Remembering David Lynch – His 5 Most Influential Works
We are early into 2025 and have already lost a great in the filmmaking business, David Lynch.
Lynch was a filmmaker, musician, artist, and actor who was known for his visionary work in film. He created highly surrealistic pieces that are still somehow so romantic, ethereal, and dreamlike. His movies and shows often explored horror themes that go deeper than a standard slasher or monster. He delves deep into the psyche and unpacks all these uncanny and complex emotions that make humans the multifaceted creatures that we are, so I suppose in a way, he is working with monsters. Lynch has influenced cinema since he debuted on the scene in 1977 and I can confidently say, there is no one like and will be no one like David Lynch. To honor Lynch’s passing, let’s take a look at his five most influential works.
Eraserhead (1977)
Eraserhead was Lynch’s directorial debut in 1977 that was a super low-budget film that really only circulated in the “midnight movie” crowd. While Erasherhead was not mainstream media, the midnight showings of this trippy and hallucinogenic film kept the film running for 2.5 and 3 years in New York and Los Angeles theaters. Because of this midnight success, David Lynch really got his start in Hollywood. Eraserhead is a surrealist body horror film that follows the trials and tribulations of a man who has a one-night stand, gets her pregnant, and then has to take on the responsibility of marrying her and raising their child.
Mulholland Drive (2001)
Lynch has received many Oscar Nominations in his years, but the success of Mulholland Drive gave him his third Oscar Nomination. Set in Hollywood, Mulholland Drive follows an aspiring actress from the Midwest as she encounters a woman who is left amnesiac after a car crash. Their meeting inspires the two of them to investigate the identity of the woman with amnesia, which transports them down a rabbit hole of mystery in a perfectly curated Hollywood setting.
Twin Peaks
I’m a little biased but I think Twin Peaks is the greatest television show to exist. Twin Peaks aired in 1990 and its brilliance was received more as absurdity at the time. The genre of Twin Peaks combines gothic horror, murder mystery, and comedy with a melodramatic flair. The show is about an FBI agent who travels to a small logging town to solve the murder of a seemingly perfect high school student. It’s David Lynch though, so nothing is as it seems. Twin Peaks spawned a prequel movie, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, and a resurgence of the original show, Twin Peaks: The Return.
Blue Velvet (1986)
Blue Velvet might be one of Lynch’s most unsettling films, and that’s what makes it so great. Blue Velvet is a neo-noir mystery that starts with a severed ear being found in a field and leads to finding the sinister and perverse side of small-town America. There are underground nightclubs, gas inhalants, psychopathic kidnappers, and lots of feathers. It’s weird, but it earned Lynch his second Oscar Nomination for Best Director.
The Elephant Man (1980)
The Elephant Man was nominated for eight Academy Awards and remains probably the most mainstream success that Lynch has had. The story is tragic and has the most beautiful black-and-white cinematography. The Elephant Man is about a man with a congenital disorder earning his money at a sideshow. He is rescued from the mistreatment at the sideshow by a London surgeon who gives him a second chance at what would be considered a normal life.
