When big city careerwoman Cordelia Howell travels back home for Christmas, her attempts to connect with her mother are thwarted by the matriarch’s hostile behavior and a bizarre town-wide obsession with snowmen.

SYNOPSIS:

Coal Eyes Are Watching follows Cord Howell, a 30-something “girl boss” guilted into returning home for Christmas by her mother.

She begrudgingly agrees, and upon arrival finds her small town transformed into a winter wonderland. She also finds her once severe, career-minded mother acting strangely. Where she’d previously had no interest in holidays or their trappings, Mother now seems fixated on decorations and cheery celebration. And she’s also not shy about voicing her displeasure in Cord.

But as the hostile interactions pile up, Cord begins to suspect it’s more than the usual familial tension. The whole town seems strange, on edge and ever-watchful. Even people from Cord’s past display wild personality shifts, right before her eyes. And everyone keeps asking if she wants to build a snowman. In fact, there are snowmen popping up all over town…Even in her own backyard.

After a multiple disturbing run-ins, the true weight of Cord’s situation is clear: no one is trustworthy, and nowhere is safe, especially her childhood home. On the run, Cord must evade not only her family, but the growing snowman population, as she tries to make her escape.

Ultimately, Cord’s efforts are fruitless, and Mother gets her way—Cord builds a snowman of her own and joins the rest of the town in its contented holiday bliss.