Science fiction film from 1988 gains recognition decades after critical dismissal

John Carpenter's 1988 film They Live was poorly received when it first came out, but it has since become a celebrated science fiction classic. The film stars Roddy Piper as a working-class drifter in Los Angeles who finds a pair of sunglasses. When he puts them on, he can see that the people in power are actually aliens in disguise. Carpenter also wrote the music for the film, which was based on a short story from 1963. Critics were divided at first, but over time the film influenced many directors, game designers, and artists. However, by 2017, far-right groups had started using the film's imagery for their own purposes. Carpenter publicly condemned this and made clear the film did not support their views.