Review of Eraserhead (1977) by Kyle20Ellis — 19 Mar 2022

Of a very divisive director, along with Mulholland Drive Eraserhead is one of his most polarising films, with people finding it wonderfully surreal, funny and unsettling and others will find it for their tastes confusing, too out there and weird.

On first viewing the latter was the case with me(after being so amazed by the accessible emotional power that The Elephant Man and The Straight Story gave) but after further viewings(Lynch is one of those directors where each of his films should be seen more than once) now it's the former.

While Eraserhead is not quite among Lynch's best films(Blue Velvet, The Elephant Man, Mulholland Drive and The Straight Story) it is still a very good, even great debut from him, albeit with some parts that are a bit too draggy and drawn out.

Eraserhead looks splendid, it's beautifully shot and coupled with the film-noir-ish lighting it's a highly atmospheric-looking film. It's not a Lynch film without surreal imagery and Eraserhead is filled with that and in a way that even early in his career is very distinctive of Lynch.

The score has an eerie tension and used in an understated way, not one of the best film scores out there but it suits the film well. The dialogue is spare, only about 21 minutes worth and while not exceptional it is a long way from poor, though maybe Eraserhead may have fared even better without it(big emphasis on maybe).

Lynch's direction is for a debut very accomplished if not at his best, his direction in the likes of Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive was pretty much masterly. The story is distinctively surreal and oddball but also very expertly unnerving, Blue Velvet and The Elephant Man feel more accessible but Eraserhead is essentially a mood piece and works amazingly as one.

The theme of a man fearing fatherhood will resonate with a lot of viewers too. The mutant baby is incredibly creepy but there is room for some funny moments in a very low-key way especially the dinner-table scene.

The acting is great, especially from lead actor Jack Nance, what was most effective about his acting was how personal it felt, in fact the whole film felt very personal. Overall, will divide viewers, it did bewilder me at first, Eraserhead proves to be a very, very good debut as well as a very, very good film where no matter how you feel about the film you cannot deny that a lot of effort had been put into making it.