David Lynch is sadly no longer with us. He has faced the Dweller on the Threshold and now resides in the White Lodge. Or everything is just a dream. We’re not exactly sure, but we do know that we are going to deeply, deeply miss the great auteur of our age. In the wake of the saddest news to hit cinema since the start of 2025, it is only natural to look back on David Lynch’s legacy. The filmmaker, writer, artist, and musician passed at the age of 78, leaving behind a rich artistic opus that influenced art of all kinds.
A recipient of numerous film awards and honors, Lynch was regarded as a visionary director. His style became its own adjective, ‘Lynchian’, used to describe works steeped in mystery, bizarre elements, and supernatural motifs.
The Elephant Man
The Elephant Man (1980) is a harrowing masterpiece. It perfectly balances Lynch’s surreal aesthetics with a tender, human, true story. Loosely based on the life of Joseph Merrick, Lynch creates an emotional and morally ambiguous story while retaining his flagrant direction style. The starring roles given to Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Frederick Treves and John Hurt as the titular character only helped place it as one of Lynch’s most critically acclaimed works.
Blue Velvet
Blue Velvet (1986) is a neo-noir mystery thriller that marked Lynch’s return to form after the (undeserved) critical and commercial failure of Dune. The psychological horror and film noir only helped cement Lynch’s trademark surrealist style and commentary on small town America.
With no spoilers, the film walks viewers through a criminal conspiracy all while exploring such topics as innocence, evil, and morals in Everytown, USA. Starring Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, and Laura Dern, it is certainly one of the most important works in David Lynch’s filmography, earning a cult classic status for its dark depiction of suburban America.
Lost Highway
Lost Highway (1997) is somewhere between Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive in terms of how innovative and multifaceted Lynch’s mind is. The psychological horror behind this thriller shines in bone-chilling scenes by Robert Blake, supported by the femme fatale role given to Patricia Arquette. (Twice!)
The two parallel stories, connected through Lynch’s eerie dream logic, culminate to deliver one of Lynch’s most enigmatic and haunting films. Even after multiple viewings, you will be left wanting more. Now where’s that rewind button?
Mulholland Drive
Mulholland Drive (2001) has, over the years, become synonymous with David Lynch. This psychological thriller has stood the test of time, thanks to Naomi Watts in her breakthrough performance and the story that is as wide open to personal interpretation as it gets.
The replay value of the film is immeasurable and every time the timeless aesthetics, eerie atmosphere, and sad reality of Hollywood will get to its viewers. The lasting impact of the surreal dreamscape Lynch leads us through will remain important years into the future, and the film is closing in on its 25th anniversary.
Twin Peaks
That gum you like is going to come back into style, and the owls are not what they seem in Twin Peaks, Washington.
If you are brave enough to step into the town of Twin Peaks, it means you are brave enough to step into David Lynch’s surreal vision among the pines. The show follows FBI agent Dale Cooper as he investigates the murder of Laura Palmer, but this is decidedly not a traditional crime-drama story. In fact, it’s still amazing that this show was ever picked up, filmed, and aired.
Twin Peaks is more than a TV show. First airing in 1990, it has since gained a devoted cult following and has been referenced in a wide variety of media. It has influenced numerous titles across the entertainment media from films, series, and video games, and it remains a turning point in TV storytelling.
Lynch’s use of dreams and metaphor make Twin Peaks a unique rendition of the human psyche and the darkness beneath the surface. It has been described by at least one fan (OK, my editor) as “Literally, the most important thing that has ever happened.”