10 Movies That Made You Question Life Itself

By Keith Tomlinson /

6. Eraserhead (1977)

UniversalWhat's It All About? David Lynch€™s freshman feature paved the way for what is now considered one of the most commercially successful and widely known avant-garde careers in film history. Stanley Kubrick once cited Eraserhead as his favourite movie; indeed its influence has been enormous, not just on Lynch€™s own subsequent work, but on anyone who has tried to portray surrealism in cinema since. On the surface, it plays out as a dislocated nightmare, full of disturbing imagery depicting the troubled life of a possibly psychotic father, Henry Spencer (Jack Nance) who is reluctantly tasked with looking after his newborn baby, which may or may not actually be human. Given the obvious central theme €“ a fear of fatherhood €“ it€™s probably no coincidence that Lynch€™s own daughter, Jennifer, was born with clubbed feet shortly before the production: an unfortunate if not life-threatening condition which needed extensive surgery to correct. What's The Question Then? Are you afraid of becoming a daddy? Does It Answer It? Yes. Be afraid, says Lynch. Be very afraid.