Eraserhead

Released Mar 17, 1977

1h 29m

Horror

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89%

Tomatometer

66 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.

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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.

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

It's beautiful and strange, with its profoundly disturbing ambient sound design of industrial groaning, as if filmed inside some collapsing factory or gigantic dying organism.

Rated: 5/5

Oct 14, 2014

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Michael Wilmington

Chicago Tribune

What makes Eraserhead great -- and still, perhaps the best of all Lynch's films? Intensity. Nightmare clarity. And perhaps also it's the single-mindedness of its vision.

Rated: 4/4

Oct 14, 2014

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Tom Buckley

New York Times

A murkily pretentious shocker.

Oct 14, 2014

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Sean Burns

Crooked Marquee

Basically, if you’ve ever had a panic attack worrying that you might have knocked up your girlfriend, this is the movie playing in your head.

Aug 4, 2023

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Richard Schertzer

ScreenAnarchy

All I know is that this film zig-zags through its story's trajectory and fails to make me look at it thinking that I have seen something that makes a modicum of sense.

Jun 16, 2023

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Joe Lipsett

Anatomy of a Scream Podcast Network

Confronting and nightmarish in equal parts, David Lynch's infamous first feature is a surreal masterpiece. The imagery might be iconic, but its the omnipresent industrial score that sticks with you.

Apr 11, 2023

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Brian H

One of those movies that is objectively good, but I detested.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

08/29/24

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Audience Member

Oh my god. This was a Fever Nightmare man, I cannot believe how many times this movie genuinely shocked me. I imagine David Lynch wrote down everything that happened during a trip, and made a script out of it. I don't think I'll ever watch anything this genuinely insane again. This and "Meshes of the Afternoon" you should avoid when on drugs, that's how odd they both are. 5/5 stars YOU ALL NEED TO WATCH THIS.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/07/24

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Arid S

Well this was something new, I knew about the film for a long time but only just got round to watching this, its really something, I am finding it hard to put into words, very unusual and creepy, like a parasitic warped nightmare.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/25/24

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JA S

Eraserhead has garnered a cult status over the decades, but truly the performances are below average and the story takes itself a bit too seriously. For those looking for good work from David Lynch, watch "The Elephant Man" or "Mulholland Drive".

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

06/22/24

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Jerry F

I read that this was the most weird movie ever filmed, and in my opinion it is. I found it extremely boring, but still watched until the end. Some scenes are so graphic and crude that almost made me vomit.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

06/07/24

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Dar S

I saw this movie several years ago. It is on my worst movie ever list. It was the most bizarre movie I have ever seen. Boring as hell too. I must of missed what the critics saw. There is no way I would watch it again let alone endorse it

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

06/03/24

Full Review

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David Lynch

Director

Jack Nance

Henry Spencer

Charlotte Stewart

Mary X

Allen Joseph

Mr. X

Jeanne Bates

Mrs. X

Judith Roberts

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Eraserhead: Trailer 1

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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)

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