Start At Mulholland Drive, Then Head To Lost Highway, And You Will Arrive In Twin Peaks: David Lynch’s 5 Best Projects

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 (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 Lynch bring up his surrealist style.

With no spoilers, the film walks viewers through a criminal conspiracy all the while exploring such topics as innocence, evil, and morals in small town America. 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 (1997) is somewhere between Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive in terms of how innovative and singular 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.

The two parallel stories, connected through Lynch’s eerie dream logic, culminate to deliver one of Lynch’s most enigmatic and haunting films. 

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 open to personal interpretation.

The replay value of the film is immeasurable and every time the timeless aesthetics, eerie atmosphere, and the 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. 

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.

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 with Lynch’s use of dreams and metaphor to 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 as “Literally, the most important that has ever happened.”