They Live

Play trailer

2:00

They Live

R

Released Nov 23, 1988

1h 33m

Sci-Fi

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

75 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Nada (Roddy Piper), a wanderer without meaning in his life, discovers a pair of sunglasses capable of showing the world the way it truly is. As he walks the streets of Los Angeles, Nada notices that both the media and the government are comprised of subliminal messages meant to keep the population subdued, and that most of the social elite are skull-faced aliens bent on world domination. With this shocking discovery, Nada fights to free humanity from the mind-controlling aliens.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

A politically subversive blend of horror and sci fi, They Live is an underrated genre film from John Carpenter.

Read Critics Reviews

Chris Bennion

The Times (UK)

It is a big, silly barrel of fun, with a delirious, tongue-in-cheek script...

Feb 2, 2024

Full Review

Phil Hoad

Guardian

The film was was responding to the start of the US rust belt and Reagan-era consumerism, but its themes of working-class subjugation and omnipresent media control have only become more pressing.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 25, 2018

Full Review

Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

Carpenter's primary objective was to make a tough action flick, which he does; it fits snugly into his filmography's subset of urban mayhem movies (alongside 'Escape from New York,' 'Assault on Precinct 13,' and parts of 'Big Trouble in Little China').

Feb 17, 2017

Full Review

John Ferguson

Radio Times

Piper handles the action scenes better than he deals with dialogue, but he is well supported by Keith David and Meg Foster.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 13, 2024

Full Review

Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

[It] provides moments of catharsis, not to mention a measure of gloating-at-somebody-else’s-trainwreck satisfaction.

Oct 16, 2023

Full Review

Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Both outlandish and prescient, Roddy Piper exudes charm and director Carpenter is fully confident in this crowd-pleasing, sci-fi dystopia.

Rated: 5/5

Sep 22, 2023

Full Review

Read all reviews

Jason

one of the best movies ever made probably more true than we know

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/29/23

Full Review

Cody

A True Classic that rings true today.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/22/22

Full Review

Romas M

They Live” (1988) is a fun and entertaining B-action horror, satirical film. It was made by a legendary filmmaker John Carpenter. The first time i saw this film only in 2025 after i bought a 4K UHD disk - this film looks stunning on this format. One shouldn’t take this film very seriously, as it’s basically a camp - but done in a very well way. At running time 1 h 30 min this film expertly paced. I did like acting here by main actor. Music was good composed by John Carpenter. Overall, “They Live” is a product of its era, and it’s a good one. Its plot is very relevant even today in 2025. The satire about consumption, obey of rules in order for rich to become even richer is never will outdated. This film is a blast if you are in mood for it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/21/25

Full Review

Taiga B

Another fantastic John Carpenter movie! It has an absolutely brilliant message that still is true to this day, making it a timeless classic. Roddy Piper and Keith David are great in this movie, sounding natural and giving us some great charisma. They twist and turns are unexpected, showing us why these types of movies are way better then a lot of new movies that are so predictable.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/14/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Put on the glasses and see the real christians...

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/12/25

Full Review

Calvin T

A classic.....sadly this was my first time seeing it 💯

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/07/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

John Carpenter

Director

Roddy Piper

Nada

Keith David

Frank

Meg Foster

Holly

George "Buck" Flower

Drifter

Peter Jason

Gilbert

View more videos

Cyborg

22%

31%

Cyborg

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Cyborg

Alien Nation

52%

43%

Alien Nation

Watchlist

The Fly II

33%

24%

The Fly II

Watchlist

Freejack

25%

25%

Freejack

Watchlist

The Borrower

30%

26%

The Borrower

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Total Recall: The 20 Greatest Fights Scenes Ever

The Weekly Ketchup: James Cameron’s New Leading Man, Jackman Likes "Wolverine," "Hellboy" Has New Enemies, And More!

They Live: Trailer 1

2:00

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

Nada (Roddy Piper), a wanderer without meaning in his life, discovers a pair of sunglasses capable of showing the world the way it truly is. As he walks the streets of Los Angeles, Nada notices that both the media and the government are comprised of subliminal messages meant to keep the population subdued, and that most of the social elite are skull-faced aliens bent on world domination. With this shocking discovery, Nada fights to free humanity from the mind-controlling aliens.

Director: John Carpenter
Producer: Larry J. Franco
Screenwriter: John Carpenter
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Alive Films, Larry Franco Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 23, 1988, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Sep 3, 2023
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 5, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.3M
Runtime: 1h 33m
Sound Mix: Surround

Most Popular at Home Now