In a way, all filmmakers are unique, but David Lynch was the one-of-a-kind auteur whose idiosyncratic style and voice were so distinctly his own that they are truly impossible to even approximate. After all, it takes someone truly special to become an adjective, and the quality of being “Lynchian” — movies that are similar to the surreal, macabre, and dreamlike atmosphere of the director’s work — is special indeed.
Not all Lynch films were made equal, though. Though he was arguably the most important exponent of cinematic surrealism since Luis Buñuel, Lynch applied a varying degree of weirdness to his movies. Going from the entirely straightforward to the impenetrably bizarre, his films are definitely on a scale of surrealism that makes exploring his whole filmography quite the journey.
10
‘The Straight Story’ (1999)
A family-friendly Disney movie directed by David Lynch? Yes, please! Though stripped entirely of Lynch’s dreamlike weirdness—or perhaps particularly because of that—, the auteur once called this his most experimental film. A biopic drama about a man’s journey across Iowa and Wisconsin on a lawn mower, it’s the only Lynch film to have received a G rating from the MPAA.
The Straight Story may have no surrealistic qualities, but it still manages to be one of Lynch’s strongest movies. Emotionally stirring and full of great performances, Richard Farnsworth‘s Oscar-nominated lead turn in particular, it’s a beautifully tender and sentimental character piece with a tear-jerking ending. With a delightful Americana aesthetic and a story as sweet as they come, it’s perfect for those who have never seen a Lynch film and would like an entirely non-offbeat place to start.
9
‘The Elephant Man’ (1980)
There are some quiet moments of subdued surrealism in Lynch’s second feature film, but The Elephant Man is nevertheless another one of the director’s non-surrealistic movies. It’s another biopic, this one loosely based on the life of Joseph Merrick. Slow-burning and in beautiful black and white, it has a level of love and compassion for its characters that only a director like Lynch could have achieved.
It’s also one of the most soul-crushing movies imaginable on occasion, but with a hopeful and life-affirming core that’s impossible to ignore. Some may call the film saccharine or exploitative, but for the most part, Lynch keeps things tender yet honest, with a John Hurt performance as Merrick that’s truly the stuff of legend. Besides, there’s enough surreal imagery here to satisfy the cravings of any fan without alienating more mainstream viewers.
8
‘Dune’ (1984)
Typically agreed to be Lynch’s worst film, Dune was deemed to be such a failure that it made it seem impossible to turn Frank Herbert‘s legendary novel into a worthy film (before Denis Villeneuve proved that belief wrong). There’s still plenty to offer here, though, especially for those not expecting a particularly faithful rendition of the book.
Lynch’s Dune isn’t really surrealistic so much as it is just weird. To be fair, Herbert’s books were already pretty odd to begin with, but Lynch adds a psychedelic quality to them that sometimes feels bold, sometimes misguided. Whether Dune is an atrocious insult to the source material or a misunderstood gem is up for debate, but what’s harder to argue about is that, while the movie isn’t without its fair share of bizarre elements, it isn’t super surreal in the strictest sense.
7
‘Blue Velvet’ (1986)
Blue Velvet‘s screenplay had been jumping around between execs’ hands in Hollywood for many years, since several major studios kept declining to get it made due to its strong sexual and violent content. That was, of course, until Lynch came along looking to make something more personal and surrealistic after Dune‘s failure. In comes one of the most notorious and divisive cult classics in history, with some absolutely adoring it and others absolutely despising it.
Nearly forty years later, many would call Blue Velvet one of the best thrillers of the ’80s. It’s packed with profound symbolism, extraordinarily offbeat acting, and perfectly calculated shock value. But for those looking to ease their way into full-on surreal Lynch with something that still obeys the rules of the real world somewhat, Blue Velvet is a marvelous gateway. The film is full of dreamlike moments and bizarre imagery, but it’s still a pretty legible drama structurally closer to a classic noir than an avant-garde piece.
6
‘Wild at Heart’ (1990)
Peculiarly enough, it was one of Lynch’s most divisive films (even among his fanbase) that won him the only Palme d’Or he ever won at the Cannes Film Festival: Wild at Heart, one of the best movies not streaming anywhere. Full of allusions to Elvis Presley and The Wizard of Oz, this timeless cult classic not only contains some of Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern‘s best work, but also some of Lynch’s most idiosyncratic direction.
We’re getting into proper head-twisting territory here. It’s a full-on soap opera with some of the most uneven use of Lynchisms in the director’s filmography, but that messiness still provides an awfully charming final product. Its reality feels more stable than usual for a Lynch movie, and the pop culture references certainly contribute to that. But make no mistake: Even the most middle-of-the-road Lynch film in terms of surrealistic qualities is still among the most delightfully weird movies ever made.
5
‘Mulholland Drive’ (2001)
Arguably Lynch’s most acclaimed film, Mulholland Drive may, indeed, be his very best. It’s a brilliant allegory full of critiques of the entertainment industry and the Hollywood Dream, along with comments on duality, identity, and sexuality. It’s definitely Lynch’s most mature and thematically layered movie, but the way it blurs fantasy and reality makes for a really head-scratching experience.
It’s a bit easier to restructure the reality of Mulholland Drive in one’s mind than that of Lynch’s more surreal efforts.
What starts out like more of a sweet melodrama suddenly starts to turn into an increasingly bizarre neo-noir, until the film’s reality collapses under its own weight and becomes a full-fledged nightmarish piece of surrealistic genius that recontextualizes everything that came before. It’s a bit easier to restructure the reality of Mulholland Drive in one’s mind than that of Lynch’s more surreal efforts, but it’s going to take several rewatches.
4
‘Lost Highway’ (1997)
Lost Highway crosses the midpoint of Lynchian surrealism in a way that still makes it mildly possible to pin down to a certain extent, but it’s no easy feat. In any case, why would one want to ruin such a perfectly moody and stylish neo-noir with pointless intellectualization? Lost Highway is, after all, one of Lynch’s most visually stunning films, as well as one of his most atmospheric.
The film employs Lynch’s signature blend of surrealism to make comments on things like masculinity, violence, and paranoia, replacing the audience’s traditional understanding of causality with nearly pure dream logic. Lost Highway never forbids explanation, but it certainly dodges it as much as it possibly can, abstracting both its themes and its emotional core in ways that are fascinating to analyze.
3
‘Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me’ (1992)
When it comes to TV shows created by movie directors, it hardly gets more iconic than Lynch’s Twin Peaks. One of the most iconic TV shows ever made, this surrealist horror-mystery drama follows the investigation of the murder of teenager Laura Palmer with the campy, uncanny tone that Lynch is well-known for. The show’s original run was followed by Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, a prequel with a tone wildly darker than that of the series.
Grim and stylish though it may be, however, Fire Walk With Me polarized both critics and fans upon release. With the years’ passage, however, it has arguably become Lynch’s biggest cult classic. Here, there aren’t just “surreal elements” like there are in the show. Instead, the surrealism is the movie. This oddity invades the very fabric of the reality holding Fire Walk With Me together, making the horrors of the story all the more hard-hitting.
2
‘Eraserhead’ (1977)
It’s genuinely astonishing that in his feature film debut, David Lynch made one of the greatest and most groundbreaking surrealistic films of all time: Eraserhead, a movie about the fears and anxieties of fatherhood that’s far harder to interpret than that blurb may make it sound. It may very well be one of the most bizarre films ever made, but it’s also undeniably one of the most atmospheric.
One of the most unique horror movies of all time, Eraserhead operates purely on a kind of dream logic that makes it feel more like a quiet waking nightmare. Everything about it, from the unearthly soundscapes to Jack Nance‘s offbeat performance, contributes something essential to the surreal atmosphere built by the director. There are no real-world rules to fall back on for tranquility here: We’re entirely immersed within the darkest, most exquisitely incomprehensible pits of Lynch’s subconscious here, and though the story’s emotional precision is undeniable, its logic is nearly impossible to fully pin down.
1
‘Inland Empire’ (2006)
There’s really no competition here. Lauded by some as his last magnum opus, yet derided by others as a failed experiment, Inland Empire was Lynch’s final feature film, and what a swan song it was. One of the most divisive fantasy movies of all time, this three-hour-long hallucination is undoubtedly Lynch’s weirdest, least welcoming, and most surreal outing. When exploring the filmmaker’s filmography, it’s probably best to leave this one for last.
Heady and impenetrable though it may intentionally be, however, Inland Empire is still a David Lynch film, which is to say, absolutely fascinating and thoroughly rewatch-worthy. There’s no baseline reality here, no linear plot of any kind. Raw in its visuals, terrifying in its atmosphere, and incredibly disorienting in its approach to storytelling (if you can even call it that at this level of surrealism), Inland Empire is the kind of film that makes it immediately clear it doesn’t want you to try and interpret it: It wants you to sit down, experience it, let it work its magic on you, and then go home with whatever queasy feeling you inevitably have in your stomach. One thing is certain: It’s an unforgettable ride.