November 4, 1988, They Live was released in theaters. Directed by John Carpenter and in his first starring role "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, the film cost a little over 3 million dollars to make and grossed a bit over 13 million dollars. Going by the rule of a movie needs to make over 2 1/2 times it budget; the film was a moderate success.
Drifter John Nada enters town looking for work. Unable to procure work through an employment service John happens upon a construction site. Tired of hearing No John speaks to the site manager and is able to work on the site. At shifts end he is told he can't sleep on site. A fellow worker, Frank Armitage, tells John about a homeless camp that he is staying at. John decides to follow Frank to the site.
Upon arriving he is introduced to the person in charge of running the camp. Later that evening John and Frank join some camp residents watching tv. A faint signal keeps interrupting the broadcast telling folks that they are here and they are controlling us. John notices a blind preacher mouthing the speech word for word. The preacher is led across the street to a church.
Wanting to know what is going on, John heads to the church the next day. He kicks in a side door and finds a reel-to-reel machine playing music from a church choir. He spots a hole in the wall and overhears a meeting between some folks. He sees a table full of lab equipment and sunglasses. Grabbing a sealed box of glasses, he hides it behind the wall. The church is raided by local authorities. Several folks are killed and the camp across the street is destroyed.
Returning the next day John retrieves the box. He decides to put on a par and is shocked to see the subliminal advertising on billboards near the alley. He is also able to see "Them" posing as humans. After a skirmish with some of them dressed as police officers, John finds himself on the run from the authorities. He realizes he need assistance from Frank and the resistance fighters to put an end to Their deceit.
Unfortunately They Live i not on a free streaming site. It can be rented on Prime, ApleTV, VUDU, and XFinity Stream. At 3.99 it is a worthwhile watch. The back alley brawl between John and Frank is worth the price. Clocking in at over 6 minutes the brawl is one of the longest on film.
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