History Main / TheDeadHaveEyes

* In ''Bleach'', [[spoiler: Barragan Luisenbarn's [[OneWingedAngel Resurrecciòn]] is a plain skeleton- no eyes ([[GlowingEyelightsOfUndeath glowing]] or real) what so ever (although "plain" isn't exactly the right word, taking into account the cool clothes he gets by transforming). Despite this, he's perfectly able to see, not to mention talk, hear, etc.. Then again, he's not an undead- it's simply his natural Hollow form, so he probably doesn't count]].

* Lampshaded in ''SkulduggeryPleasant''. The titular character is a skeleton who can not only see without having eyes, but can also hear, speak, think, etc. without the necessary organs. When questioned about this, his answer is essentially AWizardDidIt.

See also EyesAreUnbreakable.

* Subversion: In ''[=~Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror~=]'', the zombies are uniformly eyeless.

* Subversion: In ''BurialGroundNightsOfTerror'', the zombies are uniformly eyeless.

'''[[OracularHead Murray:]]''' How can you walk around without a brain? Some things no-one can answer.

Interestingly, the undead may even develop SuperSenses in the form of superior smell, hearing, or even "[[VeinOVision living radar]]". The page image, specifically, of skeleton/zombies with fully functional eyes, is probably a modern trope. As modern horror movies and CGI have blurred the line between rotting zombie and skeleton with bits of flesh and organs still hanging on, for increased "yuck" factor. So while it makes sense for recently deceased zombies to have functioning eyes, and older stop motion polished skeletons not to, there are now those that toe the line.

* Averted in the 1972 [[HammerHorror Amicus]] film version of ''TalesFromTheCrypt''; the two times we see characters who have been dead for a while, their eyes are completely gone (PeterCushing's character is the most memorable example).

** One of the options for playable undead of Both genders (And NPCs shareing the same models), is an X shaped leather strap bound to their face covering the eyes. They can still apparently see.

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* Brook from ''OnePiece'' is a [[DemBones living skeleton]]: he has/had the power to come back to life ''once'', but only managed it after having decayed into a skeleton; thus he is physically (shape, mass) "just bones" but at the same time ''biologically'' fully human; long story short, he can see without eyes (and eat/poop without a GI tract, etc.), a fact he constantly [[LampshadeHanging jokes about]].
* The ''HighSchoolOfTheDead'' zombies are [[AvertedTrope completely blind]] and in fact won't know you're right next to them as long as you stay completely silent. They hunt via sound only.
* In ''Bleach'', [[spoiler: Barragan Luisenbarn's [[OneWingedAngel Resurrecciòn]] is a plain skeleton- no eyes ([[GlowingEyelightsOfUndeath glowing]] or real) what so ever (although "plain" isn't exactly the right word, taking into account the cool clothes he gets by transforming). Despite this, he's perfectly able to see, not to mention talk, hear, etc.. Then again, he's not an undead- it's simply his natural Hollow form, so he probably doesn't count]].

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*** ''AWizardDidIt A Sorcerer did it.''

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* In PlanescapeTorment, Morte is physically no more than a speaking, floating skull, but his eyes appear still perfectly functional.

-->''TheCurseOfMonkeyIsland''

'''[[TalkingSkull Murray:]]''' How can you walk around without a brain? Some things no-one can answer.

* Death from ''{{Discworld}}'' is another example of a skeleton ''without'' eyes, merely with two blue points of light in his eyesockets. Probably because Death is not supposed to be a horrible monster, but a main character.

* Averted in the 1972 [[HammerHorror Amicus]] film version of ''TalesFromTheCrypt''; the two times we see characters who have been dead for a while, their eyes are completely gone (Peter Cushing's character is the most memorable example).

* In ''Bleach'', [[spoiler: Barragan Luisebarn's [[OneWingedAngel Resurrecciòn]] is a plain skeleton- no eyes ([[GlowingEyelightsOfUndeath glowing]] or real) what so ever (although "plain" isn't exactly the right word, taking into account the cool clothes he gets by transforming). Despite this, he's perfectly able to see, not to mention talk, hear, etc.. Then again, he's not an undead- it's simply his natural Hollow form, so he probably doesn't count]].

This manifests in different ways in different media. Decades old zombies fresh out of their graves will have gorgeous (or more likely horrifying) functional eyes despite the rest of their body being a decayed mess, as demonstrated by the gentle-person in the picture. On the other extreme, lacking sensory organs is no impediment for animated skeletons, who will be able to see and hear humans as if they still had those fleshy bits. At times, they will have GlowingEyelightsOfUndeath in their eyesockets.

* Even the most thoroughly decayed zombies from Romero's later zombie films (DayOfTheDead and LandOfTheDead) have totally intact eyes.
* Subversion: In Lucio Fulci's Zombi2 (also known as Zombie, or Zombie Flesh Eaters), the recently undead walk around in a sleepy haze with their eyes closed at all times. Whether or not they have eyes is unclear. The oldest zombies seen, however, seem to be totally without eyes; one zombie has writhing worms coming from a mostly-decayed eye-hole.
* Subversion: In BurialGroundNightsOfTerror, the zombies are uniformly eyeless.

* Death from {{Discworld}} is another example of a skeleton ''without'' eyes, merely with two blue points of light in his eyesockets. Probably because Death is not supposed to be a horrible monster, but a main character.

* The HighSchoolOfTheDead zombies are [[AvertedTrope completely blind]] and in fact won't know you're right next to them as long as you stay completely silent. They hunt via sound only.

* Lampshade Hanging in The Curse of Monkey Island. Guybrush asks Murray, a talking skull, how he can see without eyeballs. Murray snaps back "How can YOU walk around without a brain?" but then admits that there's some things no one can answer.