Review of Eraserhead (1977) by Tom W — 04 Dec 2011

This film is one of those films which you either love or hate, and in my case I absolutely adored it. Because it is just so damn strange and surreal.

The film is basically about confused Henry Spencer(Jack Nance) who lives in a world full of industrial matter and depression, in this world everyone around him is emotionless(especially himself) and very odd. The films main subject though is the mutant baby which he has with his girlfriend Mary X.

Thats about it other than the other distorted things(The Lady In The Radiator,The Man In The Planet,The Girl Across The Hall).

It is strange in almost the most intellectual way possible, the use of noise to give shock, the jilted dialogue,the strange imagery which is so haunting and nightmarish.

I also praise the film for its success in being very similar to the logic of dreaming, the things that happen in the movie are very dream-like(or nightmare-like) and peculliar which for my mind frame, is very much like dreaming. The movie gives a sense of cold depression, because the characters are either really sad and expressionless or just plain bizarre(The Mum and Mrs. X are great examples of the sad sort of character, and Mr. X is over happy and in my opinion, abit weird).

I can most certainly understand why people hate this film, because it is very difficult to watch and actually have a clear understanding after viewing it.Many people will probably mistake alot of things for being bad filmmaking when in fact, it is just the surrealism of the film.

In my opinion, one of horrors greatest movies.

5/5.