Maps of Movies

The Thing (1982)

Where The Thing says it takes place, and where it was really shot.

Antarctica is the story; the station was built on a Canadian road above a glacier, and the interiors in Los Angeles.

Scenes and places

The helicopter chasing a dog into Outpost 31 (1982)

A Norwegian helicopter chases a lone sled dog across the ice into an American research station. The passenger fumbles a grenade and the Americans cannot understand the pilot, who shouts at them while firing a rifle. It sets up the question the whole film asks: what were the Norwegians running from?

Set in U.S. Outpost 31, Antarctica — A Norwegian helicopter pursues a sled dog to an American research station.

A small American research station in the Antarctic winter, built for the film as an outdoor set.

Filmed at Outpost 31 film set, Salmon Glacier Road, British Columbia — Outdoor exterior set for the American station; the fan site and Rosenbaum article place it on Salmon Glacier Road, while English Wikipedia says only a rocky area on a glacier in Alaska. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: Fan site: about 38 km up Salmon Glacier Road, roughly 45 minutes north of Stewart, reached via Hyder, Alaska.

The burned Norwegian camp (1982)

MacReady and Dr. Copper fly out to the Norwegian base to find out what happened. Among charred ruins and frozen corpses they find something burned and not quite human, and carry it back.

Set in Norwegian research camp, Antarctica — Charred ruins and frozen corpses, and the burnt remains of a malformed humanoid.

A wrecked research camp, shot after the film's end scenes by reusing the already damaged American set.

Filmed at Outpost 31 film set, Salmon Glacier Road, British Columbia — The damaged American base set stood in for the charred Norwegian camp; the fan site puts the Norwegian helicopter wreck north of the set. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: Fan site: about 38 km up Salmon Glacier Road, roughly 45 minutes north of Stewart, reached via Hyder, Alaska.

Blair's autopsy (1982)

Blair, the station biologist, starts an autopsy on the remains brought from the Norwegian base. He finds a normal set of human organs, which only deepens the puzzle.

Set in Outpost 31, indoor labs and common rooms — Blair examines the remains in the station.

The station's cramped interior, built as a cooled sound-stage set.

The kennel (1982)

After the sled dog has been left to roam the station, it is put in the kennel with the other dogs. Something goes wrong in the dark, the team rushes in, and Childs reaches for a flamethrower.

Set in Outpost 31 kennel — The station's dog kennel.

A small dog pen inside the station, built on a raised stage for the effects crew.

The buried ship (1982)

Data recovered from the Norwegian base leads the Americans to a large excavation site. A partly buried alien spacecraft sits in the ice, estimated to be over a hundred thousand years old.

Set in Norwegian excavation site, Antarctica — A large dig around a partially buried alien spacecraft, and a smaller human-sized dig.

A dig in the ice about five or six miles from the Norwegian camp, painted as a studio set.

Characters

• R. J. MacReady — The station's helicopter pilot.
• Dr. Copper — The station doctor.
• Blair — The station biologist.
• Garry — The station commander.
• Childs — A mechanic at the station.