They Live
Directed by John Carpenter7.287%80%7.3
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.
Where to Watch They Live
They Live Ratings & Reviews
- apie892d agoNot very good
- JohnK2319February 17, 2025WAKE UP SHEEPLE
- SamNovember 16, 2025Without this movie it would be meaningless when I say "I came here to chew bubble gum and kick ass, and I'm all out of ass"
- RichardAugust 31, 2025This is John Carpenter at his most political, most punk and most prophetic. The satire is razor sharp and the commentary on consumerism, class divide and media manipulation feels even more relevant today than it did in back then. They Live is a cult classic that only growed sharper with time. The film’s message about blind obedience and the dangers of unchecked power hits hard and feels more relevant now than it did back then. Seeing it in the cinema was like being handed the sunglasses myself.
- LukeAddisonSeptember 27, 2025A classic that still works today. Watch it!
- CubaneOctober 27, 2025A cult classic that I enjoyed far more than I expected to. It continued to subvert my expectations right to the end, and seems to inspire other great films like The Matrix.
- Liana Abreu NavarreteOctober 19, 2025Interesting concept
- SealTeamOneAugust 4, 2025I'm here to do two things, pray for a sequel called "They Live Again " and chew bubblegum.
- tetsuo1976October 15, 2025All time classic. cult flick!
- trrsOctober 14, 2025Amusing movie great cheesy 80s ending
- stuhannafordJuly 22, 2025It’s easy to understand the rise in the cult status of this movie, especially from 2020 onwards. The film itself, production wise, has what you’d expect from the late 80’s, with a ropey performance here and there, plenty of action and a simple enough story to follow. The ‘fight for sight’ is extraordinary… sorry, extraordinarily long… and I’m mean long… really long. It’s clear that Rowdy Roddy required an action scene of some kind, but it is more than a little drawn out. When they start, pop the kettle on. However, the appeal is not from the quality of script, standard of acting, nor overwhelming style, it’s the message, and a rather prophetic one at that. Take it at face value, and you might jump on the lizard overlord bandwagon. Scratch ever so slightly beneath the surface, and a rather more relatable set of issues become apparent. Government overreach, state intervention, the elite and ruling classes telling the poor and impoverished what is best for them. The middle class selling their soul for a piece of the pie, and the world gradually opening their eyes to what is staring them in the face in regards to the actual reality of life. Those prepared to stand up, and the recognition of the continued growth of the wealth divide. And above all else, do not question the black box in your living room. Sound familiar?
- Doug PeacockAugust 6, 2025awesome movie ! Makes you think ! Just saying lol
- gibbensSeptember 7, 2025This is an absolute classic. I heard that Rowdy Roddy Piper had belief similar to this movie, which is kind of neat, but at the end of the day this is the best thing that he’s ever been in. And ice watches got wrestled when I was a kid and loved him. The movie does have some pretty on the nose warnings I think are accurate. The whole thing with how corporation cell garbage to us constantly and use messaging to get their crappy products that nobody needs in front of our face and in our homes… it’s pretty dead on… I think the movie is definitely 80s sci-fi action schlock, but there is not another movie like this and this is an absolute gem.
- callu138August 31, 2025If the newspapers all just say obey and stay asleep... Why are the elite reading them?!
- LynneAugust 20, 2025That Keith David and Piper scene was unreal.
Watch They Live Videos
They Live Trivia
They Live was released on November 4, 1988.
They Live was directed by John Carpenter.
They Live has a runtime of 1 hr 33 min.
They Live was produced by Larry Franco.
The key characters in They Live are John Nada (Roddy Piper), Frank Armitage (Keith David), Holly Thompsen (Meg Foster).
They Live is rated R.
They Live is an Action, Sci-Fi, Horror film.
They Live has an audience rating of 8 out of 10.