They Live
“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.”
A lone drifter stumbles upon a unique pair of sunglasses that reveal aliens are systematically gaining control of the Earth by masquerading as humans and lulling the public into submission.
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Cast
48 people
Roddy Piper
John Nada
Known for
Hell Comes to Frogtown
WrestleMania
Keith David
Frank Armitage
Known for
Hazbin Hotel
Coraline
Meg Foster
Holly Thompsen
Known for
Ravenswood
31
George Buck Flower
Drifter
Known for
Escape from New York
The Fog
Peter Jason
Gilbert
Known for
Deadwood
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Raymond St. Jacques
Street Preacher
Known for
Cotton Comes to Harlem
The Green Berets
Jason Robards III
Family Man
Also in
Zenith
Night Voices
John Lawrence
Bearded Man
Known for
Seconds
The Pom Pom Girls
Susan Barnes
Brown Haired Woman
Known for
Repo Man
Nothing to Lose
Sy Richardson
Black Revolutionary
Known for
Pushing Daisies
Repo Man
Wendy Brainard
Family Man's Daughter
Known for
Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead
Teen Witch
Lucille Meredith
Female Interviewer
Also in
Matlock
The War Between Men and Women
John Carpenter Director · Ray Nelson Author Alan Howarth Composer
Worldwide gross $13M · Budget $4M · United States release November 4, 1988
Box office
Budget
$4,000,000
Worldwide gross
$13,000,000
Gross vs. budget
3.3×
Production
Alive Films
Production
Larry Franco Productions
Production
Universal Pictures
Studio · Production
United States
Produced in
Languages
Original language
English
Spoken on screen
English
Release dates
Canada · November 4, 1988
Theatrical
United States · November 4, 1988
Theatrical
United States · April 13, 1989
Physical · VHS
United States
March 25, 1998 · Physical · DVD
Australia
May 18, 1989 · Theatrical
Brazil
December 1, 1989 · Theatrical
Czechia
March 1, 1994 · Physical
France
April 19, 1989 · Theatrical
Germany
May 4, 1989 · Theatrical
October 7, 2025 · Theatrical · Best of Cinema
Greece
April 2, 2003 · Physical · DVD
Ireland
June 23, 1989 · Theatrical
Italy
April 14, 1989 · Theatrical
Japan
January 28, 1989 · Theatrical
November 25, 1989 · Physical · LaserDisc
Mexico
December 1, 1989 · Theatrical
Netherlands
June 15, 1989 · Theatrical
December 24, 2002 · Physical · DVD
May 14, 2003 · TV · V8
Portugal
May 19, 1989 · Theatrical
Singapore
September 23, 2003 · Physical · DVD
Spain
June 12, 1992 · Theatrical
Sweden
January 1, 1989 · Physical · VHS
June 2, 2004 · Physical · DVD
September 6, 2021 · Physical · Blu-ray
Ukraine
October 24, 2020 · Premiere · Kyiv Critics' Week
United Kingdom
June 22, 1989 · Theatrical
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Some details come from TheTVDB.