Maybe thats all BOB is. The evil that men do. Maybe it doesnt matter what we call it. The top entry on this list should be of little surprise. If The Lady In The Radiator is Lynchs ultimate angel, then Twin Peaks Killer BOB (Frank Silva) is his most evil and demonic being. Noteworthy for being one of televisions most horrifying villains, BOB is without a doubt the most ingenious otherworldly character created by Lynch. It is impossible to erase mental images of him crawling in through Laura Palmers bedroom window in Fire Walk With Me, screaming and laughing at Ronette Pulaski in the second series first episode, killing Maddy Ferguson (Sheryl Lee) in Twin Peaks most climactic scene or, indeed, climbing slowly over the Palmers sofa straight towards the camera lens in one of the most terrifying sequences in television history The story of BOBs accidental creation is well known. The character, and Frank Silva, entered into the Twin Peaks narrative when Silva inadvertently got in the way of several shots Lynch was filming at the Palmers house. But what is more interesting is the question that is posed on a number of occasions by Twin Peaks residents: is BOB real? Is there really a creature out there that inhabits the bodies of real people and forces them to do evil deeds? Or is he merely the personification of evil, a schizophrenic other side of those that do wrong? Given the prominence of actual otherworld characters in Twin Peaks and Lynchs work more generally, the answer seems clear. BOB is real. As Phillip Gerard reminds Agent Cooper, He is BOB, eager for fun. He wears a smile. Everybody run.
