They Live (1988)

A drifter discovers a pair of sunglasses that allow him to wake up to the fact that aliens have taken over the Earth.

Director:

John Carpenter

Writers:

Ray Nelson (short story "Eight O'Clock in the Morning"), John Carpenter (screenplay)

Stars:

Roddy Piper, Keith David, Meg Foster

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Roddy Piper	...	Nada
Keith David	...	Frank
Meg Foster	...	Holly
George 'Buck' Flower	...	Drifter
Peter Jason	...	Gilbert
Raymond St. Jacques	...	Street Preacher
Jason Robards III	...	Family Man
John Lawrence	...	Bearded Man
Susan Barnes	...	Brown Haired Woman
Sy Richardson	...	Black Revolutionary
Wendy Brainard	...	Family Man's Daughter
Lucille Meredith	...	Female Interviewer
Susan Blanchard	...	Ingenue
Norman Alden	...	Foreman
Dana Bratton	...	Black Junkie

Storyline

Nada, a down-on-his-luck construction worker, discovers a pair of special sunglasses. Wearing them, he is able to see the world as it really is: people being bombarded by media and government with messages like "Stay Asleep", "No Imagination", "Submit to Authority". Even scarier is that he is able to see that some usually normal-looking people are in fact ugly aliens in charge of the massive campaign to keep humans subdued.

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Plot Keywords:

alien | sunglasses | construction worker | subliminal message | television | 

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Taglines:

You see them on the street. You watch them on TV. You might even vote for one this fall. You think they're people just like you. You're wrong. Dead wrong.

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Genres:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

JohnCarpenter - movie site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 November 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

John Carpenter's They Live

Filming Locations:

Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$13,008,928 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alive Films, Larry Franco Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The second and final time that John Carpenter worked with Alive Films. The first was Prince of Darkness.

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Goofs

At the beginning of the alley fight, Nada sets down a cardboard box; Frank sets down a backpack. Towards the middle of the fight, as Frank tries to walk away, both items disappear.

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Quotes

Nada: You know, you look like your head fell in the cheese dip back in 1957.

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theatre 3000: Outlaw (1993)

User Reviews

Classic from my youth

I remember first seeing They Live when I was 10 and I totally fell in love with this film. How could a ten year old not? There's wrestlers, aliens and a plot to take over the world. My friends and I quoted this film for weeks on end with the Bubble gum and kicking @$$ line being a favourite among all. The only real complaint that I have about the film is that the aliens when finally revealed are far too human. They basically look like a skeleton with bug eyes. Not a whole lot of energy seemed to go into their design. While They Live will never be remembered as a film that redefined the way films were made, it still to this day holds a place in my heart as one of the films that just defines your youth. It is fun, action packed and has just enough cool storyline to keep you interested from start to finish.