Would you believe there are people who do not understand what the hell is going on in a David Lynch movie? Then perhaps you should feast your eyes upon this video of actual human beings walking out of a first-run screening of Eraserhead, circa 1977—in case that wasn’t immediately evident by the parade of facial and cranial hair choices:
Lynch—like most cult filmmakers—has certainly developed a devout following, and his works have become more appreciated and understood in the years since their initial release. Eraserhead, his first feature, is a great example of a film that is more beloved now than it was back in 1977—unless we’re talking about the two complete heroes in this clip who had already seen Eraserhead multiple times in the theater. Don’t be too impressed by the guy who just walked out of his fifth screening because two seconds later, along comes an Alpha Lynch Fan who just saw Eraserhead for the eighth time.
The rest of the reactions are predictably baffled. There’s a lot of “Ugh” and “horrible” from men (and it’s all men) who will go to their graves never knowing the pure cerebral joy of truly appreciating the lady in the radiator singing “In Heaven” and stomping on sperm creatures.