History Film / Eraserhead

* SexIsEvil: Is it ever. In real life parents already have a good chance of producing mentally and physically deformed children, and this is of course a fear of many expectant parents. In Henry's world, however, this tends to go [[UpToEleven off the deep end.]]

* ScheduleSlip: A truly epic example, the film took Lynch 5 years to complete!

* NoEnding: The Film Just... Stops.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: Several scenes in this movie could be either very, very surreal touches of symbolism or a random BigLippedAlligatorMoment.
** Some notice its just one huge metaphor for marriage and commitment.
** Or guilt and suicide.

* HumansAreBastards: The only family in the whole film not to be dysfunctional is a family of dogs.

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Jack Nance's haircut. Also, some theories of David Lynch's fear of parenthood.

* ShrugOfGod: Lynch refuses to offer any clues for authorial intent, and pointedly refuses to discuss [[YouDoNOTWantToKnow how the baby was made]].

* DysfunctionJunction: ''Everybody''.

A 1977 surrealist horror film by DavidLynch. The film is notable for being Lynch's feature-length film debut.

* DyeingForYourArt: Jack Nance had to keep his famous haircut throughout production, essentially through the early half of the seventies.

* DeadBabyComedy: Frighteningly subverted [[spoiler: when the recently killed baby comes back to life and eats Henry]].

** Everyone.

[[ItGotWorse Henry's baby got sick]]. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero He tried to help it]].

* BLAMEpisode: All of it, one big Blam.

A 1977 surrealist horror film by DavidLynch.

A 1977 surrealist horror film by DavidLynch.

* AlienGeometries: Henry walking into the "factory" door (actually an unusually shaped bridge abutment in industrial Philadelphia)

* TheBible: Lynch stated that a single verse is what revealed his entire vision of the film. [[TeasingCreator Of course]], [[ShrugOfGod he'll never reveal what that verse was]].

* CloudCuckooLander: The manager's assistant at the pencil factory

* DeadBabyComedy: Frighteningly subverted [[spoiler: when the recently killed baby comes back to life and eats Henry]].
* DeathBySex: Less of a DeathBySex than a Death by Parenthood.

* DieselPunk

* {{Dystopia}}
* NostalgicMusicbox: The first time we see him go home, Henry plays seemingly his only record (One of Fats Waller playing the organ), and reminisces about Mary.

* GhostCity: Very few people seem to live in the city where Henry does.

* ImprobableHairstyle: Henry.

* OntologicalMystery

* [[MadeOfPlasticine Made Of Embalmed Flesh]]

* SpeculativeFiction: The movie feels like science fiction at times, but is almost old fashioned in many other aspects.

* TitleDrop: Somewhat. "His head... has some erasable qualities..."
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: Several scenes in this movie could be either very, very surreal touches of symbolism or a random BigLippedAlligatorMoment.
** Some notice its just one huge metaphor for marriage and commitment.
** Or guilt and suicide.

!!This Film Provides Examples Of:

* AuthorExistenceFailure: Not Lynch, but original cinematographer Herb Cardwell died midway into the production under mysterious circumstances.

* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: It wasn't. David Lynch doesn't need drugs.
** Apparently there was an interview where he was asked if he took drugs. Lynch said "Yes, I eat huge amounts of sugar" and there was a long silence.

Henry Spencer was on vacation. Mary X, his old girlfriend, [[AdultFear had a deformed baby]]. "They're still not sure if it ''is'' a baby". She gave it to him and left. He had difficulty raising it.

* DeathBySex: Less of a DeathBySex than a Death by Parenthood. Still NightmareFuelUnleaded.

* SurrealHorror

* WatchItStoned: Inversion, never EVER take LSD then watch this movie.
** [[{{YourMilageMayVary}} That's Debatable.]]

->In Heaven, everything is fine.
->In Heaven, everything is fine.
->You've got your good things. And I've got mine.

* AllJustADream - Another common interpretation is that Henry is having a dream about his life and problems, and [[spoiler:the light at the end is the sun waking him up]].
* AlienGeometries - Henry walking into the "factory" door (actually an unusually shaped bridge abutment in industrial Philadelphia)
* AuthorExistenceFailure - Not Lynch, but original cinematographer Herb Cardwell died midway into the production under mysterious circumstances.

* BizarreAlienBiology - the chicken, the baby.
* BladeOfGrassCut - frequent, unsettling cuts to unrelated, often unidentifiable objects.
* BLAMEpisode - All of it, one big Blam.
* BodyHorror - Henry's baby, The Man in the Planet's skin, The Lady in the Radiator's cheekbones
* BodyMotifs - Heads
* CloudCuckooLander - the manager's assistant at the pencil factory

* DerangedAnimation - Perfectly describes the clay animation that the worm moves in during one transitory scene.

* DreamLand - One interpretation of the world in the radiator.
* DyeingForYourArt - Jack Nance had to keep his famous haircut throughout production, essentially through the early half of the seventies.
* DysfunctionJunction - ''everybody''.

* NostalgicMusicbox - The first time we see him go home, Henry plays seemingly his only record (One of Fats Waller playing the organ), and reminisces about Mary.

* FreudWasRight
* [[GainaxEnding Gainax Beginning]] - one of the more difficult scenes to place chronologically is the beginning, a slow zoom onto what appears to be an asteroid. It is inhabited by the Man in the Planet. ([[EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory God? Satan?]])
* GrumpyOldMan - Mr. X
* GhostCity - Very few people seem to live in the city where Henry does.
* HumansAreBastards - The only family in the whole film not to be dysfunctional is a family of dogs.
* IAmNotShazam
* InformedAbility - Henry is very clever at printing, but he's on vacation.
* ImprobableHairstyle - Henry.
* KickTheDog - Henry [[spoiler: kills the baby]] because it prevented him from cheating on his girlfriend and generally drove him insane.
* MindScrew - What ''is'' this movie about?

* NoIndoorVoice - The manager of the pencil factory
* NoNameGiven - Lampshaded in the credits.

* ParentalAbandonment - [[spoiler:Mary leaves]].

* ScareChord - Henry's baby ''is'' sick.
* SceneryPorn - Beautiful black & white photography is one of the movie's biggest strengths.
* ScheduleSlip - A truly epic example, the film took [[DavidLynch Lynch]] 5 years to complete!

* ShrugOfGod - Lynch refuses to offer any clues for authorial intent, and pointedly refuses to discuss [[YouDoNOTWantToKnow how the baby was made]].

* SlidingScaleOfRealisticVersusFantastic - Surreal.
* SoundtrackDissonance - "In Heaven, everything is fine/In Heaven, everything is fine/You've got your good things and I've got mine."
* TheSpeechless - The Man in the Planet, Paul. Mary's grandmother is apparently paralyzed or something.
* SpeculativeFiction - The movie feels like science fiction at times, but is almost old fashioned in many other aspects.

* TakeOurWordForIt - David Lynch refuses to say how they made the baby.
* TitleDrop - Somewhat. "His head... has some erasable qualities..."

* TheVamp - [[NoNameGiven Beautiful Girl Across the Hall]]
* [=~What Do You Mean, It Wasn't Made On Drugs?~=] - It wasn't. David Lynch doesn't need drugs.