10 Movies Directed by David Lynch

Eraserhead

Eraserhead

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1978-12-31

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

89 min

Rated:

UNRATED

IMDB Ratings:

7.4 (61778 Reviews)

Director:

David Lynch

Fullplot:

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.

The Elephant Man

The Elephant Man

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1980-10-10

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA, UK

Runtime:

124 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

8.2 (147036 Reviews)

Director:

David Lynch

Cast:

Writer:

Christopher De Vore (screenplay)

Eric Bergren (screenplay)

David Lynch (screenplay)

Frederick Treves (book)

Ashley Montagu (in part on the book "The Elephant Man: A Study in Human Dignity")

Fullplot:

John Merrick (whose real name was Joseph, as this is based on a true story) is an intelligent and friendly man, but he is hated by his Victorian-era English society because he is severely deformed. Once he is discovered by a doctor, however, he is saved from his life in a freak show and he is treated like the human being that he really is.

Dune

Dune

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1984-12-14

Languages:

English, Italian

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

137 min

Rated:

PG-13

IMDB Ratings:

6.6 (91871 Reviews)

Director:

David Lynch

Cast:

Writer:

Frank Herbert (novel)

David Lynch (screenplay)

Fullplot:

In the far future, a duke and his family are sent by the Emperor to a sand world from which comes a spice that is essential for interstellar travel. The move is designed to destroy the duke and his family, but his son escapes and seeks revenge as he uses the world's ecology as one of his weapons.

Blue Velvet

Blue Velvet

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1986-10-30

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

120 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

7.8 (120411 Reviews)

Director:

David Lynch

Fullplot:

College student Jeffrey Beaumont returns to his idyllic hometown of Lumberton to manage his father's hardware store while his father is hospitalized. Walking though a grassy meadow near the family home, Jeffrey finds a severed human ear. After an initial investigation, lead police Detective John Williams advises Jeffrey not to speak to anyone about the case as they investigate further. Detective Williams also tells Jeffrey that he cannot divulge any information about what the police know. Detective Williams' high school aged daughter, Sandy Williams, tells Jeffrey what she knows about the case from overhearing her father's private conversations on the matter: that it has to do with a nightclub singer named Dorothy Vallens, who lives in an older apartment building near the Beaumont home. His curiosity getting the better of him, Jeffrey, with Sandy's help, decides to find out more about the woman at the center of the case by breaking into Dorothy's apartment while he knows she's at work. What Jeffrey finds is a world unfamiliar to him, one that he doesn't truly understand but one that he is unable to deny the lure of despite the inherent dangers of being associated with a possible murder. Still, he is torn between this world and the prospect of a relationship with Sandy, the two who are falling for each other, despite Sandy already being in a relationship with Mike, the school's star football player.

Wild at Heart

Wild at Heart

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1990-08-17

Languages:

English, Spanish

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

125 min

Rated:

NC-17

IMDB Ratings:

7.3 (56627 Reviews)

Director:

David Lynch

Cast:

Writer:

Barry Gifford (novel)

David Lynch (screenplay)

Fullplot:

Lula's psychopathic mother goes crazy at the thought of Lula being with Sailor, who just got free from jail. Ignoring Sailor's probation, they set out for California. However their mother hires a killer to hunt down Sailor. Unaware of this, the two enjoy their journey and themselves being together... until they witness a young woman dying after a car accident - a bad omen.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1992-08-28

Languages:

English

Countries:

France, USA

Runtime:

135 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

7.2 (49587 Reviews)

Director:

David Lynch

Cast:

Writer:

David Lynch

Robert Engels

Mark Frost (television series Twin Peaks)

David Lynch (television series Twin Peaks)

Fullplot:

Essentially a prequel to David Lynch and Mark Frost's earlier TV series "Twin Peaks". The first half-hour or so concerns the investigation by FBI Agent Chet Desmond (Chris Isaak) and his partner Sam Stanley (Kiefer Sutherland) into the murder of night-shift waitress Teresa Banks in the small Washington state town of Deer Meadow. When Desmond finds a mysterious clue to the murder, he inexplicably disappears. The film then cuts to one year later in the nearby town of Twin Peaks and follows the events during the last week in the life of Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) a troubled teenage girl with two boyfriends; the hot-tempered rebel Bobby Briggs (Dana Ashbrook) and quiet biker James Hurley (James Marshall), her drug addiction, and her relationship with her difficult (and possible schizophrenic) father Leland (Ray Wise), a story in which her violent murder was later to motivate much of the TV series. Contains a considerable amount of sex, drugs, violence, very loud music and inexplicable imagery.

Lost Highway

Lost Highway

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1997-02-21

Languages:

English

Countries:

France, USA

Runtime:

134 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

7.7 (90677 Reviews)

Director:

David Lynch

Fullplot:

Fred Madison, a saxophonist, is accused under mysterious circumstances of murdering his wife Renee. On death row, he inexplicably morphs into a young man named Pete Dayton, leading a completely different life. When Pete is released, his and Fred's paths begin to cross in a surreal, suspenseful web of intrigue, orchestrated by a shady gangster boss named Dick Laurent.

The Straight Story

The Straight Story

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1999-11-03

Languages:

English

Countries:

France, UK, USA

Runtime:

112 min

Rated:

G

IMDB Ratings:

(60487 Reviews)

Director:

David Lynch

Fullplot:

"The Straight Story" chronicles a trip made by 73-year-old Alvin Straight from Laurens, Iowa, to Mt. Zion, Wis., in 1994 while riding a lawn mower. The man undertook his strange journey to mend his relationship with his ill, estranged, 75-year-old brother Lyle.

Mulholland Drive

Mulholland Drive

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2001-10-19

Languages:

English, Spanish

Countries:

France, USA

Runtime:

147 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

(217268 Reviews)

Director:

David Lynch

Fullplot:

A bright-eyed young actress travels to Hollywood, only to be ensnared in a dark conspiracy involving a woman who was nearly murdered, and now has amnesia because of a car crash. Eventually, both women are pulled into a psychotic illusion involving a dangerous blue box, a director named Adam Kesher, and the mysterious night club Silencio.

Inland Empire

Inland Empire

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2007-02-07

Languages:

English, Polish

Countries:

France, Poland, USA

Runtime:

180 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

(39275 Reviews)

Director:

David Lynch

Fullplot:

A blonde actress is preparing for her biggest role yet, but when she finds herself falling for her co-star, she realizes that her life is beginning to mimic the fictional film that they're shooting. Adding to her confusion is the revelation that the current film is a remake of a doomed Polish production, 47, which was never finished due to an unspeakable tragedy.

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