Eraserhead
The interesting thing about Eraserhead is that it's simultaneously niche/hard to sell and (in theory) recommendable to many, many people. Obviously, if you like avant-garde horror, you'll love the film, but also: anticapitalists, fans of dystopian fiction, classic film enjoyers, traditional creature feature fans (no offense to the baby, but it is a little bit of a creature), reproductive horror fans, and (crucially) people with daddy issues: give Eraserhead a shot. Seriously! Even if you don't think you can get into the surreal aspect, it's more worth a try than you may think if you don't already eat that stuff up.
As for me, who already knew he loves avant-garde horror: this is one of the low percentage of horror movies- or movies in general- where I've gone, "Man, I really gotta watch this again at some point." Don't be fooled into multitasking if you watch it, even if you've already read the plot; this is probably an obvious statement, but- while the rest does have substance- what really makes Eraserhead a notable film are the visuals. That or I'm biased, because I'm notoriously enthusiastic about the visuals of horror movies.
It's also one of the few horror movies where I've had to look away from the screen. I already knew the "twist" of the baby's physicality- that the bandages are the only thing keeping it together, so the long shot of our protagonist cutting it open in an attempt to free it from its bindings was excruciating to watch, and his mercy killing, while probably for the best, was unbearable to watch. It's sort of a plus for me; while I generally like to be able to actually watch things when I'm watching them, it's nice to mix it up once in a while.
Vis a vis the plot and themes: obviously, it's about the terror of being a new parent- Lynch has said himself that it was based on worries revolving around the birth of his daughter- but especially in these present times, decades later, it strikes me as, on a related note, evocative of the internal conflict of bringing a baby into this (in some ways) dreadful world. Eraserhead itself takes place in a wasteland ravaged by industrialization and capitalism, which are two problems still going on today, and even worse by now. We're killing the planet already; how could we justify bringing a child into something ruined by forces the common man has little control over? In many places- as an American, I'm thinking of the US, but it's far from a unique problem- fascist ideology and movements are rising, too, and the child you rear may- or will for sure, depending on their race- be targeted by them. Not to mention the sharply rising rates of mental illness, due to the aforementioned reasons and more. In this modern era, many people may be in Henry's place, specifically in the mercy killing scene: should you bring a child into this world, knowing they could be miserable, possibly to the point of wishing they'd never been born? Perhaps not a theme meant for it at all, but it's something I've been thinking about as I think about the film.
I'm not really sure what else to say about Eraserhead that isn't over-said or otherwise flat- I'm not really an expert movie reviewer or anything. But, well, I liked it, and I'm glad I finally got around to watching it. Thanks for the weirdness, Mr. Lynch; the world needs more of it.
Final rating: ★★★★☆
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