In my opinion, David Lynch is a master of creating unnerving atmospheric space through both his cinematography and sound. I am always surprised at how he is able to make me feel uncomfortable without actually showing anything necessarily “scary” (in the typical sense of the word). Rather than using fast-cuts and jump tactics, he manages to set up an unsettling atmosphere for the entirety of (most of) his films, and/or television programs.
One scene or set that demonstrates this ability is the infamous “Red Room” in the early 90’s American television series “Twin Peaks”.
Photo taken from http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs11/i/2006/190/e/1/Red_Room_wallpaper_by_damndirtyape.png
Even just looking at the picture gives me shivers, however to truly experience the “atmosphere” I am writing about, you’ll have to watch a full scene:
NB – potential spoilers if you’re clued in.
After watching all of Lynch’s films (bar a few of his shorts) I have come to the conclusion that his style is so unnerving for a number of reason.
1. His use of distorted sounds
2. His extremely slow camera movements
and 3. The way in which his scenes are so often reminiscent of nightmares, in both the way they don’t necessarily make sense (at least straight away) and the way they unfold non-sequentially.
Here is another example of one of Lynch’s “dream sequences”, from his film Lost Highway (1997)
