#47 ERASERHEAD (1977)
THE SCARIEST
LOOKING BABY EVER
Eraserhead is just one big twisted nightmare. The creepy sense of
dread that permeates this black and white world of shadows is David
Lynch's masterpiece. Though not a horror film, per se, the bad
dreams that float about within this 1977 debut work from the Twin
Peaks and Blue Velvet director is full of shivers. The centerpiece
of which revolves around a baby that Jack Nance's character has to
watch in his apartment. Of course you have to use the term "baby"
loosely, as it resembles some sort of aborted love-child of ET and a
pig. Some folks say the baby was crafted from the fetus of a calf,
but to this day, Lynch refuses to talk about how it was made.
Not
only is it hard to look at it, but its rather difficult to listen to
as well, since the baby cries an unearthly wail at all hours of the
night, keeping the protagonist from sleeping. At one point, the baby
is sick and looks to be rotting and covered with maggots!
With
the exception of "Baby's Day Out", this may be the scariest movie
about a baby of all time. Perhaps with the success of Freddy vs.
Jason, some creative Hollywood types will release ERASERHEAD vs. IT'S
ALIVE BABY!
