They Live

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Carpenter directs. Gary B. Kibbe behind the camera. John Carpenter scores. Frank E. Jimenez cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
• 2Made its money back 3.3× over at the box office.
• 338 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
• 4200+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
• 5Directed by John Carpenter, shot by Gary B. Kibbe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 6Original score by John Carpenter. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 7Editor Frank E. Jimenez shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 8Roddy Piper and Keith David and Meg Foster carry the top of the cast.
• 9Marketing tagline: "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.".
• 10IMDB entry: tt0096256 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 11Classified under 24 themes, including "capitalism", "dystopia", "villainess", "alien".
• 12Released under 14 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography

Gary B. Kibbe

Original score

John Carpenter

Editing

Frank E. Jimenez

Makeup / hair

Francisco X. Pérez

Sound

Robert J. Litt

Stunt coordinator

Jeff Imada

Runtime

93 min · 1h 33m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Budget

$4,000,000

Box office

$13,000,000

Return

325% of budget

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

R

IMDB

They Live (1988) ↗

Rotten Tomatoes

86% 🍅 Fresh

Metacritic

55/100

IMDB rating

7.2/10 · 162,436 votes

MPAA

R

Also by

John Carpenter

• 
  The Thing

  1982 · ★ 8.1
• 
  Halloween

  1978 · ★ 7.6
• 
  Cigarette Burns

  2005 · ★ 7.3
• 
  Assault on Precinct 13

  1976 · ★ 7.3
• 
  In the Mouth of Madness

  1995 · ★ 7.2
• 
  Big Trouble in Little China

  1986 · ★ 7.2

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

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Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  The Long Fight

  Clip · Official
• 

  ▶
  Richard Linklater on THEY LIVE

  Featurette · Official
• 

  ▶
  They Live (1988) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]

  Trailer
• 

  ▶
  Why We Love It

  Featurette · Official
• 

  ▶
  John Carpenter on They Live, Ronald Reagan and Evil Aliens

  Featurette · Official
• 

  ▶
  Keith David on Being Homeless in They Live

  Featurette · Official

Community reviews

What people are saying

• tmdb870696032012-06-05
  ★ 10/10

  I have to admit up front to liking every single, John Carpenter movie. They are works of art in there unique style and quality. This is actually my favorite of all of them. There could be a criticism that this movie is didactic and sends some sort of clumsy political or philosophical message but I'd have to reply that you simply don't get it. Unlike the modern propensity for movies to try to hammer home some political point or perspective, the message here is only window dressing. The message may (or may not) be important but instead of getting caught up in some sort of self-important moralizing, let's remember this is a movie - and a SciFi action movie at that. (that is the approach in my opinion) If I would compare movies to literature or movie makers to authors I'd compare Carpenter to Hemingway - although Carpenter specializes in anti-heroes and sometimes over-the-top characters, while Hemingway is understated. They are analogous for their own medium. This is action, sci-fi but like Hemingway's stories, this is a man's movie. Straight forward. Fun at times, brutal at times and even funny at times. Keep a watch out for one of the great one-liners in movie history when the star is in the bank - only peripherally related to "bazooka." A+ to Roddy Piper as well. When I first saw this movie I had zero expectation from him. Now I wish he'd have made a lot more movies...

  Read full review ↓
• John Chard2014-09-26
  ★ 8/10

  Life's a bitch and she's back on heat! They Live is directed by John Carpenter who also adapts the screenplay form the short story Eight O'Clock in the Morning written by Ray Nelson. It stars Roddy Piper, Keith David and Meg Foster. Music is by Alan Howarth (and Carpenter) and cinematography by Gary B. Kibbe. Unemployed drifter Nada (Piper) wanders into the city looking to find work, but upon finding a unique pair of sunglasses he sees a different world to everyone else. It's a world frequented by an alien race who are using the Earth for their own nefarious means. See The Truth! Carpenter does subversive sci-fi and it's a whole bunch of fun. Stripped back it's evident that They Live is Carpenter's wry observation on the politico posers who endorse the rich getting richer and everybody else sliding down the pole; to where they stop nobody knows! It's also a blatant paean to the glorious years of the 1950s when paranoia based sci-fi schlockers and creaky creature features ruled the air waves. It's also a wonderfully macho driven action movie, laced with comedy as well. You can rest assured there will be plenty of shooting, punching, dodging and spoken lines to make you smile. Piper is no Kurt Russell, but we shouldn't hold that against him because he fills the role nicely. With muscular frame, 80s hair and a quip on the tongue, he is most assuredly a Carpenter leading man for the 80s. Alongside him is the reassuring presence of Keith David, himself a beefcake and also one of the coolest muthas on the planet. It's easy to believe that these two can save the planet, even after nearly beating each other to a pulp during a prolonged side-alley fight sequence, where Carpenter doesn't miss a chance to parody professional wrestling. While away from the beef, Meg Foster gets the lead lady role, with those amazing eyes nestling in perfectly with the world Carpenter has created. Carpenter does political? Yes, but it's not the be all and end all of his intentions. He wanted to make an action sci-fi schlocker with sly politico undertones as motives. And that's exactly what he did. Joyously so. 8/10

  Read full review ↓
• Nathan2023-05-15
  ★ 8/10

  They Live is a great movie that delivers an exceptional story with a dystopian vibe that is both thrilling and terrifying. John Carpenter's screenplay was ahead of its time in terms of its social commentary on American capitalism and the class divide. The film's story explores how a small group of people has taken control of the world by using subliminal messaging and manipulation, making it a unique sci-fi tale that is still relevant today. I particularly loved how the film built tension and hysteria in many scenes, such as the protagonist's discovery of the truth behind the hidden messages. The performances in the film were okay, with some being better than others. Keith David and Meg Foster's performances stood out as impressive, bringing a sense of intensity and authenticity to their roles. On the other hand, Roddy Piper's performance was pretty corny, but it worked well for the film's B-movie style. Of course, nothing beats the iconic line "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubblegum." John Carpenter's direction was top-notch as always, with the ten-minute fight scene between John and Frank being a standout moment. The choreography was fantastic, and the lack of cuts made it a thrilling and believable engagement. The film's score was pretty basic, but it added a subtle tension to the entire movie and had a distinctly 80s feel to it. Carpenter's vision on analyzing American capitalism and the rich was very refreshing, and it's clear how he felt about the American way, which is still very relevant 35 years later. In conclusion, They Live is a great movie that combines a unique sci-fi story, impressive direction, and memorable performances. Its themes and message remain just as important today as they were when the movie was first released. Score: 80% Verdict: Great

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• AL

  Alive Films

  US

• LA

  Larry Franco Productions

  US

Key crew

• NovelRay Nelson
• ProducerLarry Franco
• Executive ProducerShep Gordon
• Executive ProducerAndre Blay
• StuntsMike Johnson
• StuntsGary Combs
• Assistant EditorMargaret Goodspeed
• StuntsJoe Gilbride
• StuntsKurt Bryant
• StuntsEddie Hice
• StuntsDavid Burton
• LeadmanJack Eberhart
• Stunt CoordinatorJeff Imada
• StuntsRonnie Rondell Jr.
• StuntsDebbie Lynn Ross
• StuntsBrian Imada
• StuntsAndy Gill
• StuntsJohn Branagan
• Special Effects CoordinatorRoy Arbogast
• StuntsSteve Hart
• StuntsDavid Cadiente
• StuntsBen Scott
• Special Effects AssistantDavid Blitstein
• StuntsDiamond Farnsworth

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• capitalism
• dystopia
• villainess
• alien
• social commentary
• los angeles, california
• alien invasion
• biting
• sunglasses
• glasses
• brawl
• aggressive
• thoughtful
• philosophical
• subliminal message
• aliens
• conspiracy thriller
• absurd
• hilarious
• fist fight
• excited
• anti-consumerism
• b-horror
• interspecies sex

Release history · US

When it landed

• Theatrical1988-11-04R
• Physical1989-04-13R· VHS
• Physical1998-03-25R· DVD

Also known as

International titles

• They Live!US
• John Carpenter's They LiveUS
• Они живутRU
• Oni žijí!CZ
• Вони живіUA
• Чужі серед насUA
• Чужие среди насRU
• John Nada: De Hel Breekt LosNL
• SobrevivenMX
• Invasion Los AngelesFR
• Ζουν Ανάμεσα ΜαςGR
• YaşayırlarAZ
• Eles VivemBR
• Те живеятBG