MUSEUM of DITHERED POSTERS

10/20/2023*: THEY LIVE (1988)

As a massive fan of horror fiction now branching out into horror film, this was one of my most anticipated watches of the 2023 Halloween season. I mean, it’s John Motherfucking Carpenter. And Keith David, for crying out loud. Seriously, have you ever seen anything with Keith David in it that sucked?

One problem I have with horror as a genre, especially classic horror, is that it tends to lean conservative. A young girl is possessed (i.e. acts in ways that are unpleasant to men (❓)) and a Catholic man has to come save the day. Young people who have sex and do drugs receive capital punishment. Trans people and other endangered minorities are monsters who exist only to seduce and forcibly transform others into monsters themselves - Rocky Horror Picture Show subverts this deliciously.

They Live is the second horror movie I’ve seen that leans decidedly left. A drifter named George comes to the city looking for work and, after much difficulty, inserts himself into a construction jobsite. A fellow worker, Frank (Keith David), invites George to live in his homeless commune. George earns his keep by repairing damaged amenities in the camp. Despite being homeless, everyone in the camp is fed and has a place to sleep. I’m ashamed to report that before watching this movie I never really considered what a so-called “tent city” was for.

Then, of course, the core premise of the story, the glasses that reveal the true nature of society. Advertisements are subliminal commands from a dominating alien species that lives among us and keeps us docile and useful. Of course the idea of a global conspiracy could be co-opted for the purposes of any political faction, but the fact that the homeless commune is bulldozed by cops, and that this is unquestionably framed as a bad thing, tells you where Carpenter stands. Besides, the glasses aren't merely anti-conformist but anti-consumerist.

Besides the refreshing political stance (especially for 1988), the other thing that really smacked me in the face was the six-minute fight scene between George and Frank. These dudes bring each other to the brink of death and that’s only in the first minute. It seriously goes on forever. I kept looking at my fiancee to confirm that my high ass wasn’t stuck in a time loop. If I ever have the privilege of meeting John Carpenter I need to ask what the fight scene meant to him.

Also, I'm sure it didn't resonate this way in 1988, but for the hero to go on a killing spree because he discovers that some people aren't really people made me feel icky. Like... very icky. Sorry John, I still love you.

*Author’s Note: This is a retroactive entry for a movie I saw before I kept a film journal.