Scotland doesn’t just look beautiful; sometimes, it looks out of this world.
With its jagged mountains, ancient architecture, and misty lochs, our country has become the go-to location for Hollywood directors who need to create alien planets or dystopian futures without relying on a green screen.
From Ridley Scott’s return to the Alien universe to Brad Pitt fighting the undead in George Square, Scotland has played host to some of the biggest blockbusters in history.
Here is your guide to the most iconic sci-fi movies filmed right here in Scotland.
1. World War Z (Glasgow)
The Movie: Brad Pitt races to find a cure for a zombie pandemic that is toppling civilizations. The Location: George Square, Glasgow.
In 2011, Glasgow City Centre was transformed into Philadelphia. Yellow taxi cabs, American traffic lights, and vending machines lined the streets, only to be destroyed by a swarm of sprinting zombies. The crash scene in George Square is one of the film’s biggest set pieces.
- Geek Fact: The production crew loved Glasgow so much they didn’t just use it for wide shots; they filmed the chaos right on the doorstep of the City Chambers.
👉 [Get World War Z on Blu-ray]
2. Under the Skin (Glasgow & The Highlands)
The Movie: Scarlett Johansson plays an alien entity in human form who prowls the streets of Scotland preying on lonely men. The Location: Glasgow Streets, Buchanan Galleries, and the Highlands.
This isn’t your typical laser-blast sci-fi. It’s a haunting, gritty masterpiece. Much of the film was shot using hidden cameras in a transit van driving around Glasgow, capturing real people interacting with Johansson (often without them realizing who she was!). It captures the eerie, cold beauty of Scotland like no other film.
- Warning: This one is definitely for the adults!
👉 [Get Under the Skin on Amazon]
3. Prometheus (Isle of Skye)
The Movie: Ridley Scott’s prequel to Alien, following a crew searching for the origins of humanity. The Location: The Old Man of Storr, Isle of Skye.
When you need a landscape that looks like a primordial, ancient alien planet, you go to Skye. The opening sequence, where a pale “Engineer” creates life by dissolving himself into a waterfall, was filmed at the Old Man of Storr. The jagged rock formations required almost no CGI to look completely alien.
👉 [Complete your collection: Prometheus 4K]
4. Cloud Atlas (Glasgow & Edinburgh)
The Movie: A mind-bending epic spanning centuries, from the 1800s to a cyberpunk future. The Location: Scott Monument (Edinburgh) and Glasgow City Centre.
The Wachowskis (creators of The Matrix) used Scotland to double for multiple locations. The distinct steep streets of Glasgow (specifically around Montrose Street) were used to film the car chases for the “Neo-Seoul” timeline set in the year 2144. Meanwhile, the Gothic spire of the Scott Monument in Edinburgh serves as a key landmark in the story.
5. Transformers: The Last Knight (Isle of Skye)
The Movie: Optimus Prime and the Autobots delve into the history of King Arthur and medieval knights. The Location: The Quiraing, Isle of Skye.
Michael Bay loves massive vistas, and Scotland delivered. The dramatic, sweeping shots of the medieval battles and the Transformers flying over green, rocky terrain were filmed at the Quiraing. It’s one of the few places on Earth epic enough to match giant robots in scale.
👉 [Get the Transformers 5-Movie Collection]
6. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Isle of Harris)
The Movie: Stanley Kubrick’s seminal masterpiece about artificial intelligence and human evolution. The Location: The Isle of Harris.
Okay, this is a deep cut! While the actors weren’t physically there, the footage of the “Stargate” sequence—where Dave Bowman travels through space and sees alien landscapes—features color-filtered aerial shots of the rocky terrain of Harris in the Outer Hebrides. Even in 1968, Kubrick knew Scotland looked like another planet.
👉 [Get 2001: A Space Odyssey (4K Ultra HD)]
7. Star Wars: Andor (Argyll)
The Show: The hit Star Wars series following the rebel Cassian Andor. The Location: Cruachan Dam, Argyll.
We couldn’t leave this out. The massive concrete Cruachan Dam (known as the “Hollow Mountain”) was turned into an Imperial base, proving that 20th-century Scottish engineering looks right at home in a galaxy far, far away.
Explore the Universe (In Scotland)
Whether you are hunting for Xenomorphs in Skye or Zombies in Glasgow, Scotland is a sci-fi fan’s dream.
Want to buy some sci-fi merch? Come along to the next BGCP Comic Con to find rare figures, posters, and collectibles from your favorite movies.