Review of Eraserhead (1977) by Andrew B — 21 Oct 2011

Eraserhead is absolutely perfect in its weirdness; with the possible exception of La Chien Andalou, dark surrealism has no greater figurehead than David Lynch's debut.

It is this weirdness however, that also brings the film downfall; a pretty narrow audience. However, Eraserhead works its way around this by working on three different fronts; that of a horror film, a surrealist film and simply as a bizarre curio for film buffs. All these angles are bound to satisfy, but the film's real strength lies in the trademark Lynch ambiguity.

Eraserhead acts much like a song; in that each viewing is different, as the viewers life unfolds, so does the meaning of the film. Sex, parenthood and murder are more obviously covered in the film, but Lynch leaves gaps that the viewer has to fill with their own experiences and concepts. Depending on your temprament, these gaps could be considered either masterful or a vast shortcoming.

Shot on a pitiful budget, Eraserhead doesn't look cheap or dated, although this may be due to the sheer uniqueness of the visuals and sound design, which completely defy comparison.

If you wanted to view Eraserhead as a horror film, (although in my opinion this isn't the strongest angle), it provides some of the strongest nightmare fuel ever captured on celluloid. The film itself feels like the inside of a troubled mind, and everything from the photography to the performances, visual effects and sound design are perfectly posied to disturb.

If you like your movies to have their plots spoon fed to you, this isn't your kind of film. However, any fans of David Lynch who wish to see his purest and most personal work, or enthusiasts of cult movies would do well to get their hands on a copy.