The Six Most Messed Up Moments In David Lynch Movies

Mulholland Drive: The Dream at the Diner Scene

Ok, so if this was a “scariest” list, I would most likely have this scene at the top. Every single frame of this scene you can feel it building to something bigger and more sinister. And that single moment when you realize that the dream he was describing is slowly coming true, you start to feel the apprehension that the Dan character feels. We can feel his pulse racing. We can feel him KNOWING he shouldn’t do it, but ofcourse, he does it.

That look, like he knows he may have just perpetuated his own demise.

He goes behind the diner.

And I still shudder when I see this scene.

“Shudder” is how I spell shit my pants.

I have paused it perfectly when you see “it”, and “it” is no less unsettling frozen as it is in a passing.

I mean, that is how bad the scene messed me up. I viewed it again and made sure I paused it as soon as the “living nightmare” appears. I did this in hopes it would look silly and would not haunt my dreams like some nomadic parasite, living off my inside tears. Those are the tears I only weep when no one is around.

Inside tears.

Sadly, the thing is even scarier when paused. That gives it time to look into your SOUL.

Inland Empire: The Bunny Scene

There are usually roughly ten other scenes in this film that readers would have put on this list instead of this scene, but I have brought this scene up before, and there are a few things that potentially make me feel a bit more connected to it than you guys.

The first one is this, and no, I am not a furry. I use to live in a really bad part of town, and trolling people was sometimes the only way you could stay alive. Alright, there may have been an exxageration in there, but you get my gist.

The other reason I feel an attachment to the bunny scene is because of a good friend of mine, my pet drawrf bunny, named Trix Nasty (that is her rap name). I am so lame that I will now include a pic:

Yes, my bunny is freakishly cute. And my bedspread is decidedly fractal.

So as you see, I think bunnies and rabbits are awesome. So when they are standing around, portraying sitcom tropes in an unsettling manner, it just sticks to my bones.

Even the coloring and tone to this scene makes me queasy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jSBVo59j9U&feature=related

I know some people find this scene more odd than messed up, but couldn’t that be said about a lot of what Lynch does? Nah, it’s all pretty messed up, actually.

And a close second to the rabbit scene, is the “Room 47″ scene, which is super creepy as well. Admit it, though. If ANYONE but Lynch made this film, they would have been laughed at. I love David Lynch and even I can say that. No one else could have pulled this stuff off. And Lynch does it with ease.

This bunny scene from Inland Empire simply reiterates that whole ” I am in an uncomfortable situation but can do little to change that right now” feeling that all his best moments exude.

Twin Peaks: David Bowie and the Backwards Midget

I think the whole idea of Twin Peaks was brilliant, beginning to end. And I, unlike most, really enjoyed the ending. Yes, it was a slow build. And granted, the payoff was not as epic as it should have been, but it was typical ball twisting madness, and I think the idea of using various forms of media to tell the story was brilliant as well.

I never told anyone this, but I killed Laura Palmer.

The movie was more of a companion piece to the show, and did little in the way of providing people the answers they were looking for, but in typical Lynchian fashion, there are some mindf*ck moments.

Like this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jrof3j72EpA

Anytime you see late 80’s era  David Bowie, you know something good is going to happen.

And again, this is another scene that makes you feel like you were dosed with dirty brown acid and tossed inside one of your nightmares.

Twin Peaks was a convoluted story steeped in vague, unsettling mystery, but it was truly engrossing for all of those reasons. Plus, I still think about the backwards talking midget far more than any normal person should.

Actually, between that and the bunny suit I have, I really should seek therapy.

I am like a David Lynch character come to life.

Honorable Mentions:

When Naomi Watts “cry-sturbates™” in Mulholland Dr. Did I just trademark the term “cry-sturbates™”? Yes. Yes I did.

The monologue scene by Laura Dern in Inland Empire. There is just an intensity that only David Lynch can summon in Laura Dern, and it shines in this film. And especially, in this scene.

The ” I am not an ANIMAL” scene from Elephant Man. This scene is messed up moreso for showing humans capacity to be so cruel to someone who is different. So much emotion. A truly heart breaking film. And more insight into just how deep a well of emotion David Lynch was willing to draw from.

And finally, a dishonorable mention for how bad Dune was.

Dune is the reason why Lynch doesn’t do summer movies or blockbusters. Because when he tries to do what people tell him, it doesn’t work. When he follows himself and his instinct and does what he feels, it is amazing just what the man can do.

And on top of it all, the man is incredibly interesting and effortlessly cool.

And if your mind wasn’t blown enough by this guy already, why don’t you dip on over to his website right here and buy his album.

Yes, I said album.

True geniuses never find comfort in mastering one medium and that is what makes even geniuses sometimes transcend into pioneers. And that ultimately ends up being what David Lynch has become. More than a director or writer, he has become a pioneer. Braving a bold new cinematic landscape filled with nightmarish visions that some of us find quite beautiful, actually.