Review of Eraserhead (1977) by Tony R — 23 Jun 2010

I have to be honest: Eraserhead didn't scare me.

Maybe I'm exaggerating slightly; the film is truly bizarre and experimental, and comprises a lot of tense and, to an extent, frightening scenes. If you want to see the vast scope of Lynch's imagination and originality, this is the movie to watch. The viewer is immediately taken to another world, and awes at the strangeness of said world. There has never been anything like Eraserhead, and there never will be, trust me.

But in terms of disturbance, Eraserhead was, in comparison to Lynch's subsequent Mulholland Dr., Inland Empire, and especially Twin Peaks, a picnic. Prior to experiencing yet another Lynch feature, part of our expectation is to be disturbed (something all true Lynch-fans share), and if this wish is not fulfilled, we are left disappointed. I believe my expectations were bloated mostly due to friends and critics raving about how disturbing Eraserhead is, about the immense weirdness, etc. And so, I may have asked a bit too much from the film, which happens to almost everyone.

Nevertheless, this is a phenomenal movie (possibly the best student-film ever), and promises a lot of surrealism, confusion, and mutant babies.