David Lynch directed the greatest horror film in the history of cinema

I was born into the world of David Lynch, and in some ways, I mean that literally. I was born and raised in Philadelphia, the city where Lynch lived and worked, and felt inspired by local artists and the city’s trappings and grunge style. While my mother was still recovering from my birth in the hospital, I watched the episode of “Twin Peaks” where- Spoiler alertI believe? – Leland Palmer (Ray Wise) stuffs Maddie Ferguson’s (Sheryl Lee) body into a golf bag, terrorizing any nurse who enters the room at inopportune moments. (DVRs and on-demand recordings didn’t exist at the time, as you reminded me from 1990; king To watch it when it airs!) All of this is to say that, over the past 30 years, I have grown up in a world where Lynch — the visionary director who died on January 16, 2025 — was always part of the conversation.

Perhaps this makes it even more surprising that I didn’t watch “Mulholland Drive” for the first time until I was 30, fulfilling my New Year’s resolution of pulling cards from a store. Deck cinema And watch a movie with the actor on the aforementioned card every week. For Naomi Watts, I chose “Mulholland Drive,” the movie on the card — and Soon after The movie started, and I had to turn it off and come back on it a couple of days later because the dinner scene made me so uncomfortable that I needed a break.

In case you don’t know, here’s the gist: At the beginning of “Mulholland Drive” A man named Dan (Patrick Fischler) tells his dining companion that he’s been having disturbing dreams… specifically about a terrifying-looking person hiding behind Winkie’s Diner. And here is this exact terrifying-looking person Behind dinner at that very momentat which point Dan breaks down, and I almost do too. It’s the best jump scare in cinema history, and we can thank Lynch for making us all afraid of it. Now that Lynch is no longer with us, the world will be less strange in the future.

No one but David Lynch knows TRUE The significance of the humanoid creature behind Winkie’s Diner – People have offered explanations over time, saying it represents the dark subconscious of Diane Selwyn (Naomi Watts) and her eventual decline in the film – but actress Bonnie Aarons, who portrayed the strange clay-monster, said eagle In 2014, filming the scene was as difficult as watching it. Apparently, Aarons met Lynch at a “Twin Peaks” party and her stunning green eyes caught his eye — just like the time Frank Silva’s unsettling appearance led Lynch to cast the “Twin Peaks” lead actor as the series’ Big Bad, “B.O.B.” “. — at which point Aarons was asked to play the character from Dan’s nightmares.

When asked whether or not she had received any specific information about her character, Aarons told interviewer Kenny Herzog that no one told her much before filming before slapping a bunch of real algae on her body (making sure, as Lynch instructed, that her eyes were clearly visible). . ). Aarons also said that while she was filming the shot used in the film, she was looking directly at Lynch himself, which brought something particularly special to the scene… and revealed that she had no idea exactly how terrifying that moment would be. “When I watched the movie with the cast and crew, I scared myself,” Aarons admitted. “The stories I heard are absolutely outrageous.”

So said Lynch Ha What does personality mean? “He says not yet,” Aarons told Herzog when asked whether or not Lynch has ever revealed what he thinks the character means. “Everything,” he tells me. But he doesn’t want to tell me.” Classic Lynch.

I’ll be honest. I find to a great extent everyone From “Mulholland Drive” — a movie that a guy in one of my college’s film classes called “Mulholland Doctor” after he misread “Dr.” In the title – it’s unsettling at best and terrifying at worst, which is exactly why I love it. The film challenges me every time I steel myself to wear it again, and I know I’m not alone; Do a quick search on YouTube and you’ll find it Tons One of the long, intense video essays that breaks down the different scenes, motifs, and meanings found within the film. (Regarding the Winky scene, Specima films It has a particularly excellent breakdown on the platform.)

Just as a quick reminder, except for Dan and his dinner monster, “Mulholland Drive” focuses on a woman named Betty (Naomi Watts). Who arrives in Los Angeles with big dreams of becoming an actor, only to encounter an amnesiac named Rita (Laura Haring), who recently survived a disastrous car accident on Los Angeles’ famous Mulholland Drive. The two women then experience a shift in identities during the film when Watts’ Diane Selwyn wakes up in the apartment she lived in as “Betty” – after opening a mysterious blue box – and meets Rita again as Camilla Rhodes, a rival actress. , and by the time the two go to Club Silencio together, she’ll probably feel it truly Confused (unless David Lynch himself has somehow told you what it all really means). This is not a bad thing. Great art inspires questions, investigation, and… “Mulholland Drive” is a masterpiece especially because It’s strange, scary and unsettling. The world may have lost Lynch, but his work will live on — and scare people — forever.

“Mulholland Drive” is available for rent or purchase on major streaming platforms.