I see you . . .
Okay, no I don’t. But who knows what might be watching? I like to think we’d sense something if there were watchers. Eyes have a way of touching without touching, raising goosebumps and tickling the back of your neck.
But then again, maybe we’d sense nothing at all.
I love eyes in horror and sci-fi. All the juicy, squishy special effects of ’80s movies. The paranormal chills of some eyes seeing more—something always present, but not quite human. So much symbolism wrapped up in such a neat little organ.
Here’s some of my favorite eye-related content from this month, from the lovely to the downright uncanny.
Books
The Eyes Are the Best Part lived up to the hype. The main character was damn unlikable, and I liked that a lot: give me more female main characters who descend into chaos and set the world on fire as they fall. Bird Box is effectively a classic at this point, and it’s one of those books that feels impossible to capture in a movie. It’s not that the movie was bad. It’s that with with book, you experience the absence of sight along with the main character. It’s deeply sensory, yet disorienting.
Your Shadow Half Remains was a surprise! It was my first Sunny Morraine book, and this short novella packed a fantastic punch. “In a post-apocalyptic world where eye contact triggers deadly violence, as a woman begins to bond with her new neighbor, her grip on reality slips as her desire to look intensifies.” It’s not a perfect book—there were a few moments I might’ve tightened up, a few points I think could’ve dug more deeply into the themes. But it’s a damn good story, and it absolutely convinced me to look for more of this author’s work. I read it as an aching expression of our hunger to be truly seen, and the ending gave me the best kind of chills. (Click here to read my full Goodreads review.)
The ending of The Creeper really undermined the book for me. If I’m promised something paranormal, that’s what I want—not a sharp departure into hokey “hillbilly” splatter.
I am super excited about my TBR list, though! Little Eyes is at the tippy-top: “Kentukis (little mechanical stuffed animals with cameras for eyes) give the world glimpses into each other’s private lives via an anonymous global server.” One Yellow Eye is a close second: “a devoted scientist secretly keeps her zombie-infected husband hidden after a pandemic, frantically searching for a cure.”
Art
Blinking Eye Dice” by MOTHER FACTORY, a “human flesh art factory.” Yes, they actually blink, moles and all.
Ilokunst (@ilokunst) creates ballpoint pen art that makes my hand cramp. In a lot of their work, tormented faces emerge from clouds of scribbles, and the eyes just grip you. I can’t imagine the number of pens this takes, the layering, teasing form out of chaos. I wonder how much it is pre-sketched versus just taking advantage of pareidolia.
Hannah at Golden Daze Jewelry takes “old creepy figurines,” chops them up, and recycles them into “one of a kind, weird pieces of jewelry.” Every piece is so damn unique. Visit the shop’s website and subscribe so you catch new pieces, or follow Hannah on Instagram (@g0ldendazejewelry).
Film
Shingo Tamagawa created this animated short (just 3 minutes long) over 3 years. It’s a series sketches, brief scenes, united simply by a single feeling: “Something is about to change drastically. We can only be witnesses to it.” I feel like the eyes are crucial to how this beautiful piece of work succeeds.
Odd Facts
Music
“Irish Eyes” by Rose Betts has been living in my head rent free for months. It’s charming, folksy, and sticky as heck.
Enjoy this content?
Subscribe to the Author-Oddity Newsletter to get the strange and uncanny dropped right into your inbox. I always include a little extra for subscribers. Want more lists right now? CATS, APPLES, and HOUSES are also great themes to explore.
