2. Mulholland Drive (2001)
Spawned of the back of a TV movie of the same name that was hated by all producers that saw it, it is hard to see how this film was even green lit. The whole film plays out like a dream that seeps into a nightmare, and by the end of the film you are left with a thick head and a cold feeling. What just happened? What did it all mean? Start you Lynch journey with this or Eraserhead and you may just be put off for life. The films intricate nature and complexity is heaven however for Lynch fans, after the strange choice of Disney magic in The Straight Story, Lynchians needed a return to the nightmarish surreal land, and this film acts as the perfect tonic. Unlike Eraserhead, there isn't much to stick your tongue in your cheek about, this is a hardcore trip to hell. Containing a moment that will make you jump out of your seat with fear and confusion unlike any other moment in any other film, involving a tramp and some very clever sound design, this is the closest your mind will ever come to hallucinating outside of illegal substances. It is a film that, like a dream, you begin to understand and believe, you can grasp what is happening and what it means for the rest of the story. Like the flick of a light switch, the whole film suddenly turns, its turns so villainously that you don't see it coming at all. Before you know, you are at the end and the dream becomes one of the most terrifyingly surreal experiences ever committed to celluloid. Watching this film is odd, it leaves you with a feeling that far extends the screen itself - it is affecting and chilling, just thinking about this film can send you into a cold corner of your mind. Watch with caution, Mulholland Drive will blow your mind, for better or worse.
The Severed Ear Scale of Madness: 5/5