“Eraserhead” is very likely the most widely seen experimental, avant-garde, cult horror movie ever made.
That does not entail it is the best of its kind or even remotely widely loved.
It is the first feature film directed by David Lynch, and those who are a part of Lynch’s cult followers have not all made the journey beyond “Mulholland Dr.,” “Blue Velvet,” his TV series “Twin Peaks” or “The Elephant Man” to this film.
Those that have are equally polarized to its meaning and to its appeal.
While many today embrace “Blue Velvet” as a masterpiece, there was a time when it was released where critics either heralded it as a masterpiece or shunned it as one of the most shockingly manipulative films ever made. That film earned remarkable critical attention back in 1986, making it the most controversial film of the ’80s, and then it achieved cult blockbuster status in midnight screenings around the country.
“Eraserhead” did not have such attention. It was released in 1977 to low reception at the box office and from critics, but it did begin to cement Lynch as a visual wizard. Continue reading “Rapid Response: Eraserhead”