Eraserhead (1977)

Henry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child.

Director:

David Lynch

Writer:

David Lynch

Stars:

Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Allen Joseph

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Nance	...	Henry Spencer (as John Nance)
Charlotte Stewart	...	Mary X
Allen Joseph	...	Mr. X
Jeanne Bates	...	Mrs. X
Judith Roberts	...	Beautiful Girl Across the Hall (as Judith Anna Roberts)
Laurel Near	...	Lady in the Radiator
V. Phipps-Wilson	...	Landlady (long version)
Jack Fisk	...	Man in the Planet
Jean Lange	...	Grandmother
Thomas Coulson	...	The Boy
John Monez	...	Bum
Darwin Joston	...	Paul
T. Max Graham	...	The Boss (as Neil Moran)
Hal Landon Jr.	...	Pencil Machine Operator
Jennifer Lynch	...	Little Girl

Storyline

A film that defies conventional logic and storytelling, fueled by its dark nightmarish atmosphere and compellingly disturbing visuals. Henry Spencer is a hapless factory worker on his vacation when he finds out he's the father of a hideously deformed baby. Now living with his unhappy, malcontent girlfriend, the child cries day and night, driving Henry and his girlfriend to near insanity.

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Plot Keywords:

surrealism | psychosis | nightmare | deformed baby | experimental film | 

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Taglines:

Be warned. The nightmare has not gone away...

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The script was influenced by David Lynch's reading as a film student. Franz Kafka's 1915 novella The Metamorphosis and Nikolay Gogol's 1836 short story "The Nose" were strong influences on the screenplay.

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Goofs

The boy who brings Henry's head to the pencil-making shop suddenly has glasses on when he faces away from the camera to enter the side door.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Beautiful Girl Across the Hall: Are you Henry?
Henry Spencer: Yes?
Beautiful Girl Across the Hall: A girl named "Mary" called on the payphone in the hallway about an hour ago. She said that she's at her parents' and that you're invited to dinner.
Henry Spencer: Oh, yeah?
[after a long pause]
Henry Spencer: Well... thank you very much.
[Henry enters his apartment, while the girl slowly closes the door to hers]

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits, just a long, tilted close-up of the face of Jack Nance.

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Alternate Versions

The longer original version was screened in public only once before being changed by David Lynch to its present format.

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Connections

Referenced in Best of the Worst: Lycan Colony (2018)

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Soundtracks

Lenox Avenue Blues
Written and performed by Fats Waller (as Thomas "Fats" Waller)
In 1927.
© Peer International Corp. (Chappel & Co. U.S.A) (BMI)
© Copyright 1976. David Lynch.
© 1976 O.K. Paul Music.

User Reviews

Symbolically horrific masterpiece

When I first saw this film I thought all it was trying to do was create an uncomfortable atmosphere, but after a friend explained the imagery, David Lynch's genius became clear to me. These are the most important symbols. The worms represent sin. The baby represents the result of a sin. The radiator represents suicide. The girl behind the radiator represents death (she crushes the worms/sins) A thinking man's horror flick!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 February 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gardenback

Filming Locations:

4th Street Bridge, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$23,557

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Film Institute (AFI), Libra Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby (re-release) Mono (original release)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1