Video Credit- They Live, 1988 YouTube
They Live is a classic 1980s action/horror film produced and directed by John Carpenter. The film stars Roddy Piper as a homeless man who is taking refuge from economic instability and explores the horror of an alien race who controls humanity through the media. This is an exploration of the recession of the mid-1980s that devastated the industrial base of America.
John Carpenter has a long history of producing particularly gruesome horror movies including Halloween, Assault on Precinct 13 and his remake of The Thing. This film is an eye opener for many, and is a cult classic everyone needs to see. Carpenter has a knack for making cult classics and this is no exception. The premise of the film is great and the action enhances the core philosophy of the danger of total control by a malevolent force.
They Live takes on the issues of materialism, political manipulation and human exploitation among other themes. The homeless drifter named Nada is an unlikely hero who has the guts to aggressively take on the evil force that controls the planet using the airwaves. Nada gets a pair of shades that allows him to see the aliens who control the population and the secret messages behind advertisement and even the president's speech. The iconic "obey" message underlies media and materialistic messages are hidden in billiards and magazines.
If you haven't seen this film lately, give it another look. You can see it for free on YouTube or rent it from your local public library. It's worth watching and highly entertaining.