They Live
A destitute drifter lands a construction job in Los Angeles only to discover a shadowy network using hypnotic broadcasts to enslave humanity, and he must infiltrate the cult‑like church and shut down the deadly signal before society collapses.
“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.”
Synopsis
A lone drifter discovers a pair of unique sunglasses that expose the presence of aliens systematically infiltrating and taking control of Earth by disguising themselves as humans and pacifying the public.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 168+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Gib JaffeShot by Gary B KibbeScored by John Carpenter
Box Office
1988 · Box office
✅ Made its money back — grossed 3.3× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$13.0M
Opening weekend: $4.8M — 36% of its US run. Front-loaded — most of its money arrived opening weekend.
Opening week (7-day): $6.2M — 46% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 1,463 theaters
Full synopsis
Also known as
- John Carpenter's Sie lebende
- Sie lebende
- Sie leben!de
- Invasion Los Angelesfr
- Essi vivonoit
- (Croatian)Oni žive
Release dates around the world5 countries · showhide
- CanadaNov 4, 1988
- United StatesNov 4, 1988
- JapanJan 28, 1989
- FranceFeb 1, 1989
- PortugalFeb 1, 1989
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Cast & Crew
168 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Roddy Piper
as Nada
Keith David
as Frank
Meg Foster
as Holly
George Buck Flower
as Drifter
Peter Jason
as Gilbert
Raymond St Jacques
as Street Preacher
Jason Robards Iii
as Family Man
John Lawrence
as Bearded Man
Susan Barnes
as Brown Haired Woman
Sy Richardson
as Black Revolutionary
Wendy Brainard
as Family Man's Daughter
Lucille Meredith
as Female Interviewer
Supporting cast
43Susan Blanchard
as Ingenue
Norman Alden
as Foreman
Dana Bratton
as Black Junkie
John F Goff
as Well Dressed Customer
Norman D Wilson
as Vendor
Thelma Lee
as Rich Lady
Stratton Leopold
as Depressed Human
Rezza Shan
as Arab Clerk
Norman Howell
as Blonde Haired Cop
Larry Franco
as Neighbor
Tom Searle
as Biker
Robert Grasmere
as Scruffy Blonde Man
Vince Inneo
as Passageway Guard
Bob Hudson
as Passageway Guard #2
Jon Paul Jones
as Manager
Dennis Cosmo Michael
as Male News Anchor
Nancy Gee
as Female News Anchor
Claudia Stanlee
as Young Female Executive
Christine Anne Baur
as Woman on Phone
Eileen Wesson
as Pregnant Secretary
Gregory J Barnett
as Security Guard #1
Jimmy Nickerson
as Security Guard #2
Kerry Rossall
as 2nd Unit Guard
Cibby Danyla
as Naked Lady
Jeff Imada
as Male Ghoul
Michelle Costello
as Female Ghoul
Jeb Stuart Adams
as Homeless Kid
Jennifer Austin
as Teenage Girl
Rick Avery
as TV Studio Worker
John Carpenter
as Voice That Says 'Sleep
Michael Forino
as Ghoul at Bar
Robert V Greene
as TV Technician
Randy James
as Bar Patron
Helen Kelly
as Woman at the Dinner Party
Henry Kingi
as Revolutionary
Al Leong
as Asian Revolutionary
Gunnar Magg
as Male Ghoul
Matt Mccolm
as Police Officer
Susan Mcnabb
as Runway Model
John Meier
as SWAT Officer
Tommy Morrison
as Dave - Resistance Fighter
Peter Rodkey
as Office Worker
Brian Wright
as Master Control Operator
Directors
1Writers
2Producers
5Other crew
116Maurizio Reti
Additional Voices
Sean Haworth
art department assistant
William J Durrell Jr
Art Directors
Daniel A Lomino
as Daniel Lomino
Richard Alderete
assistant editor (uncredited)
Margaret Goodspeed
assistant film editor
Frederick Wardell
assistant film editor (as Fred M. Wardell)
Richard M Kerns
assistant property (as Richard Kerns)
John Sweeney
assistant property master
Mark Boisseau
assistant sound editor
Karin Costa
assistant: Mr. Carpenter
Sandra Holden
assistant: Mr. Franco
Parents Guide
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