The way that the alien in Nope’s final form looks like an old studio camera. The way the opening credits take place inside its stomach, shown as an endless darkness framed by billowing sheets - the blanket-like hood of an old camera that the photographer hides under. The way Jupe calls the alien The Viewer. The way Jupe makes stuffed animals of what he imagines the aliens inside the “ship” to look like subconsciously reference the camera magazines on the set of Gordy’s Home with the body of a monkey. The way that Jupe was only saved because the table cloth kept him from looking Gordy in the eyes. The way that OJ and Em signal “I see you” before the final showdown. The violence of attention. The all-seeing eye. The panopticon. The camera obscura. The dark chamber. The spectacle.
