I put off watching this film for five years, so it was always in the back of my mind. On a post or just a click away in a related video. I even tried to watch it about three years ago but shut it off after the first ten minutes. I just assumed it was going to be one of those movies that was too weird for me to even comprehend. I was too scared to even try, so I avoided it.
But then my curiosity for the film became riled up again when I saw a clip from it on YouTube. I became entranced and then realized that even after all this time, I still had a copy of the movie in my possession. Untouched and unwatched. Finally, on a Tuesday night with nothing better to do...I sat down and watched Eraserhead. It's taken me some time to fully process the film, find the answers I needed and complete my honest analysis. With all of the information I've gathered, I can finally deliver my conclusion.
This is the most bizarre film I've ever seen in my life. To sum it up briefly, it's dark, tense and fraught with terror. I consider myself to have a very strong stomach when it comes to violence and body horror in film. And I can say honestly that there were many sequences that made my skin crawl with disgust. But in the best possible way. It was a superbly thrilling experience. I had absolutely no idea what to expect.
It wasn't that the film was overwhelming; it actually suffers from the opposite problem. It's too subtle and not enough explanation is given. For example, the characters in the film do not behave like any decent human beings you'd find in the real world. They display habits and behaviours that are suddenly triggered like a bomb going off and then are never spoken of again. Swept under the rug and leaving the viewer scratching their heads, wondering what possible relevance could that have to anything? The breath of fresh air and definitely the only character that we can relate to on a basic, human level...is the film's protagonist, Henry Spencer. The only person in the film who reacts normally to the events that unfold throughout the story. But even he is eventually led astray into the surreal and dream-like world in which he inhabits.
It was many days before I realized that Eraserhead is a film that is not meant to be understood. You're not supposed to feel any particular way about it. Some critics would have you believe that this is a ploy used by David Lynch so he can watch us in delight as we scramble to try and find a deeper meaning to it. But I prefer to think of it like this: With Eraserhead, Lynch is laying out all of the cards on the table for us to see and observe. He isn't hiding anything. He has no tricks up his sleeve. He makes suggestions here and there but everything else is left to our own minds. He's putting the truth in our hands, essentially. Think about it: when was the last time you watched a film where YOU, the viewer...got to decide what the film was about? That is a very rare and beautiful thing to behold.
My advice? Try not to look to deeply into the film and just accept it as it is. Or not. It's entirely up to you. But if you tilt your head and squint to try and find a deeper meaning, you'll only be left with a sore neck.
Perhaps that's what the meaning of the title has been all along. In order to spare yourself the headache of over-analyzing it, you would do well to "erase your head" beforehand. Clear your mind of whatever you thought you knew about story telling and toss it out the window. The only expectation to be had about the film is that it will change the way you look at movies forever.
But then my curiosity for the film became riled up again when I saw a clip from it on YouTube. I became entranced and then realized that even after all this time, I still had a copy of the movie in my possession. Untouched and unwatched. Finally, on a Tuesday night with nothing better to do...I sat down and watched Eraserhead. It's taken me some time to fully process the film, find the answers I needed and complete my honest analysis. With all of the information I've gathered, I can finally deliver my conclusion.
This is the most bizarre film I've ever seen in my life. To sum it up briefly, it's dark, tense and fraught with terror. I consider myself to have a very strong stomach when it comes to violence and body horror in film. And I can say honestly that there were many sequences that made my skin crawl with disgust. But in the best possible way. It was a superbly thrilling experience. I had absolutely no idea what to expect.
It wasn't that the film was overwhelming; it actually suffers from the opposite problem. It's too subtle and not enough explanation is given. For example, the characters in the film do not behave like any decent human beings you'd find in the real world. They display habits and behaviours that are suddenly triggered like a bomb going off and then are never spoken of again. Swept under the rug and leaving the viewer scratching their heads, wondering what possible relevance could that have to anything? The breath of fresh air and definitely the only character that we can relate to on a basic, human level...is the film's protagonist, Henry Spencer. The only person in the film who reacts normally to the events that unfold throughout the story. But even he is eventually led astray into the surreal and dream-like world in which he inhabits.
It was many days before I realized that Eraserhead is a film that is not meant to be understood. You're not supposed to feel any particular way about it. Some critics would have you believe that this is a ploy used by David Lynch so he can watch us in delight as we scramble to try and find a deeper meaning to it. But I prefer to think of it like this: With Eraserhead, Lynch is laying out all of the cards on the table for us to see and observe. He isn't hiding anything. He has no tricks up his sleeve. He makes suggestions here and there but everything else is left to our own minds. He's putting the truth in our hands, essentially. Think about it: when was the last time you watched a film where YOU, the viewer...got to decide what the film was about? That is a very rare and beautiful thing to behold.
My advice? Try not to look to deeply into the film and just accept it as it is. Or not. It's entirely up to you. But if you tilt your head and squint to try and find a deeper meaning, you'll only be left with a sore neck.
Perhaps that's what the meaning of the title has been all along. In order to spare yourself the headache of over-analyzing it, you would do well to "erase your head" beforehand. Clear your mind of whatever you thought you knew about story telling and toss it out the window. The only expectation to be had about the film is that it will change the way you look at movies forever.