Historical Events  Movies
They Live

Alternate:
Yes: They Live!

Current:
No: They Live

Was there an exclamation mark?

Seems someone's all out of bubblegum.

The iconic 1988 movie "They Live" either did or didn't have an exclamation mark after its title, and it's freaking out those who are sure it's changed.

References today show it's not present, but the MMDE affecting many show it was.

Often described as the ultimate conspiracy theory movie, it's ironic that it became the subject of one itself. The hero is never named, which is an allusion to him representing every "normal" person in the real world. The story follows his journey as he realises completely disguised aliens are living directly amongst us.

Eight O-Clock in the morning

It's based on the 1963 short story "Eight O'Clock in the Morning" by Ray Nelson. The aliens there are called "Fascinators", although that term isn't used in the movie. The hero is called John Nada, but as mentioned, he remains unnamed in the movie. In the story, Nada discovers the human race has been infiltrated by aliens who send subliminal messages to control them. He finds he can see these with some special sunglasses, which he gets his friend, Frank, after one of the most famous drawn-out brawls in movie history, to wear too. The pair then go on to confront the aliens who are using the signal from a TV station to hide their real appearance from everybody. Ultimately, they destroy this transmitter and the humans instantly wake up to see what was being done to them all along. This is a very powerful message indeed, with deep symbolism and implications, so it's not surprising to find it at the center of a Mandela Effect.

Controversy

Around 2008, some white supremacists and neo-nazis "claimed" the movie was an allegory for the "Jewish control of the world".This is exactly the opposite of Carpenter's intention, and to put it mildly he was not amused at all. They likened the sunglasses to a "necessary rite of passage for those going through a racial awakening". He said:

THEY LIVE is about yuppies and unrestrained capitalism. It has nothing to do with Jewish control of the world, which is slander and a lie.

-- John Carpenter