COLUMN: Aaron’s Backstage Pass: Scream Factory’s They Live Review

Shout Factory has once again amazed me with their collector’s edition of John Carpenter’s “They Live” on Blu-ray. When I received my review copy, I was very excited to watch it.

I have not seen this movie in years and it’s another great movie in the “Scream Factory” series. It is available on Blu-ray and DVD.

“They Live” was released in 1988 by Alive Films and was directed by John Carpenter. It stars professional wrestler Roddy Piper, Keith David and Meg Foster.

I really think the story is creative and very unique and I like it a lot. “They Live” is about a drifter(Roddy Piper) who comes into a town and discovers that aliens are slowly gaining control of the Earth by disguising themselves as humans.

He eventually comes across a pair of sunglasses that reveals the true identity of the aliens. The aliens find out that someone knows their secret and they go on a hunt for the drifter and will do everything they can to stop him. 

I thought the story was very well written and there were a lot of funny one- liners. The movie keeps you entertained and makes you wonder how it is going to end.

The movie looks great. The quality of the print is amazing. I think this is one of the best prints that I have seen. It wasn’t too grainy and the colors were bright and popped out.

Shout Factor really packed this Bu-Ray/DVD full of great extras that have never been seen before. 

I don’t know how they do it, but I know that each Blu-Ray/DVD collector’s edition they release gets better and better. This is what the fans want and Shout Factory has been delivering.

The special features on “They Live” includes:

• Audio Commentary with Writer/Director John Carpenter and actor Roddy Piper
   
• “Independent Thoughts” – An interview with writer/director John Carpenter
   
• “Man vs. Aliens” – An interview with actor David Keith
   
• “Woman of Mystery” – An interview with actress Meg Foster
   
• “Watch, Look, Listen: The Sights and Sounds of “They Live” – A look at the visual style, stunts and music from the film with Director of Photography Gary B. Kibbe, Stunt Coordinator Jeff Imada, and Co-Composter Alan Howarth
   
• Original EPK: The Making of “They Live”
   
• Never-Before-Seen Footage from the commercials created for the film
   
• Original Theatrical Trailer
   
• TV Spots
   
• Still Gallery

As you can see there are a ton of extras and they are all amazing. I was entertained for hours.

Like I said before Shout Factory has done it again. They keep releasing movies that fans want to see and have jammed the Blu-Rays and DVD’s full of special features that we have never seen before.

I know that the Scream Factory series will be releasing more movies down the road and I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next.

For more information on Shout Factory go to www.shoutfactory.com

Aaron Chalich is a columnist for KSTP.com blogging about the latest entertainment news.

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