QUIZ: How much do you know about the original ‘Predator’ movie?

Arnold Schwarzenegger was at the peak of his powers in the 1987 film Predator. Directed by John McTiernan – who’d work with Schwarzenegger again on 1993’s Last Action Hero – Predator was a major box office smash. It also laid the foundation for several sequels and a couple of Alien vs. Predator crossover movies.

1987 was a big year for action, horror, sci-fi and war films, and often the genres would intersect. This was true of Paul Verhoeven’s RoboCop, which centres on the titular cyborg law enforcement officer who’s intent on cleaning up the miserable state of affairs in crime ridden Detroit.

1987 was also the year that gave rise to The Lost Boys, a sort of romantic horror about a gang of young vampires. Its heart-throb ensemble included Kiefer Sutherland, fresh off the success of Stand By Me, and the Coreys Haim and Feldman.

Stanley Kubrick’s Vietnam War action drama Full Metal Jacket was another high profile 1987 release. Kubrick’s adaptation of Gustav Hasford’s novel The Short-Timers put an original spin on the war film genre. Beverly Hills Cop II, Fatal Attraction, Platoon and The Untouchables were just some of the other major box office hits of 1987.

But there was one film that managed to merge dystopian themes, war action, science fiction intrigue and horrific violence while also achieving blockbuster success, and that was Predator.

Schwarzenegger plays the role of Vietnam War veteran Alan “Dutch” Schaefer. Kevin Peter Hall plays the Predator, an alien creature that possesses advanced hunting capabilities. Interestingly, the writer of Lethal Weapon – another 1987 release – Shane Black also appears in Predator in the most high profile role on his limited acting resume.

Schwarzenegger’s Dutch is given the task of rescuing a crew of US Army personnel in the Central American jungle. Although the film never makes the location explicitly clear, it was filmed in the jungles surrounding the Mexican locales of Mismaloya and Palenque.

How much do you know about the original Predator movie?

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.

Subscribe to Rolling Stone magazine

Subscribe to Rolling Stone magazine