Where your nightmares end…|Feb. 03, 1978|United States|89 Min.|Not Rated
Genre: Fantasy;Horror
Description: “Eraserhead” (1978) is a surreal and thought-provoking film. The story begins with the Man in the Planet manipulating levers in his space home as Henry Spencer’s head floats in the sky. A spermatozoon-like creature emerges from Spencer’s mouth and drifts into the void, seemingly controlled by the Man until it falls into a pool of water.
Set in an industrial cityscape, Spencer returns home with groceries and is interrupted by a neighbor, who informs him that his girlfriend, Mary X, has invited him to dinner with her family. Spencer leaves his groceries in his cluttered apartment filled with dirt and dead plants. At the X family dinner, Spencer awkwardly interacts with Mary’s mother and is asked to carve a “man-made” chicken, which writhes and bleeds on the plate. After dinner, Mary’s mother confronts Spencer about his relationship with Mary, revealing that she has given birth to his child and insisting they marry. However, Mary is uncertain if what she gave birth to is truly human.
The couple moves into Spencer’s small apartment to care for the child, which is swaddled and has a grotesque, inhuman appearance. The infant refuses to eat, cries uncontrollably, and develops health issues, driving Mary to leave. Spencer struggles to care for the child, experiencing hallucinations of the Man in the Planet and the Lady in the Radiator, who sings while stomping on spermatozoon-like creatures.
The film is a haunting exploration of alienation, responsibility, and the bizarre forces that shape life.
Cast director: David Lynch
Cast actor: Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Allen Joseph, Jeanne Bates, Judith Roberts, Laurel Near, T. Max Graham, Jennifer Chambers Lynch, Hal Landon Jr., Jean Lange
Original name: Eraserhead