DAVID LYNCH: Worst to Best (Spoiler Free)

[@samuelwills4637]

Heartbroken that David Lynch, my favourite film director of all time has passed away. I made this video quite a few years ago, and while my opinions on his films have definitely changed (that being I honestly like all of them even more now), my passion for Lynch’s cinema has only grown. If you’re watching this video, I hope that it inspires you to delve into his works. All of his films have so much creativity and something to offer everyone. R.I.P David Lynch 1946 - 2025.

[@nationalcoasternews5798]

Devastated by the news today. I remember I watched this video right before I started to dive into his work. Going through them all truly had a profound impact on me. RIP to one of cinemas greatest contributors

[@canofcoke7999]

Finally watched them all so here’s my ranking: 1. Mulholland Drive (10/10) - My favourite movie 2. Lost Highway (10/10) 3. Inland Empire (10/10) 4. Blue Velvet (10/10) 5. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (10/10) 6. The Elephant Man (10/10) 7. Eraserhead (10/10) 8. Wild at Heart (9/10) 9. The Straight Story (9/10) 10. Dune (4/10) Definetly my favourite director and 9 out of 10 of these made my top 200

[@EasternRomeOrthodoxy]

David Lynch is boring pretentious garbage, disguised as art wtf🤦‍♂️🤣

[@tristanlanphere7736]

All of his films are underrated in my opinion

[@EasternRomeOrthodoxy]

@@tristanlanphere7736 All his films are pretentious garbage which we love to make fun of🤦‍♂️🤣😂

[@tristanlanphere7736]

@@EasternRomeOrthodoxy your allowed to think that

[@EasternRomeOrthodoxy]

@@tristanlanphere7736 *allowed to know that and re-educate others about it

[@jason-mccarthy]

Very good breakdown of his work, and very insightful for someone like myself who's only seeing two of his movies.... You've helped me decide what to view next! Thanks for taking the time to do it, Samuel....

[@samuelwills4637]

Thanks for leaving a comment! My Lynch video is over 5 years old now and I reckon some of my opinions have changed, for example Inland Empire has grown on me significantly and should be in the top 5. Opinions change, but hopefully you found my descriptions of each film insightful :)

[@Zainhm14]

I feel you really missed the mark with the blue velvet critique especially when you said that Jeffrey's motives are unclear and don't make sense.. I feel that's the point. I see the film as a type of psychodrama based entirely on Freuds theory of the psyche and the stages of psychosexual development. Looking at the film within the rules of Freuds theories makes it make a lot more sense .. but yeah great video either way David lynch is a legend

[@samuelwills4637]

Zain Mehmood having an understanding of Freudian psychology I’m sure would definitely change the way in which you view the motives of characters. However, it’s not so much the motives behind his sexual encounters that I question or find hard to believe, it’s more so the motives and decisions which led him there in the first place. They feel unnatural and as if they are merely to serve the plot, and not a believable character motive. Either way, you’ve given me some things to think about!

[@tylertadeo8336]

Blue Velvet is about Jefferey processing the trauma of watching his father sexually and physically abuse his mother as a child. Frank Booth is his own psychological manifestation of his own dark side. He literally spells it out with the Roy Orbison track and speaks to Jeffrey after they leave Raymond’s. The beetles, the birds, the shot where we go out of the ear then end the film coming out Jeffery’s, is all his own dark world in his own head. When you look at the film through metaphors and allegories the motivations make perfect sense. There are more layers to Blue Velvet than an onion, yet it still works as a straight forward movie, that’s the beauty of it

[@samrainnie2104]

I don’t know about those lofty intentions. It’s definitely an exploration of the psyche but I’m not sure that it’s directly referencing Freudian theories. I think of it as Wizard of Oz meets Hardy Boys meets a fever dream

[@hvitekristesdod]

About Blue Velvet. I feel like it was intentional for Jeffrey’s character to feel a little bit lost and undefined, banal but also quite two-faced, whilst Frank is terrifying but also complex, well defined and quite human if you pay attention to small details... in some ways I think Lynch wants us to root for Frank...

[@DanCrowleyNYC]

Mulholland Drive is so perfect. I saw it in the theater in NYC when I was in college (around the same time I saw Requiem For A Dream in theaters), and I own it on DVD. I could watch it over and over again. Twin Peaks is also a masterpiece. (The first David Lynch film I saw is either Blue Velvet or Lost Highway in the late '90s when I was in high school.)

[@jonathanschmitt8948]

It's so cool to see other people's rankings and feelings on Lynch's work, so thank you for making this video Here's my ranking: 1. Mulholland Drive 2. Eraserhead 3. Inland Empire 4. The Straight Story 5. Lost Highway 6. Blue Velvet 7. Wild at Heart 8. Twin Peaks - Fire Walk with Me 9. The Elephant Man 10. Dune

[@samuelwills4637]

Thanks for sharing your ranking and thanks for watching too!

[@wyattjohnson3714]

Yeah... I’m one of the people who loves Inland Empire.. ITS SO GOOD #2 for me

[@hammadroppa152]

Right from the beginning it grabbed me in a spiritual way

[@adripekas9682]

Inland empire is such a masterpiece!

[@samuelwills4637]

It’s grown on me a lot since making this video, if I did it again it’d be in the top 5!

[@Nightcrawler77]

1. Blue Velvet A+ 2. Lost Highway A+ 3. Mulholland Drive A+ 4. Inland Empire A 5. Eraserhead A 6. Elephant Man A- 7. Wild at heart B+ Need to rewatch the rest tbh

[@Louiseharriet]

Thank you for loving The Straight Story! :) My first Lynch film. I saw it in high school when it first came out. Richard Farnsworth is incredible.

[@scotturwin1387]

The king gizz tunes were an amazing addition to this video! Thankyou, fellow aussie.

[@McLeanAmy]

Eraserhead is definitely my favourite!

[@rohdecostello4767]

I’ll be making a Lynch video soon. And I’ve seen most of his films. But here’s my rank 1. The Return (10/10) (favorite thing of all time) 2. Inland Empire (10/10) (top 4 favorite) 3. Twin Peaks (original) (10/10) 4. Blue Velvet (10/10) 5. FWWM (10/10) 6. Mulholland Drive (10/10) 7. Eraserhead (10/10) 8. The Elephant Man (7/10) 9. Wild at Heart (6/10) Clearly a huge fan of Lynch! I love this video so much that I’ve revisited it a couple times! Keep up the great work

[@samuelwills4637]

Hi Zruize, thanks for your comment! It's so great to hear that you get something out of my video, it's approaching a couple years old now! I'm a massive fan of Lynch too obviously, Twin Peaks and The Return would be at no. 1 but I wanted to stick to his feature films. Definitely check out Lost Highway it's a great piece of Lynchian cinema. Dune is also worth checking out just for the Villeneuve version that is going to be coming out soon, but it doesn't feel like a Lynch film and is a bit of a mess. I look forward to seeing your video! Cheers :)

[@rohdecostello4767]

Samuel Wills thx for the reply! Yea I’ve heard Dune is really bad, and I’ll only watch for Villeneuve’s film. I wasn’t a huge fan of Blade Runner 2049, or any of his other films that I’ve watched so I’m a little skeptical, but who knows maybe I’ll love it! I feel like Blade Runner 2049 may be to me how Blue Velvet is to you. Knowing Lynch had little control in Dune is also a sign for why it may be a mess. I can’t wait to check out Lost Highway as I feel like it may be a hidden gem in his filmography, not many people talk about it. Have a great day! Stay safe

[@user-wo5tc9ux7u]

only 7/10 for elephant man?

[@andrewdyke5561]

Lost highway

[@rowanilsley2941]

Mulholland Drive is my all-time favourite movie so it's great to see it get some love from you :)

[@nationalcoasternews5798]

Love the vid and ranking. Agree that Twin Peaks is really his best work. First 2 seasons plus FWWM plus the return all combined is one of my favorite pieces of art I’ve ever seen

[@samuelwills4637]

Thank you for watching!

[@Wumpus_0_]

love the KGATLW my g, top lad ❤️

[@AlmightyBruce]

5: Blue Velvet 4: The Elephant Man 3: Muhollad Drive 2: The Straight Story 1: Eraserhead

[@brandonmccleese5066]

1. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (and Twin Peaks in general) 2. Inland Empire 3. Eraserhead 4. Mulholland Drive 5. The Straight Story 6. Blue Velvet 7. Lost Highway 8. Wild at Heart 9. The Elephant Man 10. Dune Honestly, I like them all to some extent. Obviously I prefer his more surrealist-horror work, but I'd love it if he did something similar to The Straight Story. Just a brilliant slice-of-life.

[@thekeywitness]

How about a Kubrick worst to best?

[@screenwriter8866]

I gotta respectfully disagree on Blue Velvet. It's one of the most iconic films of all time. I don't get your critique of Jeffrey's character. He's a very smart kid with a lot of curiosity and a big heart. It's pretty well set up from the beginning that he's probably lived a normal blue-collar life and wants to go on his own little adventure. I saw no issues with that at all and I actually really loved (and could even relate to) his character. Great list and commentary anyways! For me, Mulholland Drive is the greatest film ever made so that's gotta be #1, but Eraserhead and Elephant Man would come next so our top three is basically the same.

[@samuelwills4637]

I think Blue Velvet is going to grow on me over time, I haven’t actually watched it for quite a while, and I made this video when I was 19 so now that I’m a bit older maybe I’ll have a new respect for it :)

[@screenwriter8866]

@@samuelwills4637 I’ll be honest I had to watch it a few times before it really sank in. But, then again, that’s the case with most Lynch films haha

[@toooydoeur]

Just watched it, it's good but overrated. Def the worst of the three I've seen so fa4

[@12BAFICI]

Just a couple of things on Blue Velvet, the first DL film I ever saw, in theaters in 1987. It absolutely blew me away, and convinced me and my movie-going friends that David Lynch was a ''new'' great director. I was beginning college and had never seen The Elephant Man, much less Earaserhead which was an underground film at the time. We only knew Lynch as the guy who had made Dune. So, you can imagine the surprise. Blue Velvet is for me the best film of the Eighties and the one that really represents that era: conservatism, cocaine, pornography, all distilled into a little surreal masterpiece. Lynch had to do it in a short budget, it was part of his deal with Dino de Laurentiis to make Dune. Basically, he accepted to direct Dune if Dino would support this other project and offer him complete final cut. Strange as it may seem nowadays, all of the cast were unknowns, save for Dennis Hopper and Dean Stockwell, both has-beens from another era. Isabella Rosellini was a complete unknown. Now, Dorothy Valens may be THE female character of all David Lynch's oeuvre. You could hear people's jaws drop when she asked Jeffrey to beat her... That scene made her a star overnight. And Hopper... well Frank revived his career instantly and turned him into one of the best paid character actors of the Eighties and Nineties. The impact of this film on Hollywood can not be overstated; only Tarantino has been so imitated. I could go on and on. Anyway, this was to say that Blue Velvet enters my top three easily... And kudos for putting Eraserhead number one, another masterpiece. From Buenos Aires, Argentina

[@samuelwills4637]

Loved reading this. Although I put Blue Velvet near the bottom of my list, it is still a film that I have great respect for and I think will continue to grow on me as I get older. Amazing that my video has reached you in Argentina. All the best, from Australia!

[@Heather_in_Kansas]

I had seen pieces or all almost all of these films as a kid/teen, without ever knowing they were David's. My dad LOVED sci-fi and never shut up about Dune, (although I couldn't get through it despite 2 tries) and my mom loves "old" movies, so I've seen bits of "The Elephant Man" without my Mom even realizing it was fairly new. The only time I knew I was seeing a DL film, was for FWWM, and, expecting a sequel, I was upset. (I was also just a college kid.) I loved that Bowie was in it, but it was a REALLY dark film. When I rewatched it for The Return, I was again horrified, but after all these years, I was mostly sad. It hit differently, felt more personal, and is easily a favorite. (Although not a film I would like to revisit. It's VERY tragic.) Thanks for the list. It's beautiful!!🌻❤

[@samuelwills4637]

Hi Heather, thanks for checking out my video and sharing your Lynch experience! FWWM I think for many never sat right on first watch, only on repeated viewing did we start to understand what Lynch was trying to communicate. So many of his films are like that though, there’s always more to take in the next time!

[@user-he3hx2jr5o]

my favorite david lynch's movie is "blue velvet". because be not that difficult to understand. and the atmosphere is stylish.

[@probablyasloth2404]

I’ve watched all these rankings of his films and I’ve disagreed so heavily with many of them. Constantly they say that wild at heart is a bad film and that his best is always blue Velvet or Mulholland Drive. But with yours, I believe I agree 100%. Also your review for each is great and it’s amazing how you kept it spoiler free. Very good video. Also more strongly than pi, I got deep Eraserhead vibes In Barton Fink(1991)

[@samuelwills4637]

Thanks for the comment! Glad you enjoyed this little passion project of mine :)

[@samuelwills4637]

I haven't gotten around to seeing Barton Fink yet... there is a bunch of Coen Brothers stuff I'm intending to watch soon, will look forward to looking for Eraserhead vibes!

[@vanessalaughtland4417]

I really enjoyed this! My personal ranking would be though: 1. Mulholland Drive (re-watched) 2. The Elephant Man 3. The Straight Story 4. Dune (re-watched) 5. Wild at Heart 6. Eraserhead 7. Blue Velvet 8. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me 9. Lost Highway (re-watched) 10. Inland Empire I definitely need to do a full rewatch of all of them though (apart from maybe Inland Empire because I swear I can't handle that again haha) to see if my current rankings still stand!

[@samuelwills4637]

Vanessa Laughtland Awesome! I love that our lists are quite different! Thanks for watching :)

[@marcotewlow8533]

Hearing Inner Cell in the transitions makes me know your opinion is legit

[@samuelwills4637]

Love this! Thanks man aha

[@kmsharley75]

1) Twin Peaks -Fire Walk With Me (I include the whole world of TP under this umbrella,and consider it a complete work of genius,however flawed it may be) 2) Lost Highway 3) Mulholland Drive 4) Inland Empire (Depeding what day it is,this could be my #3, above Mulholland Drive) 5) The Elephant Man 6) The Straight Story 7) Blue Velvet 8) Eraserhead (I know it's ranked low,but I love all his works,and respect this movie as his debut) 9) Dune 10) Wild At Heart I've seen all of these many,many times. And this is where I am right now. All his work is amazing,but quite a tier drop after Twin Peaks.

[@megazillion2946]

I saw Fire Walk With Me in the theater BEFORE seeing the show back in the day. It's one of my all time favorite films. You don't need to see the show to experience FWWM, it only adds to the surreal and the horror. Masterpiece and people didn't get it at the time. The Return is 100% artistic perfection also.

[@johnnyvoss4122]

After watching all of twin peaks (1-3 film and extras) in the last 2 weeks, I started with Eraserhead then Blue Velvet so far. I am literally so hooked, I think I will probably now just watch the other 7 films in a row. Wild at Heart is next👌

[@samuelwills4637]

If you loved Twin Peaks, you’ll love Mulholland Drive and Lost Highway too!

[@user-wl9gw7xe2q]

my absolute faves are lost highway, mulholland drive and inland empire (ignoring twin peaks & fwwm) - I definitely see them as a trilogy of just complete craziness but kinda have the same plots? I really want to watch them back to back release date order but think that would be a death sentence ;)

[@user-wl9gw7xe2q]

think twin peaks s3 feels like the next step also (and hopefully wisteria will be too?!)

[@megazillion2946]

Love the King Gizzard bits lol

[@deelane9730]

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard I suggest a Jodorowsky video

[@nathanielcrabtree5123]

I like the use of inner cell.

[@samuelwills4637]

Thanks man, I love my King Gizzard!

[@rad4924]

I broadly agree your assessment of each individual film although my list would still be in a different order (though I'd have to write a hell of a long comment to explain my reasoning). I love all of his films a lot but my list would go: 10. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me 9. Inland Empire 8. Dune 7. Wild at Heart 6. The Straight Story 5. Eraserhead 4. The Elephant Man 3. Blue Velvet 2. Mulholland Drive 1. Lost Hightway

[@stevebob240]

Great list. Pretty much agree. Mine would be: Eraserhead > Blue Velvet > Mulholland Drive > Elephant Man > FWWM > Straight Story > Lost Highway >Wild At Heart > Inland Empire > Dune

[@PCR10023]

I love lynch is a masterful director and one of my favourite in my all time directors.

[@SlurpyPie]

I'm honestly surprised Lost Highway is higher than Wild at Heart here considering I personally hated Lost Highway and loved Wild at Heart. I will admit Lost Highway does have its moments but it's way too cryptic and random for its own good compared to his other films imo. Regardless Great Job on the video bro!! :)

[@seanpanigel5494]

I agree that Blue Velvet is overrated in terms of lynch's filmography, because some say it's his best film, and I don't agree. I don't think it's overrated in terms of how good the film is, because it is amazing, but I agree it's overrated in terms of people's placement for it lynch's filmography, cause it's not his best film like a lot of people say

[@darthpaul5494]

The more I got In to lynch the more I realized it's an amazing film, but by lynch standards it's middle of the pack for sure

[@seanpanigel5494]

@@darthpaul5494 exactly

[@nickp3949]

I’ve only seen Lost Highway, Mulholland Dr, and Eraserhead. I would order them 1. Lost Highway- I agree 100% with you. This is truly a terrifying film and a true trip into a surreal, cerebral nightmare. 2. Eraserhead- Great movie, maybe even creepier than Lost Highway, extremely unsettling. Only reason why I like Lost Highway more is that Eraserhead can be a bit slow at times. 3. Mulholland Dr- I like this movie, but I personally found it overrated. It’s not as surreal as the other two, and I feel like the plot just isn’t as engaging. It doesn’t bring me into the surreal world as much. Also, it attempts to have more of a straightforward story, but it confuses you JUST ENOUGH to where you still don’t really get it. And that frustrated me more than anything. Still a good movie though.

[@kmsharley75]

Please ,for the love of God, do yourself the favor and take the journey through Twin Peaks. You owe it to yourself. Side note, while I believe Mulholland Drive is great, I agree that it is a little overrated,and would rank Lost Highway above it as well as Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

[@calrice6644]

What Did Jack Do? Dune Inland Empire The Elephant man The Straight Story Fire Walk With Me Eraserhead Mulholland Drive Lost Highway Wild At Heart Blue Velvet

[@thesportswarehouse8853]

I don’t know how you can not put Mulholland Dr. at number one. To me it’s the best movie I’ve ever seen. I’ve watched it three or so times so far and each new time I see I figure more about the movie

[@samuelwills4637]

It's hard to place what film gets the number 1 spot when I've given both Mulholland Dr. and Eraserhead a 10/10 aha, I enjoy them equally. It comes down to Eraserhead having more of an impact on cinema as a whole, compared to Mulholland Dr. though brilliant, I wouldn't consider it to be as influential.

[@adthomp]

Australia finally getting straight story blu ray on august 24

[@samuelwills4637]

Yes! I have the German Blu-ray so I'm not sure if I want to pick up the Imprint copy. If its a new transfer then I might pick it up, but if you have any info about it, let me know!

[@CynicalScorpio]

Is that King Gizzard I hear?

[@samuelwills4637]

Yes sir

[@andrewdyke5561]

Lost highway is amazing to me

[@rubywills36]

I want to watch his films now!

[@elijahanderson7353]

Only one I really disagree with is blue velvet. Should be a bit higher

[@rohdecostello4767]

Have you watched The Return? Great video!

[@samuelwills4637]

Zruize Thanks! Twin Peaks is my favourite show of all time, love The Return

[@rohdecostello4767]

@@samuelwills4637 Twin Peaks is also my favorite show of all time! Personally, The Return is not only my favorite season of Twin Peaks, but my favorite film in general. (I consider it a film)

[@isakdahl7054]

Zruize The Return (And Twin Peaks as a whole) is probably my favourite artistic creating of all time, but what makes you consider it a film? I’m just curious!

[@samuelwills4637]

Isak Dahl if you’ve seen the behind the scenes for The Return, you’ll see Lynch refer to it as a film and the whole team treat it as if it is a film. A tv series can often see multiple directors in a season or have the series have contained arcs per episode much like the original series. The Return however is much more like a big film that has been chopped into different parts. That’s my take anyway :)

[@kmsharley75]

@@isakdahl7054 yes, Lynch is indeed on record as referring to it as an 18 hour long movie!

[@seanpanigel5494]

Only seen 3 movies of his, but in the meanwhile: 1. Eraserhead 2. Blue velvet 3. The elephant man

[@LfunkeyA]

inland empire is top 3

[@writingwofl5836]

Nobody talking about his scifi masterpiece Doon!?

[@zanderkahres8112]

Did I hear king gizzard transition music

[@samuelwills4637]

Big yes

[@andrewdyke5561]

I agree with dune at last

[@Agentshadling]

To this day I truly believe no movie had a better soundtrack choice than Lost Highway. Were it not for the choices, I don't think the movie would've been as good since a lot of scenes have great cinematography that wouldn't shine without the right music to set the mood.

[@samuelwills4637]

It’s definitely up there

[@alisdairmckenzie22]

NO NO NO - Blue Velvet is not #8 Samuel. It's my favourite film of ALL time - seen it in excess of 50 times, It made me want to be a film maker. I'm that passionate about it. Let's hope Mulholland Drive is at least in your top 2.

[@samuelwills4637]

I’m glad you love Blue Velvet :)

[@NeroAngelo616]

Fire Walk WIth Me is head and shoulders above anything else from Twin Peaks to which both before and after are extremely bloated, a common feature within Lynch. Fire Walk With Me has none of its diluteness and is refined sharpness. Twin Peaks outside the final episode has no replayability quality, unlike Fire.

[@naomisdiary9835]

blue velvet in 8 i agree so badly

[@zanderkahres8112]

I don’t trust anyone who has inland empire in their top 5 lynch films. I don’t hate it but it’s a fu to his other films to rank it higher

[@samuelwills4637]

When I made this video I had it towards the bottom of my list, but I’ve watched it a number of times since and it’s grown on me a lot. At the end of the day, the list is always arbitrary, I enjoy all of Lynch’s films :)

[@vleaky3430]

Lost Highway has a special place for me since it's the first David Lynch movie I watched. Inland Empire had the most impact on me. It's just so extreme to the max. Mulholland Drive is my favorite work of his. Blue Velvet didn't do anything for me. It's very overrated.

[@samuelwills4637]

I like how you have multiple favourites for different reasons - it’s so true. I love Eraserhead and Mulholland Dr equally but I tried to make it a list either way, yet Twin Peaks is ultimately my favourite Lynch project. Lost Highway is so fantastic too, it encapsulated into a film that 90s industrial rock feel, NIN, Marilyn Manson, Smashing Pumpkins, Rammstein, and even Bowie’s 1. Outside.

[@vleaky3430]

@@samuelwills4637 interestngly enough, I think that's another reason why Lost Highway stands out the most. I'm a massive NIN and Manson fan.

[@seanpanigel5494]

Eraserhead RULES

[@naomisdiary9835]

he’s so cute

[@andrewdyke5561]

I think inland empire is scary as hell and it just loses u

[@martydundee1871]

Inland empire #9 ?? 😂

[@samuelwills4637]

@@martydundee1871 no need for cheeky remarks my friend, if I were to do this video again now 6 years later, Inland Empire would probably be top 3 :)