History Main / GlowingEyelightsofUndeath

* [[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83SMTvh_Mkg/SvNaj8ERuAI/AAAAAAAAA8c/iUoDcCIy7nc/s400/12.jpg In Brazilian comic]] [[MonicasGang Bug-a-Booo]], [[BedsheetGhost ghosts]], [[DemBones skeletons]] and [[TheGrimReaper Lady McDeath]] have these.

* Ghost dogs with glowing eyes attack a gangster's former home every other night in the Nancy Drew novel ''Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake''.

* In ''TheLaundrySeries'' by CharlesStross, infection by one of the gibbering extradimensional horrors the Laundry fights against is marked by eyes full of what appear to be glowing, seething worms.
* In SimonRGreen 's ''{{Nightside}}'' series, Merlin Satanspawn has empty eye sockets filled with flames. He's the Devil's son, and every time these eyes are mentioned it's commented that "he has his father's eyes". He's first met as an undead, but when his live version is encountered (while time traveling to the era of ArthurianLegend in ''Paths Not Taken'') he already has the freaky flaming eye-sockets.
* The Stalkers in Philip Reeve's ''MortalEngines'', being {{Cyborg}}-[[OurZombiesAreDifferent zombie]] SuperSoldiers, have their eyes replaced with green lights.

* ''VideoGame/{{World of Warcraft}}''

* Most Undead characters in DarkSouls [[OurZombiesAreDifferent look perfectly normal]], but those that have given up their humanity and turned Hollow have emaciated faces and glowing red eyes.

* Zombies have red, glowing eyes in ''Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombie Army''. From a gameplay perspective, this is likely to increase their visibility in the game's dark, dreary, and ''extremely'' foggy environments. Hell, it even helps you pick out their heads, which is handy for RemovingTheHeadOrDestroyingTheBrain purposes.

[[quoteright:185:[[LoneWolf http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Helghast.jpg]]]]

* The Helghasts in the ''LoneWolf'' gamebook series, as shown with the image above. Note that they are [[{{Humanshifting}} shapeshifters]], and thus their eyes don't glow while in human form, as it would give them away. (The glow may be a side effect of the psychic attack that a Helghast is trying to ''melt your brain'' with...) Most other undeads in the series avert this. The skeletal Vordaks still have [[TheDeadHaveEyes human eyeballs]], while some zombies either have eyes or just rotting eye sockets.

* The [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Draugr]] from TheElderScrollsVSkyrim have this, and [[EyeLightsOut they go out when they die]].

* The [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Draugr]] from TheElderScrollsVSkyrim have this, and they go out when they die.

* The Greater Dead in Garth Nix's ''OldKingdom'' trilogy have fiery pits for eyes. Necromancers have a lesser version of this (physical eyes are still there, but they're described as burning), depending on how long they've been using Free Magic.

* Most Undead characters in DarkSouls [[OurZombiesAreDifferent look perfectly normal]], but those that have given up their humanity and turned Hollow have emaciated faces and glowing red eyes.

* All vampires and ghouls in ''{{Anime/Hellsing}}'' {{OVA}}s have eyes that glow either occasionally or constantly depending on the character. Alucard, the protagonist is especially prone of this, and his eyes often seem like lamps in dark conditions. The vampire eyes glow red or blue, while the ghouls settle for purple.

* The Helghasts in the ''LoneWolf'' gamebook series, as shown with the image above. Note that they are [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifters]], and thus their eyes don't glow while in human form, as it would give them away. (The glow may be a side effect of the psychic attack that a Helghast is trying to ''melt your brain'' with....) Most other undeads in the series avert this. The skeletal Vordaks still have [[TheDeadHaveEyes human eyeballs]], while some zombies either have eyes or just rotting eye sockets.

* Stephen King's ''{{It}}''. Don't look into the deadlights!

* In the ''{{Goosebumps}}'' book ''The Ghost Next Door'', Danny's ghost in the Shadow World chases Hannah, red eyes glowing.
* ''{{Literature/Discworld}}'''s Death, only with blue lights. They turned red once in ''{{Discworld/Mort}}'' when he was enraged.

* The titular Jedi ghost of ''Literature/GalaxyOfFear: Ghost of the Jedi'' first appears, when Tash can see him clearly, with empty eyes. As she talks to him and needs his help a flicker of light comes to them, strengthening to a steady glow.

* The zombie gorillas in the video for the {{Music/Gorillaz}} song "Clint Eastwood" have glowing red eyelights and apparently no eyeballs (as can be seen when one of them disintegrates). They otherwise look just like living gorillas, except for having blue fur for some reason.

** A subversion with ''{{TabletopGame/Mystara}}'''s "dusanu": this monster looks like a typical rotting skeleton... but in fact it isn't undead but a ''fungal colony'' that had taken over a corpse. The haunting blue lights coming from its eyes sockets are in fact caused by the waste fumes of the fungus.

* ''{{TabletopGame/Warhammer}}'': According to the associated literature (such as ''Nagash The Sorcerer''), animated skeletons have this.

* ''{{VideoGame/World of Warcraft}}''

* The hollow men in ''{{VideoGame/Fable}} 2'' have them. They're corpses animated by glowing sprites called wisps that dive into the ground and pull up the corpses.

* The reaper man in ''{{VideoGame/Shadowgate}}'' is an otherwise unremarkable example, but his position in the Game Over screen means that players will spend a significant fraction of their time looking at him.
* Many demons in ''{{VideoGame/Doom}} 3'' have eyes that glow red, orange or blue that is, if they have [[EyelessFace eyes..]]

* The [[NonHumanUndead Terrorcons]] of ''TransformersPrime'' have both this ''and'' GlowingMechanicalEyes, being undead MechanicalLifeforms. Some (like the one that used to be Cliffjumper) also get [[ThroatLight Throat Lights]].

* The [[NonHumanUndead Terrorcons]] of ''{{TransformersPrime'' have both this ''and'' GlowingMechanicalEyes, being undead MechanicalLifeforms. Some (like the one that used to be Cliffjumper) also get ThroatLights.

[[TheUndead Undead]] creatures will often be depicted as having glowing eyes, usually without any explanation. Then again, in magic-based undead this might either be the glow of the animating magic or magical eyes, created specificly [[TheDeadHaveEyes to allow undead to see posthumously.]] Ones that do not actually have eyes, like reanimated skeletons and incorporeal ghosts, will often have glowing lights where the eyes would be. Occasionally, it will be twin ghost-fires burning in the sockets. It is by no means a universal trait of undead. Should {{Undeath|AlwaysEnds}} end and the glow fade, it's EyeLightsOut.

* Eddie, the undead mascot of british heavy metal band Music/IronMaiden, has semi-skeletal facial features and empty eye sockets with this trope in full display. Sometimes his eyelights are flames, sometimes lightning, occasionally something else, but they're present in almost every appearance of the charater from album art to merchandise to the huge animatronic stage puppets appearing on tour.

[[TheUndead Undead]] creatures will often be depicted as having glowing eyes, usually [[TheDeadHaveEyes without any explanation]].(Then again, in magic-based undead this might either be the glow of the animating magic or magical eyes, created specificly to allow undead to see posthumously.) Ones that do not actually have eyes, like reanimated skeletons and incorporeal ghosts, will often have glowing lights where the eyes would be. Occasionally, it will be twin ghost-fires burning in the sockets. It is by no means a universal trait of undead. Should {{Undeath|AlwaysEnds}} end and the glow fade, it's EyeLightsOut.

[[folder:Web Original]]
* All zombie-esques with intelligence in ''[[http://www.kongregate.com/games/ArmorGames/sonny?acomplete=sonny Sonny]]'', the free online Flash RPG series.
[[/folder]]

* All vampires and ghouls in ''{{Hellsing}}'' {{OVA}}s have eyes that glow either occasionally or constantly depending on the character. Alucard, the protagonist is especially prone of this, and his eyes often seem like lamps in dark conditions. The vampire eyes glow red or blue, while the ghouls settle for purple.
* In ''FullmetalAlchemist'', Alphonse is a character whose soul has been bonded to an empty suit of armor, yet the eye holes in the suit glow a pinkish color. Later the brothers encounter others of the same condition who also have glowing eyes.
* The Skull Knight from ''{{Berserk}}.'' [[AsYouKnow As you might have already guessed]], he's a skeleton, soooo....
* In ''SoulEater'', Sid, who is a zombie, has these.

[[folder:Comics -- Books]]
* Swarm, the [[BeeBeeGun Nazi Made of Bees]], is a borderline example, being a human skeleton moved around by a colony of telepathic bees with Nazi sympathies. His eye sockets glow brightly.
* Most [[BlackestNight Black Lanterns]] had glowing points of red or white light in otherwise seemingly empty eye sockets.

* ''Film/TheLastUnicorn'' has a talking skull that's usually quite silly and playful... [[MoodWhiplash until he]] [[ByTheEyesOfTheBlind recognizes]] [[OneSceneWonder a]] '''''"UUUUU-NICOOOOOOORN!"'''''

* The vampires in the SoBadItsGood vampire movie ''Innocent Blood''. In [[KaleidoscopeEyes several different colors]], too.

* The Helghasts in the ''LoneWolf'' gamebook series, as shown with the image above. Note that they are [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifters]], and thus their eyes don't glow while in human form, as it would give them away. (The glow may be a side effect of the psychic attack that a Helghast is trying to ''melt your brain'' with...)
** Most other undeads in the series avert this. The skeletal Vordaks still have [[TheDeadHaveEyes human eyeballs]], while some zombies either have eyes or just rotting eye sockets.

* Stephen King's ''{{It}}''. Don't look into [[{{It}} the deadlights]]!

* In the ''Goosebumps'' book ''The Ghost Next Door'', Danny's ghost in the Shadow World chases Hannah, red eyes glowing.
* ''{{Discworld}}'''s Death, only with blue lights. They turned red once in ''Discworld/{{Mort}}'' when he was enraged.

* The Ringwraiths in ''TheLordOfTheRings'' have ambiguously glowing eyelights of some sort, in some versions, apparently.
* Bob the Skull in ''TheDresdenFiles''. More precisely, Bob ''is'' the glowing eyelignts -- he's an air spirit that looks like a cloud of glimmering motes that happens to live in a skull, rather than an undead being.

* In ''ASongOfIceAndFire'', people killed by the Others have their eyes turned bright blue, which then glow when they're active in undeath. People resurrected by the magic of R'hllor, though not conventionally undead, have a red glow in their eyes at times.

* The zombie gorillas in the video for the Music/{{Gorillaz}} song "Clint Eastwood" have glowing red eyelights and apparently no eyeballs (as can be seen when one of them disintegrates). They otherwise look just like living gorillas, except for having blue fur for some reason.

* ''DungeonsAndDragons''

** Of ''ForgottenRealms'' undead, [[ReligionOfEvil bane]]liches got burning red pinpoints of light and baelnorns (lich-like elven guardian undead) have glowing white eyes.
** A subversion with ''Mystara'''s "dusanu": this monster looks like a typical rotting skeleton... but in fact it isn't undead but a ''fungal colony'' that had taken over a corpse. The haunting blue lights coming from its eyes sockets are in fact caused by the waste fumes of the fungus.

* ''{{Warhammer}}'': According to the associated literature (such as ''Nagash The Sorcerer''), animated skeletons have this.
** Normal skeletons don't, however. Nagash was just that awesome.

* All the infected in ''Left4Dead''. This is clearest in the case of the Witch.
* Many, but not all undead in the ''HeroesOfMightAndMagic'' games have them.
* Kingfin in ''Super Mario Galaxy'', although surprisingly not the standard undead enemies. Said boss also has an even more extreme case of this, because the eyes seem to shoot light beams in the direction it's looking or [[http://www.mariowiki.com/Image:Kingfin.jpg something]].
** Also from SuperMarioBros are Dry Bones, the skeletal undead versions of Koopas. Dry Bowser also applies.
* ''WorldOfWarcraft''

* The hollow men in ''{{Fable}} 2'' have them. They're corpses animated by glowing sprites called wisps that dive into the ground and pull up the corpses.
* The Hero's Shade in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' is a skeletal one-eyed variation.

*** The Stalfos and Staldra enemies also have glowing eyes. When a Staldra's eyes [[RedEyesTakeWarning turn from blue to red]], it's time to get your shield ready.

* ''DeadRising'' zombies have eyes that glow red at night, when their strength drastically increases.
* The reaper man in ''{{Shadowgate}}'' is an otherwise unremarkable example, but his position in the Game Over screen means that players will spend a significant fraction of their time looking at him.
* Many demons in ''VideoGame/{{Doom}} 3'' have eyes that glow red, orange or blue that is, if they have [[EyelessFace eyes..]]
* Both Skeleton T and Oshare Bones from ''PuyoPuyo'' have this. However, with Oshare, it only occurs in his left eye; his right eye is a case of TheDeadHaveEyes.

* The Sorrow in ''MetalGearSolid3'' has glowing red eyes when he first appears as a ghost behind The Boss.

* All of the zombies in ''CallOfDuty: Zombies'' have yellow-orange lights in their eye sockets. Zombie!George Romero eyes glow when he's in berserk mode.
* At least some ways of being turned into a husk in MassEffect involve death, so they probably qualify.
** ''All'' ways of becoming a husk involved dying, or at least ceasing to be a living human.

* Undead in ''DanAndMabsFurryAdventures'' have [[BlackEyesOfCrazy solid black eyes]] with glowing yellow pupils.
* [[NoNameGiven "..."]] in ''HannaIsNotABoysName'' has glowing orange eyes.
* ''LookingForGroup'': Maikos and Richard -- Yellow for Richard, Red for Maikos.
* ''Webcomic/OrderOfTheStick''

** Also the case with the three Xykon decoys during the battle of Azure City: [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0431.html a death knight, a huecuva and an Eye of Fear and Flame.]]
* In ''TheZombieHunters,'' [[OurZombiesAreDifferent all classes]] of TheUndead have [[BlackEyesOfCrazy black sclerae]] with glowing white irises, excepting the [[SuperpoweredMooks Basilisk]], a class with a [[EvilEye paralyzing gaze]] and bioluminescent [[RedEyesTakeWarning red irises]]. Charlie, a [[HalfHumanHybrid partially]] [[HumanityEnsues revived]] zombie restored to sentience, has [[MismatchedEyes one undead eye]], which he [[RedRightHand hides]] with a contact lens.
* The [[http://danielscreations.com/ola/comics/ep0126.html farmstead wights]] from ''OurLittleAdventure''.
** [[http://danielscreations.com/ola/comics/ep0275.html Again in the forest]].
* The formerly human zeds of ''ZombieRanch'' are distinguished by glowing red eyes. Animal zombies shown seem to lack this feature so far.

* [[DannyPhantom Danny Fenton/Phantom]]'s eyes glow when he goes ghost.
* ''HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse'': Although he isn't undead, Skeletor has no soft tissues above his collarbones. In the 2002 series, he pulled off the glowing eyes whenever he was really angry.

Compare GlowingEyesOfDoom and GhostLights.

* ''{{Discworld}}'''s Death, only with blue lights. They turned red once in ''{{Discworld/Mort}}'' when he was enraged.

* Many demons in ''{{Doom}} 3'' have eyes that glow red, orange or blue that is, if they have [[EyelessFace eyes..]]

* [[FanNickname Mr. Tall]] of ''VideoGame/AmnesiaTheDarkDescent'' has green eyelights, if you look closely enough.

* In ''TheZombieHunters,'' [[OurZombiesAreDifferent all classes]] of TheUndead have [[BlackEyesOfCrazy black sclerae]] with glowing white irises, excepting the [[SuperpoweredMooks Basilisk]], a class with a [[EvilEye paralyzing gaze]] and bioluminescent [[RedEyesTakeWarning red irises]]. Charlie, a [[HalfHumanHybrid partially]] [[HumanityEnsues revived]] zombie restored to sentience, has [[MismatchedEyes one undead eye]], which he [[RedRightHand hides]] with a contact lens.

* ''TheLegendOfZelda''
** The Hero's Shade in ''TwilightPrincess'' is a skeletal one-eyed variation.
** The [=ReDeads=] in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]]'' will have empty, black sockets when still, but once they shriek...
** Similarly, the Stalchildren from ''[[TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' and ''[[TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]'' also have red lights for eyes.
** [[spoiler: Lanaryu]], from ''[[TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]''. When Link meets him in the present time, he's little more than a decaying skull surrounded by the rotting [[spoiler: rather, rusting]] remains of his helpers. Attempts to communicate with him result in his empty sockets lighting with a sickly yellow. You get the chance to change that, however.

** Stallord from TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess has glowing pale-pink eyes.

[[caption-width-right:185:[-You find yourself staring into the glowing eyes of a Helghast.-]]

[[caption-width-right:185:[-You find yourself staring into the glowing eyes of a Helghast.-]]]

** The [=ReDeads=] in ''[[TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]]'' will have empty, black sockets when still, but once they shriek...

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[[caption-width-right:185:[-You find yourself staring into the glowing eyes of a Helghast.-][[hottip:*:No, not [[{{Killzone}} those]] [[NamesTheSame Helghast.]]]]

[[caption-width-right:185:[-You find yourself staring into the glowing eyes of a Helghast.-][[hottip:*:No, not [[{{Killzone}} those]] [[NamesTheSame Helghast.]]]] ]]

* The zombie gorillas in the video for the {{Gorillaz}} song "Clint Eastwood" have glowing red eyelights and apparently no eyeballs (as can be seen when one of them disintegrates). They otherwise look just like living gorillas, except for having blue fur for some reason.