I think whatever decision you make will be fine. I would not worry about copyright violations too much. And I would take my time with the decision about similarities in terms of your own satisfaction as a film maker and creator.
Thank you. It's a tough realm to navigate. On one side, as an indie filmmaker I have to make sure people know that my ideas are my own, on the other, I can't keep switching things around every time a big corporation with a million followers who are happy to go on the attack on their behalf, has something similar to me.
With the familiar disclaimer 'I am not a lawyer.', my impression is that big corporations protect characters that are unique, archetypal, and thoroughly successful. Mickey Mouse, etc. Eyes have been used as monsters for a ton of films. AI's answer to a search is below. Possibly more difficult is the sense you might have as a film maker, feeling a bit down a bit about 'Hey, I was creative and somebody scooped me.' But really any character depends on the context of the story and other characters and as you continue with development, you might come up with something which makes your eye monster (or whatever it is that they have duplicated) unique.
AI - "Movies featuring eyes as monsters include the classic British film The Crawling Eye (aka The Trollenberg Terror) from 1958, where the main threat is giant, brain-like aliens with large eyes and tentacles. Another iconic example is the Pale Man in Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth (2006), a faceless being with eyes in the palms of his hands that become a terrifying monster when he puts them into his hands to see.
The Crawling Eye (1958)
Monster Description:
.
The creatures are giant, brain-shaped aliens with enormous, human-like eyes and optic nerve-like tentacles.
Plot:
.
They dwell in a radioactive mist on Mt. Trollenberg, attempting to change Earth's climate to suit themselves.
Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
Monster Description: The Pale Man is a faceless creature with eyes in his palms.
Plot: The Pale Man is an embodiment of patriarchal evil that feeds on the helpless and is inspired by the Japanese mythological monster Tenome, which translates to "hands' eyes".
Other less notable or older examples include The Beast With 1,000,000 Eyes (1955) and The Eye Creatures (1967), but these films and their titular monsters are generally considered disappointing compared to The Crawling Eye."
I think whatever decision you make will be fine. I would not worry about copyright violations too much. And I would take my time with the decision about similarities in terms of your own satisfaction as a film maker and creator.
Thank you. It's a tough realm to navigate. On one side, as an indie filmmaker I have to make sure people know that my ideas are my own, on the other, I can't keep switching things around every time a big corporation with a million followers who are happy to go on the attack on their behalf, has something similar to me.
With the familiar disclaimer 'I am not a lawyer.', my impression is that big corporations protect characters that are unique, archetypal, and thoroughly successful. Mickey Mouse, etc. Eyes have been used as monsters for a ton of films. AI's answer to a search is below. Possibly more difficult is the sense you might have as a film maker, feeling a bit down a bit about 'Hey, I was creative and somebody scooped me.' But really any character depends on the context of the story and other characters and as you continue with development, you might come up with something which makes your eye monster (or whatever it is that they have duplicated) unique.
AI - "Movies featuring eyes as monsters include the classic British film The Crawling Eye (aka The Trollenberg Terror) from 1958, where the main threat is giant, brain-like aliens with large eyes and tentacles. Another iconic example is the Pale Man in Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth (2006), a faceless being with eyes in the palms of his hands that become a terrifying monster when he puts them into his hands to see.
The Crawling Eye (1958)
Monster Description:
.
The creatures are giant, brain-shaped aliens with enormous, human-like eyes and optic nerve-like tentacles.
Plot:
.
They dwell in a radioactive mist on Mt. Trollenberg, attempting to change Earth's climate to suit themselves.
Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
Monster Description: The Pale Man is a faceless creature with eyes in his palms.
Plot: The Pale Man is an embodiment of patriarchal evil that feeds on the helpless and is inspired by the Japanese mythological monster Tenome, which translates to "hands' eyes".
Other less notable or older examples include The Beast With 1,000,000 Eyes (1955) and The Eye Creatures (1967), but these films and their titular monsters are generally considered disappointing compared to The Crawling Eye."
Yes, of course. The Crawling Eye. I had forgotten about that movie.