Very few artists, let alone movie directors, have an adjective named after them. But “Lynchian” has undeniably become part of how we describe movies of a surrealist nature made with impeccable craft.
Unfortunately, the film world lost David Lynch on January 15 after a long battle with emphysema. So to honor his memory, we’ve put together the list of the seven best David Lynch movies you can stream right now. Admittedly, that covers a lot of his filmography, but while Lynch wasn’t the most prolific filmmaker, his record for quality is arguably perfect or close to it. So trust me when I say there won’t be any mediocre films on this list, though some are considered controversial.
‘Eraserhead’ (1977)
“Eraserhead” stars Jack Nance as Henry Spencer. Henry appears to be a (relatively) ordinary man, but he and his girlfriend Mary (Charlotte Stewart) have given birth to a creature that is anything but ordinary. The inhuman creature eventually drives Mary to leave Henry, leaving him alone to care for the strange creature.
This movie is arguably the least accessible of Lynch’s films, but might almost be the most “Lynchian.” An examination of sex and parenthood, this black-and-white horror movie cannot be described as anything other than surreal. However, it is also impeccably made, with incredible body horror elements and a layered, emotive use sound that attempts to put the viewer on edge or in a state of confusion. “Eraserhead” is a movie that can certainly be interpreted in many ways, but for those who love something avant-garde, it’s a great examination of the “Lynchian” ideal.
Stream it now on Max
‘Dune’ (1984)
“Dune” stars Kyle MacLachlan as Paul Atredies, heir to the great noble house of Atredies. Based on the 1965 novel by Frank Herbert, this epic science fiction opera follows the struggle between House Atredies and House Harkonnen on the planet Arrakis, otherwise known as Dune.
Of course, I don’t need to explain “Dune” to many of you at this point, because of the success of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptations of the same novel. But unlike Villeneuve, Lynch chose to adapt the entire book in one movie … to mixed results. Ultimately, the movie is worth watching from the perspective of seeing Lynch’s version of the story and its (admittedly dated) visual effects. I won’t pretend for a second it’s better than Villeneuve’s adaptations, but if you want to see what happens when an artist like Lynch goes mainstream, “Dune” is the perfect example.
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‘Blue Velvet’ (1986)
OK, so far we’ve covered Lynch’s most out-there movie and most mainstream movie. Now, we’re onto one of his best. This neo-noir thriller stars Kyle MacLachlan as Jeffrey Beaumont, a college student who has returned home to the suburbs in North Carolina. He finds a severed human ear in a parking lot and from there is thrust into a criminal conspiracy with a lounge singer named Dorothy (Isabella Rossellini) at the center.
“Blue Velvet” might be the most engaging of Lynch’s movies. The sadomasochistic romance between Jeffrey and Dorothy is something that makes “Babygirl” look tame and Dennis Hopper as Frank Booth puts on an incredible performance as gangster Frank Booth. And in classic Lynch fashion, it’s a technical masterpiece and garnered a fair amount of awards, including a Best Director nomination for Lynch.
Stream it now on Max
‘Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me’ (1992)
“Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me” is the prequel film to the acclaimed TV show “Twin Peaks” created by Lynch for ABC. The good news is that means you don’t need to have seen the original series to watch this movie. However, if you want (it will probably help) you can watch the first two seasons of “Twin Peaks” on Pluto TV for free.
In the TV series, FBI special agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) is tasked with investigating the mysterious murder of local teenager Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) in Twin Peaks, a fictional town in the Pacific Northwest. In this prequel, we meet both prior to the events of Laura’s death, and their paths are largely divergent in this movie. Agent Cooper is largely the focus of the first part of the movie, which centers around the murder investigation of teenager Teresa Banks, while the last days of Laura are the focus of the rest of the film. In Lynchian fashion, there are plenty of supernatural and surreal elements to this dark and twisted story, which some now consider one of Lynch’s greatest works.
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‘Lost Highway’ (1997)
“Lost Highway” stars Bill Pullman as jazz saxophonist Fred Madison. Fred’s life goes down a dark and twisted path when he starts receiving mysterious videotapes of him and his wife (Patricia Arquette) inside their home and has unnerving encounters with a mystery man (Robert Blake). He ultimately snaps, but while on death row he is mysteriously swapped with a young mechanic named (Balthazar Getty) who leads an entirely different life. What follows is a surreal thriller where time does not operate in a linear fashion.
Weirdly, despite the genuinely iconic Lynch films on this list, this is the one I always think of first, and for two reasons. First, the score and soundtrack are excellent, with Nine Inch Nail’s frontman Trent Reznor heavily involved in both. Second, the scene where Fred meets The Mystery Man at the party is incredible and one I just cannot get out of my head.
Buy or rent it now from Amazon or Apple TV
‘Mulholland Drive’ (2001)
If you asked most people what David Lynch’s best movie was, it’d either be “Blue Velvet” or this neo-noir mystery. “Mulholland Drive” stars Naomi Watts as Betty Elms, an aspiring actress newly arrived in Los Angeles. She arrives at an apartment loaned to her by her aunt only to discover an amnesiac woman (Laura Harring) who claims she’s in danger.
What follows is a movie constructed through a series of vignettes, that include stories centered around these two and Hollywood director Adam Kesher (Justin Theroux), as well as a mysterious woman Diane Selwyn and an unknown actress named Camilla Rhodes. In true Lynchian fashion, there are surreal dream sequences and it’s impeccably crafted. Once you get to the end, it’ll be impossible to not think about what you’ve just watched, and I promise that’s a good thing.
Buy or rent it now from Amazon or Apple TV
‘Inland Empire’ (2006)
Incredibly, this was the last movie ever made by David Lynch. In fact, Lynch only made 10 feature-length films, of which seven are on this list. It’s a testament to his skill that most of these are considered masterpieces, even if they were not at the time.
“Inland Empire,” unsurprisingly, does not deviate from Lynch’s flair for the weird. This surreal psychological horror movie stars Laura Dern as actress Nikki Grace, who is the star of the fictional movie “On High in Blue Tomorrows.” However, it’s revealed that this movie is actually a remake of an unfinished German film “47,” which is adapted from a supposedly cursed Polish folktale. As the production goes on, it seems this curse could be real, as Nikki starts to take on the personality of her character Sue Blue. More surreal than some of Lynch’s best works, it’s still undeniably a brilliantly made film in terms of the technical side of filmmaking, as Lynch shot the entire movie with a low-resolution handheld Sony digital camcorder.
Stream it now on Max
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