# I just rented "Eraserhead" \[UNBOXED SPOILERS\]

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-rented-eraserhead-unboxed-spoilers/345909>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [February 24, 2006, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-rented-eraserhead-unboxed-spoilers/345909 "2006-02-24T09:51:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-rented-eraserhead-unboxed-spoilers/345909/1 "2006-02-24T09:51:36Z")

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Wow.

Just. Freaking. Wow.

‘Weird’ is to that movie as ‘heavy’ is to ten cubic feet of lead.

The move made no sense I could discern and I still kept watching it, just to see what Lynch would do next. The visuals were so new to me I simply couldn’t turn away. If any person could film a nightmare, or a series of nightmares, it’s Lynch. I have had dreams with some of the same qualities (growing apprehension, total incomprehensibility apparent even while I was dreaming, the disapproval of onlookers) as this film.

But never in my dreams have I cut open an unnatural monster that was supposedly my son, or watched a chipmunk-cheeked woman crush sperm (?) and giggle. The actual ‘eraserhead’ part of the movie was actually relatively normal.

I hope some of you have watched this movie as well. I may have to buy this one.

“In Heaven, everything is fine.”

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**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-rented-eraserhead-unboxed-spoilers/345909/2 "2006-02-24T10:00:43Z")

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A movie to buy so you have…and never watch.

If you haven’t seen The Elephant Man, it is probably one of the most heart-wrenching movies ever made.

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**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-rented-eraserhead-unboxed-spoilers/345909/3 "2006-02-24T10:21:03Z")

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**Sage Rat** : Maybe. I’d probably watch it again on my laptop a few times, if only to capture stills in Xine to use as background images and send through my screensavers. I’m pretty sure I’d watch it again on my big TV, however, with the lights off and no interruptions.

I’m going to work my way through the Lynch catalogue in time, with the help of my friendly neighborhood independent video rental place. I’m thinking of seeing _Blue Velvet_ next, however, but _The Elephant Man_ will be right after that. Maybe on the same night, if they’re both in at the same time.

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**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-rented-eraserhead-unboxed-spoilers/345909/4 "2006-02-24T11:36:54Z")

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> [@Derleth](#):
>
> Wow.
> 
> Just. Freaking. Wow.
> 
> ‘Weird’ is to that movie as ‘heavy’ is to ten cubic feet of lead.
> 
> The move made no sense I could discern and I still kept watching it, just to see what Lynch would do next. The visuals were so new to me I simply couldn’t turn away. If any person could film a nightmare, or a series of nightmares, it’s Lynch. I have had dreams with some of the same qualities (growing apprehension, total incomprehensibility apparent even while I was dreaming, the disapproval of onlookers) as this film.
> 
> But never in my dreams have I cut open an unnatural monster that was supposedly my son, or watched a chipmunk-cheeked woman crush sperm (?) and giggle. The actual ‘eraserhead’ part of the movie was actually relatively normal.
> 
> I hope some of you have watched this movie as well. I may have to buy this one.
> 
> “In Heaven, everything is fine.”

To me, the scariest thing about “Eraserhead” is that the woman who played Mary X - Charlotte Stewart - also played the schoolmarm Miss Beadle on “Little House On The Prairie” :eek: [Charlotte Stewart - IMDb](http://imdb.com/name/nm0829270/)  
VCNJ~

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**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-rented-eraserhead-unboxed-spoilers/345909/5 "2006-02-24T13:19:50Z")

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There’s a lengthy interpretation of **Eraserhead** in the special double issue edition of the magazine **Cinefantastique** that came out when Lynch’s version of **Dune** was released. Worth tracking down. It might even be on-line, for all I know.

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**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-rented-eraserhead-unboxed-spoilers/345909/6 "2006-02-24T13:31:10Z")

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I absolutely lovedtake **Elephant Man** , so, when some friends raved about the director’s first film, I gave it a shot at a midnight showing.

It’s horrible.

I don’t mean to crap in an appreciation thread, so I’ll just say I found it to be pretentious, plotless, annoying, poorly paced, and just plain stupid.

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**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-rented-eraserhead-unboxed-spoilers/345909/7 "2006-02-24T13:39:43Z")

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It’s not his first film – he did some shorts first that were highly acclaimed, but which I’ve never seen.

> **[David Lynch - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000186/)**
>
> David Lynch, Writer: Twin Peaks. Born in precisely the kind of small-town American setting so familiar from his films, David Lynch spent his childhood being shunted from one state to another as his research scientist father kept getting relocated. He...

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**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-rented-eraserhead-unboxed-spoilers/345909/8 "2006-02-24T14:29:47Z")

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I found Eraserhead very, very scary. I can’t even remember much about it (was the chipmunk woman inside a radiator or something?)  
I’m reminded of the line from the film _Crazy People_

This movie won’t just scare you, it will fuck you up for life

I won’t be watching it again, not even with the lights on.

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**Author:** ![Labtrash](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/labtrash/32/528_2.png) [@Labtrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labtrash)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-rented-eraserhead-unboxed-spoilers/345909/9 "2006-02-24T14:36:10Z")

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I just saw it for the first (and ONLY) time about 2 months ago.

My reaction was “WTF did I just watch???”

I did notice that I had heard some of the sound effects befiore (elevator, machinery) in videogames or creepy stuff online.

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**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-rented-eraserhead-unboxed-spoilers/345909/10 "2006-02-24T14:39:51Z")

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Couldn’t find the Cinefantastique analysis online, but here’s some stuff:

[http://www.geocities.com/~mikehartmann/papers/wolfe.html](http://www.geocities.com/~mikehartmann/papers/wolfe.html)

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eraserhead](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eraserhead)

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**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-rented-eraserhead-unboxed-spoilers/345909/11 "2006-02-24T15:04:05Z")

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I’m glad you got something out of it. I sure didn’t. I found it to be a confusing mess. But then again, I have never seen a Lynch film that I liked.

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**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-rented-eraserhead-unboxed-spoilers/345909/12 "2006-02-24T16:22:23Z")

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Brilliant. Masterpiece. It will be fresh and astonishing in 100 years.

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**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-rented-eraserhead-unboxed-spoilers/345909/13 "2006-02-24T16:44:54Z")

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> [@tdn](#):
>
> I’m glad you got something out of it. I sure didn’t. I found it to be a confusing mess. But then again, I have never seen a Lynch film that I liked.

Not even The Elephant Man ?

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**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-rented-eraserhead-unboxed-spoilers/345909/14 "2006-02-24T16:57:51Z")

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> [@Bippy the Beardless](#):
>
> Not even The Elephant Man ?

OK, one exception. But I didn’t like Dune, Blue Velvet, or…

Whatever else I’ve watched that I’ve forgotten about.

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**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-rented-eraserhead-unboxed-spoilers/345909/15 "2006-02-24T16:58:25Z")

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> [@tdn](#):
>
> I found it to be a confusing mess.

Bingo!

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**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-rented-eraserhead-unboxed-spoilers/345909/16 "2006-02-24T23:35:46Z")

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If you don’t like _Eraserhead_, why are you in here? Isn’t there anywhere more interesting for you to be right now?

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**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-rented-eraserhead-unboxed-spoilers/345909/17 "2006-02-24T23:37:04Z")

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Like it or not, understand it or not, _Eraserhead_ is a movie everyone should see at least once.

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**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2006, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-rented-eraserhead-unboxed-spoilers/345909/18 "2006-02-25T02:43:14Z")

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> [@Derleth](#):
>
> If you don’t like _Eraserhead_, why are you in here? Isn’t there anywhere more interesting for you to be right now?

Your main descriptor was “weird”, not “great”. Had I known you were only interested in a mutual masterbation session and only looking for positive reinforcement I wouldn’t have wasted your obviously precious time with my opinion.

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**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2006, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-rented-eraserhead-unboxed-spoilers/345909/19 "2006-02-25T12:42:55Z")

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\> TWEET!! \< ::: Moderator bloweth whistle :::

It is not inappropriate for someone to pop into a thread titled “I just rented [movie]”, read along and see that most people like it, and comment that he himself didn’t like it or didn’t understand it. That’s a perfectly reasonable comment.

**Derleth** , your thread title isn’t “Let’s all praise Eraserhead,” and your OP doesn’t say, “Let me hear how great this is.” Anyone reading the thread title and OP would reasonably assume you were asking for reactions, both pro and con: you yourself said “the movie made no sense.” **lissener** ’s comments are perfectly reasonable. Your response is out of line: you are challenging the poster, not what the poster says. This behavior is not permitted in Cafe Society forum.

And see what it led to? **Hamlet** , your second sentence is inappropriate. Trying to guess the motives of another poster is perilously close to personal insults.

So, play nice.

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**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2006, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-rented-eraserhead-unboxed-spoilers/345909/20 "2006-02-26T00:40:22Z")

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> [@tdn](#):
>
> I’m glad you got something out of it. I sure didn’t. I found it to be a confusing mess. But then again, I have never seen a Lynch film that I liked.

What about _The Straight Story_ ? Terrific, understated, touching, real, beautiful movie.

It _is_ the same director, right? It’s so different from his other stuff, I’m starting to doubt my own memory on this.

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