Eraserhead

Henry lives in an industrial city in an abandoned building amidst the persistent industrial noise and constant smoke. His girlfriend, Mary X, is plagued by seizures and gives birth to a terrifying mutant baby. Henry's only solace is in the company of the Woman (hidden) behind the radiator.

One of the seminal independent feature films, David Lynch's 1977 debut is a marvel of DIY film craft and sound design. Starring Lynch's longtime and somewhat enigmatic court actor Jack Nance and remarkably finished by Frederick Elmes, Eraserhead is a visionary nightmare that seeks to penetrate the darkest recesses of the American psyche.

Thanks to the patronage of former FAMU Dean Frantisek Daniel, who underwrote the project, it was made in minimalist family-like conditions on the grounds of the American Film Institute over four years in complete creative freedom. 

The fascinating sound design is by Alan Splet, another of Lynch's regular collaborators and master of the sound for Grandmother, Dune, Blue Velvet and Wild at Heart. It is the Eraserhead that many believe is the work where his original approach to sound design and sensitive ear (due in part to Splet's very limited ability to see) gained the most ground.
 

The film warm-up for the exhibition David Lynch: Up in Flames. DOX Center for Contemporary Art.