They influence our decisions without us knowing it. They numb our senses without us feeling it. They control our lives without us realizing it. They live.
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.Written by
Melissa Portell <mportell@s-cwis.unomaha.edu>
For years after the film's release - and even on the movie's DVD commentary - Roddy Piper maintained that the film was based on an actual incident in the 1950s in which a company manufactured a TV that planted subliminal messages in women's brains instructing them to make extravagant purchases. Piper was unaware that the "documentary" he had seen, L'affaire Bronswik (1978), was in fact a comedy short. See more »
Goofs
The alien at the magazine stand gets his change twice. See more »
Quotes
Frank:
[picks up Nada]
Man, I told you, I don't want to be in-VOLVED!
[punches Nada back to the ground]
See more »
Crazy Credits
The screenplay writer for "They Live" which is credited to "Frank Armitage", does not exist. John Carpenter used many pseudonyms when giving credit to his works in films. With his vast amount of work that he did himself, (directing, producing, writing and composing the musical scores), he did not want to appear to be braggadocios and vain by having his name appear over and over in the credits of his movies. See more »
Just watched this clever and factional movie. With the world in lockdown right now, and politicians and their overlords bullying people out of their normal lives and telling untruths on TV. Well this film has some resonance there. Where's Roddy Piper when you need him. RIP to one of Saskatoon's finest. You left your mark down here with us brother.
36 of 43 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
| Report this
Just watched this clever and factional movie. With the world in lockdown right now, and politicians and their overlords bullying people out of their normal lives and telling untruths on TV. Well this film has some resonance there. Where's Roddy Piper when you need him. RIP to one of Saskatoon's finest. You left your mark down here with us brother.