They Live

19881988
RR
1h 34min

Jeff Imada and Roddy Piper in They Live (1988)

In October 2018, several filmmakers were added to the Oxford English Dictionary in adjective form. Somehow, John Carpenter wasn't one of them. Today, we'll travel "Through the Lens" to define John Carpenter's style and influence, to define Carpenteresque, and why the term belongs in the dictionary.

Through the Lens: Defining Carpenteresque and Why It Belongs in the Dictionary

Action Sci-Fi Thriller

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.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.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.

Director
- John Carpenter
Writers
- Ray Nelson(short story "Eight O'Clock in the Morning")
- John Carpenter(screenplay)
Stars

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Awards
- 4 nominations

Videos1

Through the Lens: Defining Carpenteresque and Why It Belongs in the Dictionary

Through the Lens: Defining Carpenteresque and Why It Belongs in the Dictionary

Roddy Piper in They Live (1988)

Keith David and Roddy Piper in They Live (1988)

They Live (1988)

Keith David and Roddy Piper in They Live (1988)

They Live (1988)

They Live (1988)

They Live (1988)

They Live (1988)

They Live (1988)

They Live (1988)

Cibby Danyla in They Live (1988)

Michael Forino in They Live (1988)

Director
- John Carpenter
Writers
- Ray Nelson(short story "Eight O'Clock in the Morning")
- John Carpenter(screenplay)
All cast & crew
See more cast details at IMDbPro

Escape from New York

7.2

Escape from New York

Big Trouble in Little China

7.3

Big Trouble in Little China

Prince of Darkness

6.7

Prince of Darkness

The Fog

6.8

In the Mouth of Madness

7.2

In the Mouth of Madness

Assault on Precinct 13

7.4

Assault on Precinct 13

The Thing

8.1

Christine

6.7

Vampires

6.1

Escape from L.A.

5.7

Escape from L.A.

Starman

7.0

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. —Melissa Portell <mportell@s-cwis.unomaha.edu>

alien anti consumerism brainwashing sunglasses materialism 388 more

Taglines
- "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass...and I'm all out of bubblegum."
Genres
Certificate
- R
Parents guide

Trivia
The line "I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubble gum" was ad-libbed by Roddy Piper. According to director John Carpenter, Piper had previously written the line in his notebook of potential verbal bits during his wrestling career. He shared the notebook with Carpenter, and they agreed that this particular line fit the character and the film perfectly. Piper went on to use it at a wrestling match.

Goofs
The alien at the magazine stand gets his change twice.

Quotes
Nada: I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass... and I'm all out of bubblegum.

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.

Connections
Edited into The Arrivals (2008)

Soundtracks
Rock of Ages
(uncredited)
Music by Thomas Hastings
Lyrics by Augustus Montague Toplady
[Heard as one of the songs played on the church tape]

Top review

8/10

The Writing's On The Wall

This is a golden oldie. Great film.

Good story, good actors, great fight scene, prime eye candy chick and most of all the morality and message that materialism, elitism and the gap between the rich and poor is too large is welcome and as relevant as ever.

Watch this.

helpful•12

2

moana-ara
Mar 18, 2021

Release date
- November 4, 1988 (United States)
Country of origin
- United States
Official site
- Official site
Language
- English
Also known as
- John Carpenter's They Live
Filming locations
- Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Production companies
- Alive Films
- Larry Franco Productions
See more company credits at IMDbPro

Budget
- $4,000,000 (estimated)
Gross US & Canada
- $13,008,928
Opening weekend US & Canada
- $4,827,903
- Nov 6, 1988
Gross worldwide
- $13,008,928

See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

Runtime
- 1h 34min
Color
- Color
- Black and White
Sound mix
- Dolby Surround 7.1
- Dolby Atmos
Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1

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Jeff Imada and Roddy Piper in They Live (1988)

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