Movies like They Live
If you like "They Live" you are looking for cult classic, homoerotic and serious movies about / with conspiracy, alien invasion, dystopia, alien, distopia, mind control and social commentary themes of Action, Horror and Sci-Fi genre shot in USA or Netherlands.
Find your next favorite and similar movies in two steps:
1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below).
2. Look for them in the presented list.
They Live (1988)
162K
Genre: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Netherlands
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
Nada, a down-on-his-luck construction worker, discovers a pair of special sunglasses. Wearing them, he is able to see the world as it really is: people being bombarded by media and government with messages like "Stay Asleep", "No Imagination", "Submit to Authority". Even scarier is that he is able to see that some usually normal-looking people are in fact ugly aliens in charge of the massive campaign to keep humans subdued.
Style:
cult classic, homoerotic, serious, suspenseful, black comedy, dark comedy, tech noir, political, spiritual, horror comedy ...
Plot:
conspiracy, alien invasion, dystopia, alien, distopia, mind control, social commentary, anti conformity, violence, resistance, evil alien, capitalism, invasion, conspiracy theory, social satire, escapades, brainwashing, ufo, heroic mission, satire, advertising, fighting the system, political satire, metaphor, anti authority ...
Time:
future, 20th century, year 1988, 80s
Place:
los angeles
Movie in categories
Most similar movies to They Live
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out suspense, suspenseful, serious and apocalyptic films with plots about violence, chase, murder, distopia, explosion, dialogue and dystopia mostly in Sci-Fi, Thriller and Action genres. Some movies like They Live: Split Second (1992), Videodrome (1983), Dark City (1998), The Matrix (1999), Total Recall (1990). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
Genre: Action, Crime, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
In a futuristic London, the rising sea levels mean that large areas are under feet of water. Hauer plays a cop who previously lost his partner to some strange creature. Now the creature is back and its after him.
Style:
futuristic, suspense, independent film, black comedy, cult classic ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
serial killer, cyberpunk, creature, post apocalypse, brutality, strip club, murder, police detective, global warming, female nudity, police investigation, supernatural ...
Time:
future, year 2008, 2000s, 90s, year 1992 ...
Place:
england, london, europe, big ben london
Similarity:
100%
112K
Genre: Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 87 min.
Story:
A sleazy cable-TV programmer begins to see his life and the future of media spin out of control in a very unusual fashion when he acquires a new kind of programming for his station.
Style:
surreal, disturbing, psychedelic, cult classic, sexy ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
body horror, surrealism, cyberpunk, television, virtual reality, mind control, hallucination, insanity, dystopia, satire, mind game, brainwashing ...
Time:
80s, year 1983, 20th century
Place:
pittsburgh, malaysia, toronto ontario canada, usa, canada ...
Similarity:
83%
225K
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Australia, USA
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
A man struggles with memories of his past, including a wife he cannot remember, in a nightmarish world with no sun and run by beings with telekinetic powers who seek the souls of humans.
Style:
neo noir, suspense, atmospheric, tech noir, mind bending ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
memory, investigation, alternate reality, cyberpunk, distopia, amnesia, alien race, dream, virtual reality, mind control, memory loss, dystopian future ...
Time:
future, year 1998, distant future, 1940s, 90s ...
Place:
persia
Similarity:
100%
2.2M
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Australia
Duration: 136 min.
Story:
Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.
Style:
philosophical, thought provoking, cerebral, mind bending, surreal ...
Audience:
date night, manly, kids, chick flick, family friendly ...
Plot:
artificial intelligence, philosophy, dystopia, virtual reality, existentialism, distopia, cyberpunk, alternate reality, martial arts, gunfight, hacker, simulated reality ...
Time:
future, 20th century, year 1999, near future, 22nd century ...
Place:
persia, los angeles
Similarity:
90%
Movie in collections
378K
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Mexico, Netherlands
Duration: 113 min.
Story:
Construction worker Douglas Quaid discovers a memory chip in his brain during a virtual-reality trip. He also finds that his past has been invented to conceal a plot of planetary domination. Soon, he's off to Mars to find out who he is and who ...
Style:
futuristic, cerebral, cult classic, mind bending, ambiguous ending ...
Audience:
kids, manly, boys' night
Plot:
cyberpunk, mars, dystopia, secret agent, dystopian future, virtual reality, memory, memory loss, false memory, space colony, conspiracy, chase ...
Time:
future, 20th century, near future, 90s, year 1990 ...
Similarity:
100%
67K
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
Darryl Revok is the most powerful of all the scanners, and is the head of the underground scanner movement for world domination. Scanners have great psychic power, strong enough to control minds; they can inflict enormous pain/damage on their ...
Style:
bloody, tense, cerebral, cult classic, cult horror ...
Plot:
body horror, exploitation, psychic power, conspiracy, investigation, scientist, murder, supernatural ability, social misfits, misfit, pregnant woman, telekinesis ...
Time:
80s, 20th century, year 1981
Place:
canada
Similarity:
78%
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min.
Story:
The first remake of the paranoid infiltration classic moves the setting for the invasion, from a small town to the city of San Francisco and starts as Matthew Bennell notices that several of his friends are complaining that their close relatives are ...
Style:
cult classic, disturbing, frightening, scary, suspenseful ...
Plot:
alien invasion, alien, dystopia, doppelganger, extraterrestrial, alien parasite, supernatural, parasite, evil wins, monster, alien possession, body horror ...
Time:
70s, 20th century, year 1978, 1950s, 50s
Place:
san francisco, usa, california
Similarity:
100%
520K
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min.
Story:
Scientists in the Antarctic are confronted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of the people it kills.
Style:
scary, suspense, cult classic, suspenseful, bloody ...
Audience:
manly, date night, boys' night, adult
Plot:
monster, isolation, survival, creature, body horror, alien, fear, paranoia, snow, ufo, suspicion, supernatural ...
Time:
year 1982, 80s, 20th century
Place:
antarctica, antarctic, south pole
Similarity:
71%
Movie in collections
114K
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: UK, Canada, Japan, USA
Duration: 111 min.
Story:
In the future, medical technology has advanced to the point where people can buy artificial organs to extend their lives. But if they default on payments, an organization known as the Union sends agents to repossess the organs. Remy is one of the ...
Style:
futuristic, suspense, absurd, visually appealing, cyber ...
Plot:
cyberpunk, distopia, dystopia, dystopian future, evil corporation, dystopic future, rebel, fight scenes, virtual reality, biopunk, chase, hitman ...
Time:
future, near future, year 2010, 2010s
Place:
usa
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min.
Story:
By 2017, the global economy has collapsed and American society has become a totalitarian police state, censoring all cultural activity. The government pacifies the populace by broadcasting a number of game shows in which convicted criminals fight ...
Style:
rough, futuristic, cult classic, exciting, tech noir ...
Audience:
boys' night, manly
Plot:
dystopian future, cyberpunk, distopia, chase, chases and races, dystopic future, prison, danger, dishonesty, rivalry, tough heroes, social commentary ...
Time:
future, near future, 80s, 20th century, year 2019 ...
Place:
los angeles, california
Similarity:
67%
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min.
Story:
Simon Phoenix, a violent criminal cryogenically frozen in 1996, has escaped during a parole hearing in 2032 in the utopia of San Angeles. Police are incapable of dealing with his violent ways and turn to his captor, John Spartan, who had also been ...
Style:
futuristic, suspenseful, exciting, semi serious, rough ...
Audience:
boys' night, adult
Plot:
distopia, cyberpunk, dystopia, prison, utopia, psychopath, time travel, satire, maverick cop, totalitarianism, fish out of water, violence ...
Time:
future, 2030s, near future, 20th century, 90s ...
Place:
los angeles, california, usa
Similarity:
71%
Genre: Crime, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
An alien is on the run in America. To get his kicks, it kills anything that gets in its way, and uses the body as a new hiding place. This alien has a goal in life; power. Hotly pursued by another alien (who's borrowed the body of a dead FBI ...
Style:
suspense, atmospheric, cult classic, suspenseful, stylized ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
alien, violence, car chase, buddy cop, fbi, mind control, chase, twists and turns, revenge, space and aliens, alien invasion, robbery ...
Time:
future, 80s
Place:
los angeles, california
Similarity:
57%
340K
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 136 min.
Story:
In 2019, Lincoln Six-Echo is a resident of a seemingly "Utopian" but contained facility. Like all of the inhabitants of this carefully-controlled environment, Lincoln hopes to be chosen to go to The Island — reportedly the last ...
Style:
futuristic, exciting, psychological, suspense, action packed ...
Audience:
teens, manly, girls' night, boys' night
Plot:
distopia, conspiracy, cloning, escape, clone, dystopian future, dystopia, isolation, fugitives, technology gone awry, genetics, lookalikes ...
Time:
future, year 2019, year 2005, 2010s, near future ...
Place:
fictional island, los angeles
Similarity:
75%
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 99 min.
Story:
In 1997, the island of Manhattan has been walled off and turned into a giant maximum security prison within which the country's worst criminals are left to form their own anarchic society. However, when the President of the United States crash ...
Style:
retro, exciting, tech noir, apocalyptic, perverse ...
Audience:
manly, teens, boys' night
Plot:
prison, cyberpunk, dystopia, escape, post apocalyptic, race against time, rescue, post apocalypse, hostage, lone hero, taxi, dystopian future ...
Time:
future, near future, 80s, year 1997, year 1981 ...
Place:
new york, manhattan new york city, new jersey, usa, brooklyn new york city ...
Similarity:
75%
835K
Genre: Action, Adventure, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 137 min.
Story:
When Ripley's lifepod is found by a salvage crew over 50 years later, she finds that terra-formers are on the very planet they found the alien species. When the company sends a family of colonists out to investigate her story, all contact is ...
Style:
futuristic, scary, suspense, space horror, atmospheric ...
Audience:
kids, chick flick, manly, boys' night, adult
Plot:
alien, strong female character, space travel, creature, female warrior, survival, space and aliens, outer space, monster, space, creature feature, spaceship ...
Time:
22nd century, 20th century, year 1986, future
Place:
space western
Similarity:
100%
131K
Genre: Action, Crime, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Netherlands, UK
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
In a dystopian future, Dredd, the most famous judge (a cop with instant field judiciary powers) is convicted for a crime he did not commit while his murderous counterpart escapes.
Style:
suspenseful, futuristic, tech noir, exciting, stylized ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
cyberpunk, police, dystopic future, dystopian future, dystopia, apocalypse, post apocalypse, good versus evil, brutality, superhero, law enforcement, judge ...
Time:
future, 22nd century
Place:
new york, usa
Similarity:
100%
2.8M
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 148 min.
Story:
Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the implantation of another ...
Style:
psychological, mind bending, cerebral, clever, twist ending ...
Audience:
date night, teens, adult
Plot:
dream, virtual reality, memory, alternate reality, teamwork, imagination, subconscious, philosophy, twists and turns, fictional reality, existentialism, lucid dream ...
Time:
year 2010, future, 2000s, 2010s, near future
Place:
japan, paris france, los angeles, iran, tokyo ...
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, UK, Japan
Duration: 109 min.
Story:
In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind.
Style:
atmospheric, neo noir, depressing, apocalyptic, visually stunning ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
apocalypse, distopia, dystopia, chaos, redemption, end of the world, dystopian future, heroic mission, pandemic, fertility, post apocalyptic, dying ...
Time:
future, near future, distant future, year 2006, 2000s ...
Place:
england, london, europe, washington state, seattle ...
Similarity:
100%
Movie in collections
748K
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: South Africa, USA, New Zealand, Canada
Duration: 112 min.
Story:
Aliens land in South Africa and, with their ship totally disabled, have no way home. Years later, after living in a slum and wearing out their welcome the 'Non-Humans' are being moved to a new tent city overseen by Multi-National United ...
Style:
serious, biting, suspense, tense, breathtaking ...
Audience:
chick flick, manly, boys' night, adult
Plot:
alien, extraterrestrial, distopia, space and aliens, alien encounter, metamorphosis, mutation, ufo, alien invasion, first contact, social commentary, transformation ...
Time:
year 2009, future, 2000s, year 2000, year 1982 ...
Place:
africa, south africa, johannesburg south africa
Similarity:
43%
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min.
Story:
This time, a cataclysmic temblor hits Los Angeles, turning it into an island. The president views the quake as a sign from above, expels Los Angeles from the country and makes it a penal colony for those found guilty of moral crimes. When his ...
Style:
cult classic, apocalyptic, suspense, exciting, serious ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
post apocalyptic, dystopia, race against time, post apocalypse, heroic mission, escape, dystopian future, one man army, earthquake, apocalypse, catastrophe, lone wolves ...
Time:
future, 2010s, 2000s, year 2013, 21st century
Place:
los angeles, california, usa, beverly hills, latin america ...
Similarity:
60%
Genre: Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Mexico
Duration: 115 min.
Story:
Zane Ziminski is an astrophysicist who receives a message that seems to have extraterrestrial origins. Eerily soon after his discovery, Zane is fired. He then embarks on a search to determine the origins of the transmission that leads him into a ...
Style:
suspense, suspenseful, exciting, serious, surprise ending ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
alien invasion, conspiracy, evil alien, extraterrestrial, space and aliens, disguise, investigation, ufo, alien, black hole, elevator, supernatural ...
Time:
90s, future, year 1996
Place:
mexico, latin america, central america
Similarity:
80%
Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min.
Story:
Nearly a decade after occupation by an extraterrestrial force, the lives of a Chicago neighborhood on both sides of the conflict are explored.
Style:
suspense, suspenseful, apocalyptic, exciting, tense ...
Audience:
boys' night, chick flick, date night
Plot:
alien invasion, resistance, extraterrestrial, distopia, post apocalypse, alien race, vestiges of humanity, dystopia, fight, alien technology, brutality, urban setting ...
Time:
future, near future, 2010s, 2020s, year 2019
Place:
chicago, new york, london, north america, moscow russia ...
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
A data courier, literally carrying a data package inside his head, must deliver it before he dies from the burden or is killed by the Yakuza. In a dystopian 2021, Johnny (Keanu Reeves) is a data trafficker who has an implant that allows him to ...
Style:
futuristic, cyber, stylized, tech noir, cult classic ...
Audience:
family friendly, boys' night
Plot:
cyberpunk, virtual reality, hacker, dystopia, dystopian future, heroic mission, danger, computers and web, computer cracker, artificial intelligence, yakuza, hacking ...
Time:
future, near future, 20th century, 2000s, 2020s ...
Place:
japan, arizona, beijing china, canada
Similarity:
100%
Movie in collections
Genre: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan, USA
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
To push the crime rate below one percent for the rest of the year, the New Founding Fathers of America test a sociological theory that vents aggression for one night in one isolated community. But when the violence of oppressors meets the rage of ...
Style:
psychological thriller, rough, suspenseful, hood, saga ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
blood, survival horror, social injustice, abuse of power, murder, atrocity, massacre, politics, nightmare, racism, killing spree, resistance movement ...
Time:
2010s, year 2014, year 2017
Place:
new york, new jersey, usa
Similarity:
100%
611K
Genre: Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 115 min.
Story:
In 2035, where robots are common-place and abide by the three laws of robotics, a techno-phobic cop investigates an apparent suicide. Suspecting that a robot may be responsible for the death, his investigation leads him to believe that humanity may ...
Style:
futuristic, philosophical, exciting, apocalyptic, serious ...
Audience:
manly, teens, family friendly, boys' night
Plot:
artificial intelligence, robot, cyberpunk, cyborgs, distopia, androids and robots, dystopia, dystopian future, androids, technology gone awry, fate of humanity, hi-tech ...
Time:
future, year 2004, 2030s, 20th century, near future ...
Place:
chicago, usa, north america
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min.
Story:
Captain Saxon, and agent for the top secret Omega agency, has been given the assignment of tracking down and either capturing or killing the crew members of a secret space mission who returned to Earth against orders. It seems that they were all ...
Style:
exciting, suspenseful, scary, suspense, independent film ...
Audience:
boys' night, teens
Plot:
alien, rescue, astronaut, save the world, heroic mission, against the rules, heroes, race against time, undercover, save the day, deadly creature, danger ...
Time:
90s
Similarity:
50%
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 117 min.
Story:
In the year 3000, man is no match for the Psychlos, a greedy, manipulative race of aliens on a quest for ultimate profit. Led by the powerful Terl, the Psychlos are stripping Earth clean of its natural resources, using the broken remnants of ...
Style:
futuristic, cult classic, dutch angle, exciting, suspenseful ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
alien invasion, alien, post apocalypse, evil alien, heroic mission, violence, slavery, escape attempt, danger, escapades, survival, rat ...
Time:
future, year 2000, y2k, distant future
Place:
denver colorado, washington d.c.
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
A murdered police officer is brought back to life by a cold-hearted scientist to serve as "The Demolitionist", the ultimate crime-fighting weapon in a city overrun by criminals and internal corruption
Style:
futuristic, independent film
Plot:
superheroine, mind control, woman with a gun, superhero, apocalypse, cyborgs, robot, violence, anti heroine, one woman army, supernatural, anti hero ...
Time:
near future, year 1995
Similarity:
100%
57K
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min.
Story:
People in the future live in a totalitarian society. A technician named THX 1138 lives a mundane life between work and taking a controlled consumption of drugs that the government uses to make puppets out of people. As THX is without drugs for the ...
Style:
philosophical, cult classic, bleak, mindfuck, psychological ...
Plot:
distopia, totalitarianism, dystopia, dystopian future, cyberpunk, brainwashing, escape, prison, dystopic future, alone in the world, fighting the system, androids and robots ...
Time:
future, distant future, year 1971, 90s, 1920s
Similarity:
100%
122K
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 122 min.
Story:
On December 28th, 1999, the citizens of New York City are getting ready for the turn of the millennium. However, the Devil decides to crash the party by coming to the city, inhabiting a man's body, and searching for his chosen bride, a ...
Style:
satanic, suspenseful, demonic, apocalyptic, biblical ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
devil, supernatural, apocalypse, deal with the devil, satanic ritual, good versus evil, supernatural horror, demon, nightmare, temptation, heroic mission, end of the world ...
Time:
20th century, year 1999, 70s, year 1979, year 2000 ...
Place:
new york, usa, empire state building manhattan new york city
Similarity:
100%
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