"Although David Lynch worked on four other films during the five years he labored to put together this one, "Eraserhead" was his first signature achievement. He was 31 when it was released in 1977. This "dream of dark and troubling things," as its creator described it, concerns Henry Spencer, a young man who lives in what seems to be an abandoned building in a heavily industrial area surrounded by constantly-running machines and noise. The lights flicker on and off, there are bowls of water in his drawers, and he watches the Lady in the Radiator sing about finding happiness in heaven. His girlfriend Mary X has spastic fits, and eventually gives birth to a nightmare mutant baby. This starkly-shot black-and-white film is sui generis and unforgettable, like being tossed into the middle of someone else's bad dream or acid trip, and reportedly was one of Stanley Kubrick's favorites."
David Loftus, Resident Eraserhead Scholar
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie Actual chase scenes or violence - 10% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 85%
**Fantasy or Science Fiction?**
- fantasy story on present day Earth
Inner Struggle
Yes
Plotlet:
- search for identity/new understanding
Family Relations
Yes
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
Body type
- average (man)
Events of movie makes character more...
- irritated
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor?
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- none
- general circumstances
Setting
Earth setting:
- 20th century (1970's to Present)
- Polluted
- Post-disaster
Takes place on Earth?
Yes
Big cities?
Yes
Kind of city
- Dirty, crime-ridden (like NY)
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- explicit references to deaths
Tone of movie
- depressed/sad
- fearful
Check here if B&W
Yes
Kinds of F/X
- Things that change shape/morph
- exotic aliens
- nasty human transformations
