex original script, The Terminator is full of intriguing tidbits.

Contrary to the character of the Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger is actually a pretty approachable guy. Because of this, Schwarzenegger wanted to avoid his co-stars Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn as much as possible in order to ramp up the fear factor when they actually got to see him.

And it worked. When Hamilton first lays her eyes on Schwarzenegger in the Tech Noir nightclub, you really believe in her fear as he points his pistol towards her.

This seems to have also been enhanced by the shooting schedule, as Schwarzenegger was the last main cast member to join the shoot, with his first scene being him in the hijacked police car looking for Sarah Connor.