'Eraserhead'

[9]

Anybody seen David Lynch's 1977 film called 'Eraserhead'? I was discussing it with a coworker this morning, who saw it a long time ago and said she quit watching half way through because she thought it was stupid and boring and not scary at all. I watched it a couple years ago and it was categorically the most horrifying film I have ever seen in my life. It is in a very strange way though, that bears absolutely no resemblance the cheap shock fear of mainstream horror movies. It is impossible to even describe what I mean really, other than to say it is the perfect encapsulation of the surreal terror that accompanies e.g. a bad psilocybin trip, which is a pretty useless description for anyone who hasn't had that experience, but it is the best I can offer.

What do people here think of the film?

[Jazzhands]

It's a weird film, make no mistake. There are weird films like 2001, but then there's this. It's a product of the subconscious. That's why there's no plot. It develops images that probably mean something, but it doesn't mean you can make sense of it in the same way as other films. It's like the Max Headroom intrusion broadcaster. Actually, not really. That guy was just completely insane.

[Lenina Rosenweg]

I saw it as futuristic. Its the alienation and artificiality of capitalism carried to further extremes. There's unintentional (or maybe intentional) humor. In the dinner scene, after the synthetic chicken or whatever it is starts starts kicking no one (understandibly) wants to touch it. A while later the father (?) says, "Dinner's getting mighty cold!" Wierd.

The fetus thing was disturbing. I had several bad dreams about that.

[Foldered]

I love it. It was definitely weird, but not disturbing for me (watch Peter Greenaway's A Zed & Two Naughts if you want disturbing). The chicken scene was epic, same with the fetus.

[Chimurenga.]

It's pretty fantastic.

[9]

I saw it as futuristic. Its the alienation and artificiality of capitalism carried to further extremes.

Yeah, this is sort of what I'd wanted to express in the OP but couldn't figure out how to articulate.

[howblackisyourflag]

Brilliant film. Its based on the directors early 20's, he had a baby and considered suicide because he didnt like the world he was living in, although obviously only the film character carries it out.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Brilliant film. Its based on the directors early 20's, he had a baby and considered suicide because he didnt like the world he was living in, although obviously only the film character carries it out.

Yeah, I was just about to point that out...David Lynch says that the film is mostly about the crisis of fatherhood, or something.

It's a good film, but he did much better latter on in his career, namely Blue Velvet and Mulholland Dr. which are two of my favorite films.

[Foldered]

It's a good film, but he did much better latter on in his career, namely Blue Velvet and Mulholland Dr. which are two of my favorite films.
Those are my two favourites also. Blue Velvet is simply awesome.

[9]

Yeah, I was just about to point that out...David Lynch says that the film is mostly about the crisis of fatherhood, or something.

I think there is much, much more to it than that, though, even if David Lynch himself doesn't realize it :P
Wiki's plot description (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eraserhead#Plot) is useful to show how it alludes to, to quote an earlier poster's comment, "the alienation and artificiality of capitalism", and I think one of the most important scenes in that respect is the dream sequence:



Originally Posted by wiki
Henry's head sinks into a growing pool of blood on a tile floor, falls from the sky, and, finally, lands on an empty street and cracks open. A young boy finds Henry's broken head and takes it to a pencil factory, where Paul, the desk clerk, summons his ill-tempered boss to the front desk by repeatedly pushing a buzzer. The boss, angered by the summons, yells at Paul, but regains his composure when he sees what the little boy has brought. The boss and the boy carry the head to a back room where the Pencil Machine Operator takes a core sample of Henry's brain, assays it, and determines that it is a serviceable material for pencil erasers. The boy is then paid for bringing in Henry's head. The Pencil Machine Operator then sweeps the eraser shavings off of the desk and sends them billowing into the air.

[Antifa94]

MY GOD ONE OF MY FAVORITE FILMS
I wrote a really long anti-capitalist freudo-marxist interpretation of it and I will summarize it shortly

[KC]

Meh I used to be really into David Lynch but it sort of wore down over time. Sure his style and films are pretty good, but nowhere near as good as I used to think they were. I think they're pretty pretentious nowadays, but still watch them because they're good.

People read into them too much, though; I think his films are a good representation of how something can be really good without actually having meaning, and that they show how silly it is to look for meaning in everything. Sometimes the point isn't a meaning but rather a feeling or an overall mood, or simply an experience, and I think a lot of people miss out on the deeper aspects of his films because they're too busy searching for meaning and trying to figure out what isn't possible to figure out.

[RadioRaheem84]

Eraserhead was pretty weird, but most of David Lynch's films are weird. Even his tame ones like Twin Peaks have a weird vibe to them that makes the audience really uncomfortable.

Watch Inland Empire and tell me what you think.

[Foldered]

Watch Inland Empire and tell me what you think.
I only got through about half of it (it's like 3 hours long!) on account of being stoned and falling asleep. That being said, it's definitely uncomfortable.

[howblackisyourflag]

Eraserhead was pretty weird, but most of David Lynch's films are weird. Even his tame ones like Twin Peaks have a weird vibe to them that makes the audience really uncomfortable.

Watch Inland Empire and tell me what you think.

INLAND EMPIRE is an ok film with some brilliant moments, the best description I heard of it was that 'its a drive into deepest Lynchistan without a map'.