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Updated 3 months ago,January 18, 2025
Its not an exaggeration to claim that the world has yet to see adirector as unfailingly original as David Lynch, who passed away on January 15, 2025, at the age of 78.
A prolific writer, director, musician, and avant-garde creative thinker, Lynchs unrivaled artistic energy informed many of his foremost works, ushering in unforgettable movies and TV shows such asBlue Velvet,Eraserhead,Mulholland Drive, andTwin Peaks.
Quite possibly the most celebratedsurrealistto break into mainstream cinema, Lynchs films continue to delight, terrify, and confound viewers across generations, earning him momentous praise for his influential contributions to the entertainment medium.
Wild at Heart
From introspective biopics to experimental psychological horror, here are several David Lynch movies we heartily recommend revisiting, ranked in order from worst to best.
7.
The Straight Story (1999)
Its ironic to think that one of David Lynchs overall best films also happens to be his most uncharacteristically normal.
Rather than incorporating macabre or unsettling visuals, Lynch instead focuses on the factual story of Alvin Straight, an Iowa farmer who journeyed cross-country on the back of his trusty lawnmower.
A rare feelgood story from Lynch,The Straight Storynevertheless demonstrated Lynchs zeal for handling a diverse range of subject matter, from the strange and unusual to the comic and family-friendly (as seen here).
6.
Buena Vista
Wild at Heart (1990)
Even by David Lynchs standards,Wild at Heartis a wild ride of a movie.
Infusing a wide array of influences into its overarching narrative,Wild at Heartappears as a nightmarish cross betweenThe Wizard of Oz,50s Elvis musicals, and lovers-on-the-run stories likeBonnie and ClydeorNatural Born Killers.Perversely funny one moment yet nauseatingly terrifying in the next, its bizarre thematic tone bears all the hallmarks of a stereotypical David Lynch film, from its random musical numbers to its occasional surrealist segues.
5.
The Samuel Goldwyn Company
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)
When it first arrived in theaters in 1992, most diehard fans ofTwin Peaksexpressed heartbroken disappointment atTwin Peaks: Fire Walk with Mes ambiguous narrative and … less than well-written dialogue.
In the decades since, Fire Walk with Mehas become a pivotal landmark inTwin Peakslarger universe, significantly tying into the continuity of the belatedTwin Peaks: The Return.With critical reviews having significantly warmed in recent years, many longtime viewers have reappraisedFire Walk with Mewith renewed appreciation, citing its once panned ambiguity as the movies ultimate strength.
4.
New Line Cinema
The Elephant Man (1980)
In many ways, David Lynch was the ideal director to handle a project as potentially disastrous as 1980sThe Elephant Man.
A gut-wrenching biopic centered around the life and death of Joseph Merrick, Lynch managed to create an endearing portrait about Merrick the man, rather than gratuitously focusing on his historical subjects physical deformities.
The results give way to a movie of luminous beauty and impactful emotion, juxtaposing Merricks wondrously kind soul with his monstrous treatment in Victorian England.
Paramount Pictures
3.
Eraserhead (1977)
The feature-length debut for Lynch,Eraserheadalso lives on as one of the most influential films of the 1970s.
The crown jewel of the contemporary midnight movie circuit, Lynch introduced a newfound level of experimental surrealism with his work onEraserhead, leaving audiences wracked with unease from its opening credits to its closing moments.
Libra Films
Posing far more questions as it does answers,Eraserheadcemented Lynch as a visionary young director to watch out for by the close of the 70s (something that became all the more apparent by the start of the next decade).
2.
Blue Velvet (1986)
Blue Velvetmight not have been Lynchs first film, but itisthe movie that launched him to glorious new heights in the film industry.
De Laurentiis Entertainment Group
Rebounding from the critical failure of 1984sDune, Lynch set his sights on a film he felt more comfortable making, returning him to the darker roots ofEraserheadandThe Elephant Man.
Sprinkling together surrealism, 50s noir, small-town suburbia, and steamier eroticism into one tightly-wound package, Lynch conjured up one of the most visually striking and narratively arresting films of the 1980s withBlue Velvet.
1.
Universal Pictures
Mulholland Drive (2001)
A return to form for Lynch following the mixed reception of his late 90s work, Mulholland Driveis quite possibly among the most original films Lynch has ever created (an assessment that, when compared toEraserhead, isnt meant to be taken lightly).
Alternating between several branching storylines each more enigmatic than the last Lynch brilliantly explores the darker side of the film industry withMulholland Drive, illustrating the ethereal divide between the Hollywood of our dreams and the Hollywood of our deepest nightmares.
An ambitious neo-noir mystery marked by Lynchs signature dose of surrealism, its a claustrophobic horror thriller the likes of which audiences had never seen before and have yet to see since.
