What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedTotal Recall
Paul Verhoeven · Film · 1990
If you loved Total Recall, start with Dollhouse (Joss Whedon, 2009) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Total Recall across media.
What hooked you in Total Recall was the way the fragility of memory turns your own identity into a corporate playground.
Books on the same thread
Recursion
Blake Crouch · Book · 2019
Explores: Memory manipulation, Existential dread, Butterfly effect.
Just as Total Recall forces you to question the validity of your own history, this thriller explores the terrifying consequences of manipulating time and memory to reshape personal reality.
The Martian
Andy Weir · Book · 2015
Explores: Resourcefulness, Human Ingenuity, Isolation.
If the survival stakes and Martian setting of Total Recall were your highlights, this grounded account of human ingenuity against a hostile planet offers a similar intense, high-pressure experience.
The Maze Runner (Book 1)
James Dashner · Book · 2014
Explores: Survival, Memory Loss, Conspiracy.
Much like the protagonist in Total Recall, you will find yourself trapped in a conspiracy where memory loss and survival define your reality within a dangerous, isolated environment.
The Memory Police
Yoko Ogawa · Book · 1994
Explores: Memory, Loss, Totalitarianism.
This story mirrors the existential dread found in Total Recall, focusing on the systematic erasure of memory and the chilling loss of identity under a controlling, dystopian regime.
Series on the same thread
Severance
Dan Erickson · Series · 2022
Shares 2 threads with Total Recall: Identity Crisis, Corporate Conspiracy.
This series expands on the core memory manipulation themes of Total Recall, dramatizing the psychological fracture that occurs when a corporation forces a divide between your work and personal identities.
Westworld
Jonathan Nolan · Series · 2016
Shares a thread with Total Recall: Corporate Conspiracy.
If the moral ambiguity of Total Recall kept you guessing, this exploration of artificial consciousness and the loss of free will offers an even deeper dive into identity crises.
Dollhouse
Joss Whedon · Series · 2009
Shares 3 threads with Total Recall: Identity Crisis, Corporate Conspiracy, Dystopian Sci-Fi.
This show echoes the corporate conspiracy and memory implantation found in Total Recall, following individuals whose personalities are wiped and replaced for the sake of dark, secret agendas.
Altered Carbon
Laeta Kalogridis · Series · 2018
Shares 3 threads with Total Recall: Corporate Conspiracy, Cyberpunk, Dystopian Sci-Fi.
This cyberpunk noir captures the gritty, tech-obsessed aesthetic of Total Recall while exploring similar themes regarding the ability to inhabit new bodies and the corporate control of life.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Truth
The Truth · Podcast · 2026
Explores: human condition, experimental storytelling, moral ambiguity.
These short, cinematic stories mirror the suspense and psychological twists of Total Recall, providing a quick, immersive experience that challenges your perception of what is real and what is not.
The Realignment
The Realignment · Podcast · 2026
Explores: institutional change, populism, technological disruption.
The political disruption analyzed here provides the real-world context for the dystopian corporate power structures that serve as the backdrop for the chaos in Total Recall.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Total Recall about a construction worker?
Yes, the plot of Total Recall follows Douglas Quaid, who works as a construction worker. His life changes when his obsession with Mars leads him to visit a company called Recall to purchase memory implants, resulting in a crisis where he cannot distinguish between reality and manufactured memories.
What happens when Douglas Quaid visits Recall in Total Recall?
In Total Recall, Douglas Quaid visits the company Recall to have memories of Mars implanted. The process goes wrong, which leaves him unable to determine what is real and what is a manufactured memory, driving the central conflict of the film as he navigates his uncertain reality.
Does Total Recall feature a company that creates memories?
Yes, the premise of Total Recall centers on a company named Recall that specializes in manufacturing memories. The story begins when the protagonist, Douglas Quaid, decides to visit the company to obtain implants related to his obsession with the planet Mars, which triggers a malfunction in his perception.
Is Total Recall focused on the planet Mars?
Yes, Total Recall is driven by Douglas Quaid's obsession with Mars. This interest leads him to seek out memory implants from a company called Recall. The resulting malfunction causes Quaid to lose his grip on reality, making the planet a central element of his confusing and shifting experience.