‘Time Trap’ is a sci-fi action adventure film that follows Taylor (Reiley McClendon) and Jackie (Brianne Howey), two graduate students, who go hunting for their missing professor, Hopper (Andrew Wilson). The two and their friends track Hopper to a cave system and climb inside it to look for him, but soon bizarre occurrences start taking place around them, making the group question the very laws of physics and how they perceive time and space.
Directed by Mark Dennis and Ben Foster, the 2017 film is truly a passion project that takes inspiration from the likes of ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982),’ ‘The Goonies (1985)’ and ‘Back to the Future (1985).’ Though not a big-budget production, the film’s use of practical effects and costumes really drive home the science fiction aspects of it and make it an enjoyable watch. With such an interesting premise as time travel, it is only natural that many must be curious about filming locations. If you are wondering about where ‘Time Trap’ was filmed, we have you covered. Let’s dive in together!
Time Trap Filming Locations
‘Time Trap’ was filmed in multiple locations in Texas and California. Specifically, Austin and Sonora in Texas and Trona and Los Angeles in California were chosen by the production team as the shooting sites for the science fiction adventure film. Primary photography began in April 2014 and went on till September 2014. Let us take a look at the exact filming locations!
Sonora, Texas
Much of the scenes in ‘Time Trap’ take place inside an underground cave system that Taylor and Jackie rappel down in with their friends. The Caverns of Sonora were used to film these sequences, with a lot of the set pieces put in place through the use of CGI in post-production so as to not harm the natural stalagmite formations within the Caverns. Mark Dennis got the inspiration for placing the story of ‘Time Trap’ within these underground caves based on his childhood experience of growing up in central Texas and exploring the abundance of underground caves there.
Austin, Texas
A few of the initial scenes in ‘Time Trap’ – Hopper finding the cave with the frozen cowboy and the suburbs where he meets Taylor and Jackie before he leaves to name a few – were captured in Austin. The rappelling sequences were filmed in some of the low-hanging caves in Austin as well.
Trona, California
‘Time Trap’ moves between the past, present, and future through the time dilation that takes place inside the underground caves throughout its narrative. In simple terms, time moves slower within the caves than it does outside, with centuries passing by for those trapped inside in a matter of minutes. In one such sequence, when Jackie climbs out of the cave for the first time, she finds herself in a vast and unfamiliar desert. This “future” desert is actually Trona Pinnacles, a National Park in Trona, California.
Trona Pinnacles is known for its tufa spires which are made from limestone and were created during the three ice ages. More than 500 of them rise to up to 140 feet, making the area feel otherworldly. Because of this distinct otherworldliness, Trona Pinnacles has been used as the location for a lot of science fiction productions over the years, the most famous of which is ‘Planet of the Apes (2001).’
Los Angeles, California
With different time periods clashing within the confines of the underground caves, it is no surprise that ‘Time Trap’ incorporates a few battle scenes as well. Most of these action sequences were taped at Bronson Canyon in Griffith Park. Those who are unfamiliar with Bronson Canyon will definitely remember seeing it as the Bat Cave in the series ‘Batman (1966-1968),’ featuring Adam West in the titular role.
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