1. The Introduction of Frank Booth - Blue Velvet (1986)
When it was released in 1986 Blue Velvet caused quite a stir, putting Lynch firmly on the map as a maker of deeply strange, uncompromising films that probed beneath the surface of the everyday. The film split opinion - the late-great
Roger Ebert famously hated it, giving it 1 star and calling it "painful and wounding" - and it continues to do so today. Much of the divisiveness comes from the character of Frank Booth, played terrifyingly by the legendary Dennis Hopper. The scene which sticks in most people's minds and has made it to the top of this list is the one in which Frank inhales gas from an aerosol canister - the original script detailed it as helium but that was changed during filming, with Hopper later revealing it was supposed to be amyl nitrate and performing some sort of deranged sexual act on Isabella Rossellini's victimized nightclub singer as Kyle MacLachlan's unsuspecting Jeffrey Beaumont looks on in horror from inside the closet. It's a deeply troubling and shocking scene that looms over the rest of the film like a dark cloud and from then on you're worried just what Frank will do whenever he turns up again. He remains one of the most disturbing villains ever and you need to look no further than this scene to know why. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reNY3qAtiDw
What are some of your favorite weird and creepy moments from David Lynch films? Let us know in the comments section below!