10 Movies That Spent Decades In Development Hell (And Still Lived Up To The Hype)

As a director adept at crafting surrealist productions, David Lynch has made a wide variety of films that tackle thought-provoking subject matter. Eraserhead is arguably the strangest and most experimental of his output, but it took time to bring the vision to life.

Its black and white tone, echoing audio design and existentialist themes all combine to create one of the most unique releases in the medium. The director had originally studied as an artist and had concepts for the film long before its 1977 release.

Under the working title of Gardenback, Eraserhead was intended to be an adaptation of the works of Franz Kafka and Nikolai Gogol. However, many board members of the American Film Institute weren't too keen on supporting such an off-kilter creation. While the project was green-lit in 1971, its ambitions were underestimated, causing Eraserhead to stay in the production phase for many years.

David Lynch struggled to find funding for Eraserhead for some time, but the final product successfully conveyed its surrealist themes. With its sinister, unnerving atmosphere and grim themes, it was certainly not well liked by critics and audiences on release. Much like the director's other efforts though, Eraserhead has gone on to be viewed as a visionary masterpiece.