By Maia Venuti
Staff Writer
Known for his quirky writing style and eccentric, surrealist storytelling American director and filmmaker David Lynch’s films and shows often adopt a dream-like feeling. Lynch most often likes to portray different versions of the American Dream in his movies through this dream-like, surrealist angle. His work has been known to garner cult followings that have expanded across multiple generations and into the younger generation today.
By taking a closer look at three of David Lynch’s films and TV shows, “Eraserhead” (1977), “Blue Velvet” (1986), and rounding off with his most popular work, the TV show “Twin Peaks” (1990-91) and its various spinoffs, it will become apparent why Lynch’s work is so beloved by people of all ages.
“Eraserhead” (1977)
David Lynch has been making movies and television shows since the early 1970s, when he began studying at the American Film Institute. For most of the 1970s he was mostly making short films, up until 1977, when Lynch released his first feature length film, “Eraserhead” (1977).
The film was produced with assistance from the American Film Institute. “Eraserhead” is meant to symbolize the fears that men may feel when becoming new fathers and how scary and massive of a change a child brings to a person’s life.
When the film was first released, it was met with negative reviews and outrage from critics. “Eraserhead” has since developed a cult following over the years since its release due to its unusual premise; the nightmarish score and cinematography make this film feel like a really bad dream.
Contemporary reviews revere the film, with it boasting a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. This film would be only the beginning of a long, controversial and prosperous career from David Lynch.
“Blue Velvet” (1986)
“Blue Velvet” is a 1986 mystery drama starring Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper and Laura Dern. Before getting into the film, it is important to discuss Kyle MacLachlan’s relationship with David Lynch. MacLachlan got his start in David Lynch’s 1984 movie “Dune” starring as Paul Atreides. During screen tests for “Dune,” Lynch and MacLachlan hit it off, bonding over their Northwest origins, and the rest was history. “Blue Velvet” is MacLachlan’s second film with Lynch.
Lynch begins to introduce some of his most famous “Lynch-isms” in this movie that would later become trademarks in many of his works. Distorted characters, skull and brain damage, red curtains, and most significantly, he introduces the idea of uncovering a dark, evil underside to what is, on the surface, a quaint wholesome American town.
“Blue Velvet” is arguably the most violent of Lynch’s films, and due to that, his most controversial. Upon release, there were both lines around the block to attend as well as mass walkouts and demands for refunds during the opening week.
Some critics at the time praised the film, commending Lynch and the cast for pushing the boundaries of cinema, with Martin Scorsese calling “Blue Velvet” the best film of the year. Other critics slammed the film, claiming it lacks depth and is just weird, while others went as far as to accuse Lynch of misogyny for his portrayal of Dorothy Vallens.
Today, much like “Eraserhead” (1977), “Blue Velvet” has a contemporary cult following, and is widely considered to be a masterpiece, receiving a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes. This movie is looked at as one of Lynch’s greatest works and is debated to be his best movie. It is hard to disagree with that claim considering how phenomenal this movie really is, and how it has withstood the test of time for the past 37 years.
“Twin Peaks” (1990-91)
“Twin Peaks” is a drama mystery television show that was written and directed by Lynch and produced with Mark Frost and starring Kyle MacLachlan. “Twin Peaks” contains the same surrealism and offbeat humor, while also incorporating a campy and melodramatic aspect that feels inspired by soap operas of the era.
The first season of “Twin Peaks” was met with all around praise; the series was even nominated for 14 Emmy Awards. The show was described as beguiling and unsettling, praising Lynch for what he does best: confusing his audience with surrealism. The first season has received universal acclaim and is considered by many to this day to be one of the 100 greatest TV shows of all time.
The show originally aired on ABC, and while successful in its first season, the ratings in the second season plummeted, leading to the show’s cancellation after the second season. This however led to the creation of the 1992 film “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me,” which is a prequel to the series.
“Twin Peaks” was revived in 2017, with the Showtime original “Twin Peaks: The Return.”
“Twin Peaks” utilizes the different “Lynch-isms” introduced in “Blue Velvet” (1986), especially with the use of a dark and evil underbelly to what is, on the surface, a quaint American town. While it is strange and disorienting at times, the set design, characters and the show’s score give “Twin Peaks” a feeling of comfort and nostalgia despite the unsettling premise of the series.
Overall, David Lynch is a phenomenal director who has been making significant contributions to the world of cinema for close to 50 years. Currently, Lynch is 77 years old, and his most recent movie was “Inland Empire” (2006) and his last show was “Twin Peaks: The Return” (2017). However, Lynch is still hard at work, making and releasing short films frequently. Additionally, there are rumors that he is working on a new show for Netflix, but the details are extremely limited.
He carved out a very specific, Lynch-shaped hole for himself in Hollywood and created a unique directorial style heavily influenced by surrealism, dreams, and the American Dream. Lynch has a cult following for almost, if not all of his films and shows — a cult following that has spanned multiple generations.
Even today, young fans of his work make fan edits on Tiktok, and the David Lynch subreddit boasts over 30,000 members. The fact that young adults now are rediscovering Lynch’s brilliance shows how timeless and palatable his work is and will continue to be in the years to come.
