10 Theories That Help Explain The Works Of David Lynch
3. Many Of Lynch's Films Actually Take Place In The Black Lodge Itself
Whether or not fans know what The Black Lodge actually is, one theory that continues to dominate discussion of Lynch's films (particularly those that saw release after Twin Peaks) is that they take place in The Black Lodge in some way or another. This can be most strongly applied to the twisted narratives of Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire. First, The Black Lodge is a space inhabited by otherworldly spirits, and Lynch fills these three films with characters that clearly share the same foresight and supernatural powers as those within The Black Lodge. There's The Mystery Man in Lost Highway, who shows up whenever and wherever he pleases. There's The Cowboy and The Bum in Mulholland Drive, who seem to control the narrative and whose motivations are never made clear to the audience. There's The Rabbits, The Whores and The Phantom in Inland Empire, all of whom possess deep insights into the film's events. These characters also speak in weird ways that evoke the backwards-speaking Black Lodge residents. Think about the sped-up voice of The Phantom as he hypnotises his victims, the coded mocking of The Cowboy and The Mystery Man, the slurred words of The Whores, and the puzzling dialogue of The Rabbits. They all also look out-of-place (like, say, a dwarf or a giant would). The Mystery Man, The Cowboy, The Bum and The Rabbits' images are all genuinely surreal, while The Phantom and The Whores are consistently drenched in overexposed lighting to make them appear supernatural. Additionally, there are constant allusions to time working differently in these films - something that is is a key element of The Lodges. There's the shifts between reality and script in Inland Empire, the mixed-up narrative of Mulholland Drive, the vast empty spaces and Möbius strip story of Lost Highway... There's the presence of doppelgängers and ever-changing identities, which is explicitly linked to The Black Lodge in the finale of Twin Peaks season two. Each of these films feels like extended studies of The Black Lodge sequences of Twin Peaks, exploring the ways that different characters experience this otherworldly place. There's also a ton of references to doorways and openings: imagery that is a key element of Twin Peaks. See, for example, the picture that "would look nice" on Laura's wall in Fire Walk With Me - an image of a door to The Red Room. If it is assumed that these films are indeed connected to The Lodges in some way, one thing is very clear - it must be The Black Lodge, as the otherworldly characters of Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire are absolutely not morally "good".
