Eraserhead

Play trailer

0:46

Eraserhead

1977

1h 29m

Horror

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

86 Reviews

82%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Henry (John Nance) resides alone in a bleak apartment surrounded by industrial gloom. When he discovers that an earlier fling with Mary X (Charlotte Stewart) left her pregnant, he marries the expectant mother and has her move in with him. Things take a decidedly strange turn when the couple's baby turns out to be a bizarre lizard-like creature that won't stop wailing. Other characters, including a disfigured lady who lives inside a radiator, inhabit the building and add to Henry's troubles.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

David Lynch's surreal Eraserhead uses detailed visuals and a creepy score to create a bizarre and disturbing look into a man's fear of parenthood.

Read Critics Reviews

Bernard Zuel

Sydney Morning Herald

Apr 24

It feels like the very best of student film, but with more vivid imagination, more skill at the edges, more craft at the core.

Go to Full Review

J. Hoberman

Village Voice

01/23/2025

Eraserhead's not a movie I'd drop acid for, although I would consider it a revolutionary act if someone dropped a reel of it into the middle of Star Wars.

Go to Full Review

Linda Gross

Los Angeles Times

01/23/2025

Monster babies, like concentration camps, are bad subjects for jokes. Although Lynch's taste is objectionable, his directorial talent is unquestionable.

Go to Full Review

Charlotte Simmons

The Treatment (Substack)

Apr 24

In a sentence, it is the sexful Henry’s anxiety-based wish to inhabit the destructive without the creative, hence "Eraserhead."

Go to Full Review

Max Allen

Horror Movie Talk

Dec 4

7/10

Time moves awkwardly slow, a low hum and sharp static hang over most of the scenes, and even the mere movements of the characters feel so off.

Go to Full Review

Pat Padua

Washington City Paper

04/30/2025

...took several years to complete but unspools like a single, unforgettable fever dream.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Sean

May 17

One of the all-time greats

See more

tommy

02/01/2025

The ugliness of the universe is pulling the levers to release the baby (spirit) into the world dropped in to the water (wet planet earth) hairy hole gurney dirty industrial area the dirtiness of man the torn photo is how he feels about her he’s torn she is attached to her mother like the puppies to theirs In American culture family is everything keep grandma involved a slight toward the poultry industry man made chicken has her in a trance the divine comedy she’s crying bill is smiling Americans getting married due to tradition they don’t want to be together a child out of lust may not be as nurtured as one out of love she is a prisoner of her own thoughts she’s packed her bag and made up her mind the light in the furnace everything in heaven is fine go to the light his wife is the parasite in his life she’s causing nightmares the woman in the furnace is the woman of his dreams his worm in the box is his dirty little secret you can experience the light and things you want but Henry is attached to his earthly wants the ugliness of the universe shows it’s face if you stay of you give up on your dreams you will become another object to be used someone will come along and steal your thoughts and get paid for it lust not fulfilled baby laughs kill what keeps you attached and you will obtain heaven

See more

Alexander G

@agregory Jul 3

I’m confused and nauseous but I kinda like it. There are parts that make me jerk in disgust like I’m having a myoclonic seizure and it’s a tad slow. It’s a bit like a bad dream that you somehow enjoy.

See more

Tom F

@RT55173143 Jun 22

I saw this in a theater when it first came out and now rewatched it as I am also working through Twin Peaks The Return for the first time and reviewing much of Lynch’s work. Not everybody’s cup of tea, but I enjoy this fever dream of a film more than ever.

See more

Joe E

@jescanuelas May 19

This movie truly creeped me out, but you can't help but appreciate the work that was done.

See more

Precious E

@RT11040780 May 19

Eraserhead is a black-and-white film, a very strange and unsettling movie that feels like a nightmare. I felt somewhat confused watching it.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

David Lynch

Director

Jack Nance

Henry Spencer

Charlotte Stewart

Mary X

Allen Joseph

Mr. X

Jeanne Bates

Mrs. X

Judith Roberts

Beautiful Girl Across the Hall

Audrey Rose

57%

43%

Audrey Rose

Watchlist

Burnt Offerings

50%

44%

Burnt Offerings

Watchlist

The Tenant

85%

87%

The Tenant

Watchlist

The Sentinel

45%

44%

The Sentinel

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Sentinel

The Island of Dr. Moreau

52%

40%

The Island of Dr. Moreau

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Eraserhead: Trailer 1

0:46

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

Henry (John Nance) resides alone in a bleak apartment surrounded by industrial gloom. When he discovers that an earlier fling with Mary X (Charlotte Stewart) left her pregnant, he marries the expectant mother and has her move in with him. Things take a decidedly strange turn when the couple's baby turns out to be a bizarre lizard-like creature that won't stop wailing. Other characters, including a disfigured lady who lives inside a radiator, inhabit the building and add to Henry's troubles.

Director: David Lynch
Producer: David Lynch
Screenwriter: David Lynch
Production Co: American Film Institute
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 17, 1977, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 25, 2015
Runtime: 1h 29m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)