Eraserhead
Directed by David Lynch
Written by David Lynch
1977/US
IMDb page
First viewing/Amazon Prime rental
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
One of 1000 Greatest Horror Movies on They Shoot Zombies, Don’t They
Mary X: You wouldn’t mind marrying me, would you Henry?
Henry Spencer: Well… No.
David Lynch’s feature debut is a dark surrealist nightmare with a very obscure plot and spectacular staging, cinematography, and effects.
When he is not on vacation as he is currently, Henry Spencer (Jack Nance) works in a printing plant. He is passive and eccentric in the extreme. He is dating Mary, who is also very strange. The grime of the urban wasteland in which he lives is echoed in the soundtrack of industrial noise which grows stronger to accompany key moments in the film.
One night Henry comes home to his apartment and is told by his sexy across the hall neighbor that Mary has called and invited him to meet her parents at a dinner they are hosting. At the extremely awkward dinner, Henry learns that Mary has given birth and the child is his. He agrees to marry Mary.
The “baby” is a deformed alien looking creature. While the cries and noises of the baby are not out of the ordinary, they drive Mary crazy and she goes home to mother. Henry is left to tend to his offspring alone. Immediately, the baby becomes really ill and starts making wheezing noises etc. It breaks out in spots.
Henry copes as best he can and has numerous adventures in his own mind.
For all its critical acclaim, I was not looking forward to watching this film. I tend to hate surrealist movies with little plot. In addition, there are long sections with no dialogue. But I’m so glad I gave it a chance. The images are stunning and destined to linger in the memory. The poster says it is a “horror” movie but it is so much more. The film clearly perfectly achieved the creators’ intent, and that is enough for a recommendation from me.
