David Lynch Ranked

Hypnagogic Hallucinations

I have had a sleep disorder for many years where I experience hypnagogic hallucinations or what are sometimes called “waking dreams.” When I am between states of wake and sleep, I can see and hear things that are not real but are incredibly vivid and convincing. The things I see and hear are almost always nightmare material. I am convinced I am a robot and delete the Samsung TV remote app on my phone because I know it is somehow evil. I feel an earthquake, so I get on my shoes and run outside. Or I believe I somehow bought a car I was unaware of, and I am now in tons of credit card debt. Unlike dreams, I often remember these hallucinations as actual events and feel maybe I am peaking out of the simulation we are all in into the horrible real world on the other side.

For me, 2024 was the year of David Lynch. I watched Twin Peaks for the first time and saw the remaining four feature films of Lynch that I had not seen. I constantly checked Reddit and the news, hoping a new David Lynch project would be announced because, despite the fact I often have an objectively bad time watching most of his art, there is no other filmmaker who can use film to make me feel the same feelings as Lynch and I continue to crave that feeling.

The character of Bob in Twin Peaks and pretty much every second of Inland Empire, in particular, match the tone and feel of my hypnagogic hallucinations so precisely; it makes me feel a connection to Lynch and his work. His passing deeply saddens me. Despite how low I rate most of his films, he will always be one of my favorite directors. I will continue to revisit his work whenever I need a hit of that mundane and evil cocktail he serves so well.

Here is my ranking and thoughts on David Lynch’s 10 feature films, including Twin Peaks and Twin Peaks: The Return.

12. Eraserhead (1977)

Letterboxd Review

Wow the ability to make a 1h25min movie feel like a 3h movie is something to behold, but not my cup of tea.

David Lynch’s directorial debut is a surrealist nightmare about the horrors of being a dad and is my least favorite. However, after watching the documentary David Lynch: The Art Life (2016), I have more respect for it than I did when I first watched it. David Lynch was originally a painter, not a filmmaker, and was initially attracted to filmmaking because he wanted his horrifying paintings to move. When you see Eraserhead in that light, it makes sense why it is the way it is. I am a connoisseur of awkward dinner scenes in the film, and this has one of the all-time great awkward dinner scenes. The little chickens squirting out that goop has not left my mind since I saw this film.

I am not yet a parent, so I do not know if I will relate to the horror of parenting theme that is so prevalent in this film. When I have a child, I guess I will have to give this a rewatch. I don’t want to, but I will do what must be done.

11. Inland Empire (2006)

Letterboxd Review

The hypnogogic hallucinations that will come from me seeing the pure nightmare fuel that is the sitcom rabbits alone will generate enough garmonbozia for Bob and The Arm to be full for eternity.

We go from his first film to his last feature. Inland Empire is yet another surrealist nightmare about being and actress and is also about a bunch of other things I don’t understand. This film is unique and scratches that David Lynch itch like no other film on this list. However it is so disturbing I found it a very hard watch. The “creative” choice to film this on digital may make sense to some, but it does not make a whole lot of sense to me. It just kind of makes the film look cheap and dated to me. The rabbits and the dark hallway just off the pink living room are two images that seem harmless and mundane but haunt my dreams more than the entirety of Hereditary (2018) and Midsommar (2019) combined.

My favorite thing about this movie is that Terry Crews is in it. Can you imagine doing Idiocracy and Inland Empire in the same year? Now that is range.

10. Wild at Heart (1990)

Letterboxd Review

I have come to realize the things that I like about The Wizard of Oz are not even close to what David Lynch likes about The Wizard of Oz.

From what I can tell, Wild at Heart is Lynch’s stab at a fairy tale similar to the Wizard of Oz. He really cares about his love stories and wants you to see the love between his characters as genuine. I often find that a bit hard to do because the way he directs his actors is always so strange. The cast is the highlight for me. Willam Dafoe’s character is so disgusting in this. I don’t know how they did his teeth, but it is quite an impressive feat that had me squirming out of discomfort every time he was on screen. I don’t have too much to say about this one, as it does not have as many moments that have attached to the dark side of my brain as most his other work.

9. Dune (1984)

Letterboxd Review

Pros of this version: Alia is closer to how she is in the book, they cary pugs around for no reason.

Cons: pretty much everything else

I am a massive Dune head. I have read Dune, Dune Messiah, and am in the middle of Children of Dune I have seen both Denis Villeneuve versions of Dune multiple times. I have watched the mini-series and played the super complicated board game. I have even watched the Documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune (2013) and imagined what a horror show that version would have been. Lynch’s Dune falls somewhere toward the bottom of Dune adaptations, unfortunately. The movie is close to unwatchable if you have not read the book. I tried to watch it before I was a Dune head and had to turn it off.

If you can get past some of the effects, the worm-riding sequence, the rushed pace, the voice guns, and the awful ending, this iteration has some stuff to love. As a lover of the book, there are things that Lynch did more faithfully than Villeneuve did, and it’s a real hoot. The design of the Spacing Guild Navigators is excellent. Most of the makeup, production design, and costumes hold up. Lynch had the courage to represent what it looks like for the guild navigators to transport ships; I respect him for that. Having Alia be a book-accurate attack child is fantastic. It is so fun that the two kids Paul inherited after killing Jamis are in the background of many scenes, but obviously, they had their introduction cut for time. Tons of laughs can be had at some of the choices when watching this with a group of other Dune heads, so this is the first movie on this list I can recommend to some people.

8. Lost Highway (1997)

Letterboxd Review

Now the same question after watching every David Lynch movie: should I watch the YouTube explained video because I’m confused or not because David Lynch doesn’t want me to?

This is a solid David Lynch movie. It has aspects of Twin Peaks, Twin Peaks: The Return, Blue Velvet, and Inland Empire all rolled into one. So if you want to get a good feel for what most of his signature movies are like and don’t want to watch the more accessible Mulholland Drive, for some reason, this would not be a bad choice.

Forgive me for not explaining the plot of this movie because like most of his work it is difficult to describe, but I will try anyway. It is dreamlike and dark. It has many more questions than answers. David Lynch has a lot of thoughts he loves to explore about media consumption, crime, and the American Dream. Lost Highway seems to have the most overlap with his other projects, which makes me think that the ideas in this movie are some of his most important because of that repetition in different projects, most notably Twin Peaks: The Return

7. Blue Velvet (1986)

Letterboxd Review

I honestly can’t tell if this is a masterpiece or a stylized piece of trash.

Blue Velvet is the precursor to Twin Peaks in many ways. It proves why Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern are staples in his movies. They perfectly embody Lynchian ideas about innocence and its corruption. Isabella Rossellini and Dennis Hopper also embody the flip side of a Lynch story where darkness and evil have completely taken hold. Like all Lynch movies, this is not an easy watch but is the most concise example of what it means for a film to be Lynchian.

6. Mulholland Drive (2001)

Mulholland Drive was my introduction to David Lynch. I saw this movie in high school, so I am due for a rewatch. I was just starting my movie journey, and at the time, I remember saying I enjoyed watching the YouTube explained videos more than the movie. I was so amazed to watch something so weird and find out that all the things I found off about it, like the “bad acting,” were all intentional. Now that I have seen his entire filmography, revisiting this movie will be a real treat.

5. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)

Letterboxd Review

I have come to realize the things that I like about Twin Peaks are not even close to what David Lynch likes about Twin Peaks.

If, for some crazy reason, this is your introduction to Twin Peaks, let me give you a very brief history. In 1989, David Lynch and Mark Frost created the pilot episode of Twin Peaks, a detective crime show about the death of high school student Laura Palmer in the small northeast town of Twin Peaks. The show follows FBI agent Dale Cooper, played to perfection by Kyle MacLachlan, as he investigates the murder with the local law enforcement. David Lynch did not want to make the show about a murder of the week like other crime shows. He wanted to realistically show what a murder like this would do to a small town and focus on the effects of the whole show.

ABC canceled the TV show after 2 seasons. Shortly after the show ended, David Lynch directed Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me a prequel to the show that depicts the events of Laura Palmer’s death. Then many, many years later in 2017 the long-awaited third season of Twin Peaks was made by Showtime and released as Twin Peaks: The Return. I highly recommend watching all three projects in the order they were released. That recommendation comes with the disclaimer that David Lynch is not for everyone and you might be better off watching none of Twin Peaks. My least favorite of the three Twin Peak dishes is the prequel: Fire Walk with Me only because it is one of the hardest movie-watching experiences of my life.

David Lynch making me feel dread, fear, and confusion is normal, but Fire Walk with Me is the only David Lynch project that has made me cry. While this movie messed me up in so many ways, I am glad it exists. Without it, we would never have the outstanding performance of Sheryl Lee as Laura Palmer. Most of the events in this movie are discovered in the first two seasons of the show. However, watching goofy detectives uncover what happened is one thing. Watching the horrible crimes take place is another. It should make you feel sick to enjoy procedural crime stories because behind every engaging mystery and investigation is a real horrific murder that happened to a human being, no matter how flawed. I think this is a must-watch if you have seen the first two seasons, but it is one I don’t think I could watch again.

4. Twin Peaks: The Return (2017)

Letterboxd Review

If I just focus on the coffee, cherry pie and Wally Brando, the world seems okay.

If I focus on anything else I go insane.

We are blessed that the season two finale of Twin Peaks and Fire Walk with Me were not the last things we got in that world. The third season of Twin Peaks is a wild ride. It is the last big project we got from the legend and has much to digest. I don’t want to say too much about it here because It deserves its own article. The fact I am considering re-watching it is high praise, given that my time budget for TV is so low. The best comparison I can do right now is Twin Peaks is to Twin Peaks: The Return as Gremlins is to Gremlins 2: The New Batch.

3. Twin Peaks (1990 - 1991)

I go back and forth on whether I like the original Twin Peaks or The Return better. For now, I am saying the original show is better just because it is one of my biggest creative inspirations. I love so much about this show despite the fact that while I was watching it, I was having an all-time high number of hypnagogic hallucinations. The score is amazing and haunting and sets the mood for the show. The characters are all so well realized. Not to mention, Dale Cooper and Sherrif Truman are candidates for the best TV Duo of all time. The show is also surprisingly hilarious in moments. The llama moment pictured above is my favorite. David Lynch’s character has a lot of great lines. The show seamlessly balances tones of tragedy, horror, romance, and comedy. It is a bummer that a section of season 2 is such a drag and David Lynch was not involved for all those episodes. The show is so influential in a culture that it’s probably worth a watch if you have not. As I always say, “Life is broken down into two phases: Pre Twin Peaks and Post Twin Peaks.”

2. The Elephant Man (1980)

Letterboxd Review

I’ve seen a lot of “classic” movies and have been very underwhelmed. However this one is worthy of the praise! I was very touched by the story of John Merrick, even shedding a few tears.

When I said Fire Walk with Me is the only David Lynch project that has made me cry, I lied. This movie also pulled at my heartstrings quite a bit. This is a touching movie about a man who is deemed a monster because of his disfigured appearance but is actually just a person who deserves love like anyone else. That might sound cheesy but its not its still has enough Lynch to make it fun. Going through Lynch’s Filmography can be pretty rough, so hold onto this one for a moment when you might need a lift because while there are parts of this that show the darkness of humankind, there is also a bit of hope sprinkled throughout. I am so impressed a film like The Elephant Man exists in Lynch’s Filmography. It shows a great director can have a distinct style but also have range and is not beholden to one tone or type of story.

1. The Straight Story (1999)

Letterboxd Review

This is a movie about a guy in Iowa, I am also a guy in Iowa, no relation.

The last movie on this list is the least dark and most straightforward (no pun intended) of all his movies. It is about an older man who does not have a driver’s license but drives across Iowa on his lawn mower to try to reconcile with his brother before he dies. It is a heartwarming story, and it is missing most of the trademark tragedy and darkness in his other films. Because I am from Iowa, this movie hits close to home on a personal level. It is the only David Lynch project that I recommend to anyone without caveats, it is even family-friendly.

Is it disrespectful of me to like the most optimistic of all Lynch films the most? Of course not. David Lynch was not a pessimist. Darkness in the world could not exist without the light. I think the reason most of Lynch’s projects were so dark and disturbing is because so much film and TV media focuses on the wrong parts of crime and tragedy.

Let me give you an example. I recently watched the mini-series The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story. This was a great show. The performances were all great. I was entertained. I had a great time. Now, if David Lynch read my review of this series, I do not think he would have been happy with me or the show. I watched 10+ hours of this show and did not ever really feel that uncomfortable. I was not forced to reckon with the reality of what it felt like to be the people who O.J. killed. The show was so well done, but I felt more uncomfortable watching the sitcom Rabbits in Inland Empire than I did watching the true story of people who were murdered in the world I live in. Why did I cry real tears over the fake Laura Palmer when what happened to Nicole Brown Simpson is dangerously close to the same, and I shed no tears?

I’d like to believe that if the media we consumed gave us a less sensationalized view of violence and crime most of David Lynch’s movies would have been more like The Straight Story. A gross oversimplification of one of his goals as an artist was to take a realistic view of our world. He shows us how dark the darkness is, but the normal good things about life, like love and relationships with friends or family, are just as prevalent as the darkness. Something as simple as driving across Iowa on a lawn mower, enjoying pie at a diner, and being with the people you love is just as much a David Lynch story as the rest of his work. Amazingly, Lynch was able to make movies that terrify me to my core and also make me laugh, cry, and remind me of home. It is so sad to lose a legend like him, and I will continue to rewatch his work for the rest of my life.