John Carpenter’s They Live, a cult film originally released in 1988, has gone on to grow a considerable cult following in the decades since its release. Pro-wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper stars as “Nada,” a down on his luck, blue-collar everyman whose accidental discovery of a pair of magic sunglasses reveals hidden collusion between human society’s elite and a race of alien overseers.

Novelist Jonathan Lethem tackles this entertaining but sometimes frustrating film in a lively and frank manner in They Live, the first volume of Soft Skull Press’ new Deep Focus series.