Kubrick Stare

Watch as an animation →

In plain words

The head tilts down slightly and the eyes glare at the camera from under the brows. It feels uneasy and eerie.

When to use it

A villain's entrance in a thriller or horror film, the moment a character breaks down, one intense shot in a mystery ad or music video.

Example videos

The Terror of the Kubrick Stare — Explainer: See what the expression looks like, with the actor tilting the head and looking up at the camera from under the brows.

Will AI handle it well?

Not verified — no wording for this stare was found in the official Higgsfield, Veo, or Kling material. Describe the head angle and the gaze in the prompt.

One-click prompt

Head tilted slightly down while the eyes glare upward into the lens from under the brow, a pale man in a dark suit stands motionless at the end of an empty ballroom corridor, unblinking, slow push-in, wide symmetrical framing, 24mm lens, cold overhead light, menacing mood, 6-second shot.

Tell the AI like this

close-up, head tilted slightly down, eyes looking up from under the brow straight into the lens, unblinking menacing stare, faint sinister smile, static camera

Example films

A Clockwork Orange (1971) — The film crew gave it this name after seeing the expression of the main character, Alex · The Shining (1980) — Along with Full Metal Jacket, it is counted among the films that use this stare most prominently

See it in real films and ads

Wikipedia — Kubrick stare

AI-made examples

Not verified

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