Can someone please scrub away the image of Eraserhead from my brain? I’ll pay you
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Has anyone here seen the movie “Eraserhead?” It’s a crazy, crazy movie from David Lynch that basically scarred me for life as I still have images floating around in my head from more than 20 years ago.
Side note: I just hit publish by accident and then immediately deleted this post. I can’t wait to see if it appears in my Google Reader. If so, I had an itchy trigger finger. Sorry about that.
Back to the movie. (Shudders.)
I was a freshman in college and my roommate Tonya (hey Tonya, how you doin’?) said there was a great movie playing on campus. I’m pretty sure each weekend there were free movies on campus in a lecture hall. You used your dorm meal card as your ticket. So one weekend “Erasherhead” was showing and Tonya insisted that it was something I had to see.
I think she was a David Lynch fan.
Anyway, we went to see it and it was mental overload for me. I seriously can’t remember all of the plot and I have no memory of Tonya’s review or explanation after the movie.
What I recall is that the movie was in black and white and the guy, Eraserhead, had crazy tall hair like Kramer from Seinfeld. This guy somehow got married to a chick who had a super freaky baby.
I don’t think he was the father of the baby but they got married anyway and that baby was like a crazy alien head with the body wrapped in mummy bandages.
The guy was afraid of the baby, like I was, but he had to take care of it. The baby cried and cried and I remember wanting to shoot the baby to make the crying stop.
You may recall, in high school and college I was not a fan of babies and I never wanted children. Ever. I told anyone who would listen that I wanted a hysterectomy for Christmas. And as you know, I now have three kids. You can’t run from karma, can you?
Eventually the guy in the movie used scissors to cut the bandages open and the baby bled and bled. Auugghhh! That’s what I remember.
I had to go to Wikipedia to see what the rest of the movie was about. It’s all crazy disjointed stuff and has a long plot summary.
The things I did not remember include the fact that the girlfriend was stressed and overly tired so she abandoned him and the baby. He had super bizarre experiences like watching a scary looking woman dancing in his radiator and a sexual tryst with a beautiful woman who lived across the hall.
Um, who babysat while he and the chick across the hall went at it?
Somewhere in all of this he dreamt his head fell off and it was used at a pencil factory to create pencil erasers. WTF?
Later he saw the neighbor in the hall returning home with another man. When she saw him she was terrified because she saw an image of the baby in Eraserhead’s face.
That’s when he went back and cut the baby’s bandages open and killed the baby. It bled and bled and the world exploded. Fade to black.
Okay, so since I had my first kid I have randomly had images of that crazy alien baby when looking at my own child swaddled in a receiving blanket. It’s a very disturbing image as you can imagine and it freaks me out.
I hated that movie, I don’t understand what it’s about and I wish David Lynch never made it.
Have you seen it? Can you explain the artistic vision to me or can you provide the Blue Pill from “The Matrix” so I can remove the images from my head once and for all?
Thanks for your help in this matter.
Criminy–it’s like one of your random journal entries! It’s just all over the place! What kind of movie is that?? No, I didn’t see it and I don’t think it’s gonna be on the rent list this weekend.
We used to watch Woody Allen movies in college. To this day, I laugh out loud at and quote his movies. You either love the guy or hate him. I’m in for the love. Well, not him–just his movies.
I’m not a Woody Allen fan, which is odd considering how neurotic I am. You’d think I’d find a kindred soul. I just don’t get him.
And I believe you will live a better life for never having seen this movie. I purposely did not post the picture of the baby thing because it’s really gross.
Wow that sounds like a very crazy movie!! I’m glad I never saw it. I would ask my bf (Mr. Block Buster himself) if he’s seen it. However if I did that, my luck would be that he would have seen it and actually has a copy of it. He would then show up at my house with it and make me watch it. He has this habit of bringing these really crazy, bizarre, creepy movies for me to watch and telling me that I really have to see it because it is a “Buf” movie. For example he brought over American Beauty (I think it was that one with someone who found a severed ear at the beginning). After I watch the freaking thing and get thoroughly freaked/grossed out, I always ask him why he thought this was a “Buf” movie! He basically just laughs at me at that point and acts all innocent…lol Actually I’ve never really gotten a good answer to that question…lol So I assume that part of him must think I am so sort of deranged psycho. But apparently he must like deranged psychos because we’ve been together 7 or 8 years now…lol
There was a severed ear found at the beginning of Blue Velvet – which is ALSO a David Lynch film!
Blue Velvet that was it…I get them confused…lol It explains alot that it was also a David Lynch film.
@Buf I wish there was a way for you to ask him without having to be subjected to it. I would love to hear his take on it.
But it truly would not be fair to you.
@Bumbles I also saw Blue Velvet, probably some time after Eraserhead. All I remember of that movie was Dennis Hopper crazily huffing a handkerchief.
I have no idea what that means today. I had no idea what that meant when I was watching it.
What does that mean?
I don’t remember anything else about that movie and certainly not a severed ear. I’m surprised that didn’t rate as a memory.
LOL…I asked him. All I got was “It’s different.” When I asked what he meant, he just said “It’s different”….lol At least he didn’t say he was bringing it over. He told me to watch it if I wanted to, don’t thinks so :)
Oh man, this post really struck a chord with me. A few years back I watched a film called Irreversible. Disgusting, horrendous film. Gave me (a mild case) of post traumatic stress disorder, seriously. There is this one horrible scene I won’t even think about describing to you, which has popped into my head repeatedly over the years since. Yes, I would pay to delete that memory, yes indeed.
Anyway, about Eraserhead. I remember seeing something on tv about associating the frightening memory with a silly voice and character, so in this case you could turn him into a funny cartoon-like character with a silly, squeaky voice so he seems laughable instead of frightening…? Not sure how that would work with the baby though.
Oh and I did get a good laugh out of this post too! Somewhere in all of this he dreamt his head fell off and it was used at a pencil factory to create pencil erasers. WTF? Yeah, WTF indeed, that little WTF made my day :)
I have never heard of that movie Irreversible, but it looks like it was aptly named since the memory seems to be irreversible for you.
I’ll have to try to give the alien baby a quirky voice. It’s worth a try.
I’m so glad you enjoyed my WTF! I like to use it sparingly to really punctuate a point.
I used to complain about the worst movie I ever saw. I will complain no more. It sounds like I could have done far worse.
My worst movie ever was called “Fatso” and it showed in theaters around the same time as the movie “Ten” (my brothers snuck into that one, while the rest of us teens took in the horrible movie Fatso). The entire premise of the movie was that this XXXLarge man, who ate lots of pasta with his large Italian family, fell in love with a beautiful woman. This encouraged him to lose weight. However, then she breaks up with him and we have more eating. The entire movie was endless scenes of eating and more eating. If it scarred me, it probably made me determined to never re-enact one of those endless eating scenes.
This does sound like potential post material though. I would have to figure out what the titles were of some of the weird, bizarre movies that stand out in my mind, but don’t stand out enough for me to remember the titles.
I have never heard of that movie, either, Wendy. It doesn’t sound like much of a plot. It also sounds like a movie that would go straight to DVD if it were produced today.
Oh wouldn’t that be a fun post — I’ll look for that over at your pad!
According to my husband, I hate movies. I like chick flicks, I like to be entertained. If critics hate it, I’ll probably love it. Violence is cool, cars are awesome, nudity is fine, unless it’s male frontal, that I can live without. But if a plot goes back and forth with no real indication of what’s going on or if it lasts longer than 2.5 hours, I’m out.
Sideways? awful. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas? awful. And it even has Vegas in it. Momento, ugh. Have you seen Sleepers? I had nightmares. I don’t particularly care for movies that don’t end well, books too.
I can say I’m really looking forward to seeing Public Enemies. I believe the last movie I saw in the theaters was Fast and Furious.
Um, I can’t believe that I haven’t heard of any of the movies you’ve mentioned except Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and I have no idea what that one was about.
I did take my kids to the dollar movie this week, though. We saw Madagascar 2. Not as good as the first one, but what do you expect for a dollar, right?
I can’t compare the two Madagascars. I think Toy Story may have been the last animated movie I saw.
We had this dollar theatre in my hometown. It had 70′s avocado green curtains and chairs that rocked, and they weren’t supposed to. The movies were already at Blockbuster and they only had popcorn and drinks. It was basically for teenagers to just goof off, you never went there if you actually wanted to see that movie.
I saw Public Enemies last night, very good.
Gah!!! Just reading about that horrendous movie gives me the heeby-jeebies. No wonder you’re scarred for life from it, I’d be too if I saw that! Lynch must’ve been on drugs or some other psychedelics…
I have dreams that work like that movie. Really random, with bizarre visual scenes that I end up replaying later on throughout the day when I’m awake. Hey, maybe I should make a movie based on those dreams and call it “Eraserhead Part 2″! **HUGS!!**
I’d definitely say those images were conceived from a bad acid trip.
I’m sure you could make Part 2 with no problem Chris. And I bet your version wouldn’t cause me Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Somehow, I’d find a way to incorporate the Eraserhead theme. Maybe little erasers shaped like kitty heads… like those ones they used to sell in Sanrio stores when I was a little girl. **HUGS!!**
David Lynch is either a freak or a freakin’ genious. I remember seeing this when I was in college. In fact my arty friend Becky talked me in to ditching a night class to see at the Oriental Theatre in Milwaukee. (Awesome theater by the way.)
I remember watching the movie and thinking WTF? What’s going on here? It’s moving too fast, what’s the plot? It’s jumping around too much, too much to process almost. What the freak is with the eraserhead factory? I also remember there being virtually no dialogue. I felt almost disoriented, walking out of the theatre. The movie definitely made you feel that you were on a drug trip, even though you weren’t. (Not that I know what it’s like, because I don’t. It’s just my impression that it would be like a drug trip.)
I have to say that to this day, this is the most bizarre movie I’ve ever seen.
Have you seen Blue Velvet? He did that one too. But that one was more…perverse.
I agree Lola – I have vague memories of this movie too and left it feeling – confused? Glad the images didn’t haunt me for life like you Cardiogirl – maybe Eraserhead can come over and erase the wacko images right away!
I did like Wild At Heart though – another Lynch film.
@Lola AUUGGHHH! Another person who’s seen it. Finally! Now that you mention it, I originally thought it had no dialogue at all until I went to Wikipedia and read about the baby crying incessantly.
Then I remembered there was sporadic dialogue.
I’m with you. I’ve only smoked pot twice (um, but I didn’t inhale?) so I’m not sure what a real drug trip is like, but I’d guess that’s pretty close.
I did see Blue Velvet and I don’t remember anything but Dennis Hopper frantically sniffing a handkerchief. What’s that about?
@Bumbles You actually saw it and didn’t have a strong reaction? Wow. You have nerves o’ steel, chick. I never did see Wild At Heart. I have a feeling I wouldn’t like it either.
Didn’t he do Twin Peaks, too? I think I saw one episode and then never watched again.
Based on your review, it doesn’t sound like something I’d see…. the weirdness of the so-called no-plot reminds me of “Naked Lunch”, though. Straaaaange movie.
Again, I am not a movie connoisseur and I have never heard of Naked Lunch. Sounds like one to miss.
Never saw it, but I have heard of it. Like some of your other readers, I did see Blue Velvet. Just weird. I’m all for really, REALLY strange stuff, if it has meaning. But David Lynch is not my cup of tea.
I also did a Google Images search on Eraserhead. That baby thing. Um. I don’t know what to say about that.
Cate’s movie, Irreversible. I looked it up “Irreversible spoilers” and read an entire summary and review of it on a private forum. Here were some choice snippets:
“I recently broke my toe – I’d rather do it again than watch this movie again.”
“This film is as Irreversible as it’s name. It’s a dirty, greasy movie. It’s a violation of the viewer…”
“I have no idea what more could be gleaned from watching this movie. Certainly nothing worth the violation of having to sit through it again. I’d rather walk through Dorchester dressed like Hitler. If I ever bought this movie, it would be like owning a snuff film without the moral baggage.”
I totally want to see it haha. God, I’m sick.
Anyway, as for the images that won’t go away, I’ve been careful in the last few years with what I choose to click on the internet. When the “2 Girls, 1 Cup” thing was so, so huge there for a minute, I was absolutely determined not to watch it because I knew that the images would never leave me if I did. And while I used to think when I was young, I was badass enough to handle ANYTHING, I realized as I got older that, while that may be true hehe, I don’t need that kind of garbage floating through my brain.
There is a lot of garbage out there waiting to infiltrate our minds, isn’t there. I have to say after I read your comment I did search out Irreversible and I can see why those people left those sorts of comments.
I have never ever heard of the two girls one cup thing. And I can’t even imagine what that’s about. I’m sure it’s sexual and gross so I shall move on keeping my eyes straight ahead.
Haven’t seen this and don’t think I want to.
I had a pretty intense reaction to Black Hawk Down. It was a great film, but it took all I could to make it through that one nerves intact. Actually, I think that film turned me into the anti-war peacenik I am today.
I know I’ve heard of that movie but I have no clue what it’s about. I’ll have to Google that one, too.
Isn’t that crazy? I don’t have to watch a movie anymore I can just Google the title with Spoilers at the end and know what it’s about. And that’s roughly all the time I have these days to watch a movie.
i had to wait until i got home to look at the pics. can’t see all photos on your blog at work…punks.
i never heard of this movie but i’m not surprised.
“the girlfriend was stressed and overly tired so she abandoned him and the baby.” hmmm, it has crossed my mind. shhhhh. i doubt i could stay gone for long. 2-3 years, tops.
“Um, who babysat while he and the chick across the hall went at it?” – nobody, the baby was asleep. benadryl also works. ;)
Man that’s not right — having work censor the pictures.
Yeah, the girlfriend’s exit stage right thought has also crossed my mind.
But I’ll keep your secret if you keep mine :)
After the premier of “Twin Peak’s” and Kyle What’s-his-name, I had to take a deeper looking into David Lynch movies. I tried very hard to find a version of “Earserhead”, but couldn’t find one at my local rentals place. I still haven’t seen the movie, but the desire to freak myself out has waned a little over the last 20 years.
(laughs) I did find out that movie is hard to get in the US — thank you Wikipedia for that knowledge. I think it’s coming out soon in another country, which doesn’t help your case at all.
I wonder if there are snippets on YouTube. And we hit pay dirt! Here’s Part One.
Once you get to there you can see the rest of the parts over on the right. It looks like there are nine parts in all. (Shivers.)