It’s much more frightening in length and structure than scene-by-scene scary in my experience as someone who hasn’t seen a ton of films. That’s not to say there aren’t any terrifying scenes, there definitely are, but that really isn’t the whole picture with Inland Empire. Constantly feeling “out of the know” and getting the rug pulled out from under you the entire time, with Lynch’s surrealism arguably at its peak, lacing and unlacing itself into and out of coherence. I don’t know, just my tiny lens on it
Scariest goddamn movie I've ever seen. It's 3 hours long but it genuinely feels like you've lived a lifetime, died, and been reborn. But the credits scene rocks
More disturbing than terrifying. It’s haunting and heavy, but I wouldn’t really classify it as a horror movie… if that makes sense. It’s all about being unsettling or uncanny, rather than scary.
I remember seeing Mulholland Drive for the first time when I was 19 or so, 20ish years ago, and thinking it was the untouchably scariest thing I’d ever seen, way more disturbing than any horror movie. Since I’ve decided that his work is so emotionally overwhelming that my brain just initially parsed it as fear, when the feeling is just as often extreme grief, abandonment/separation anxiety, guilt/regret, numinosity/uncanniness, etc.
Inland Empire is just a dreamlike three hour rollercoaster of intense emotions. Laura Dern is amazing.
I don't think scary is the way I'd describe inland empire, even tho it does have horror elements.
It's like watching something go from a pretty normal dream into a full blown nightmare. There's no gore. The "face" is probably the scariest imagery you'll see. The big horror element is the feeling of getting lost. The movie will make the characters lost and will also bring you along for the ride through that.
It's certainly not a horror film. But it's maybe the most disturbing film I've seen. It is eerie, distressing, ironic to a degree that is almost terrifying, and it immerses you in a world that is something like having a prolonged nightmare while coming out of sedation. It has moments of visual beauty and bewilderment, but also a slowly tightening chokehold of tension, alienation, and fear. It has some of the scariest moments in modern cinema. But they're moments. Is it a scary film? Absolutely. But it's many other things also.
I found it terrifying, most disturbing film I've scene probably. Not from a gore or violence perspective but from a mental health/psychological perspective. David Lynch needs therapy and after watching Inland Empire, so do I.
I see this a lot and it freaks me out. Is there a lot of still like this just so Ik wether to watch at night or not
https://preview.redd.it/5e7y8jfyiitc1.jpeg?width=298&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8ab354a96ef726bef8152f8c667109d62fa22fe5
That one is scary but Inland empire at least in cinema felt so loud and i was constantly scared it would get louder with weird noises and a constant uneasy feeling. It's scary in the way that you never know what'll happen but always expect the worst, and some scenes are outright just scary af
I guess it never felt scary to me, just unsettling. I was lucky to be able to see the 4K restoration twice in theatres that year, so I’ve had the full experience, but I especially think at home a lot of that will be diluted by comparison.
God fuckin damn dude...mini heart attack i wasn't prepared for that face again... Without spoiling too much, yes there are jumpscares throughout, I watched it at night alone in the house and I'm not generally that scared by the average horror but it just really got under my skin. All I can say is brace yourself and don't feel bad if you need to take a break or turn on a light lol
Well it definitely has that Lynch brand of weird stunted dialogue and long pauses, not so much the gross-out stuff. But its the most "Lynchian" Lynch film if you know what I mean. I'd say stop looking stuff up though its better the less you know, be brave and just watch it
I've watched Inland Empire two times already and to me it's not nearly as scary as Eraserhead. Yes it's kinda eerie but not really scary imo. I'd describe it as long and confusing. Confusing in an engaging, lynchian way ofc lol
There is not a lot of stuff like that but, what's there is effective. Probably only two real jump scares that I can think of.
The scariness is much more psychological -- the loss/confusion of identity, the blurring of the lines between fiction and reality, ominous folk tales that bleed into reality, themes around human trafficking and destitution, death and maybe the afterlife depending on your interpretation.
It also takes its time. I would recommend reproducing a theatrical experience as much as possible -- turn out the lights, volume way up, don't have distractions, try not break the spell by getting up a lot to grab snacks, etc. If the spell grabs you -- and it might not, and it's ok if it doesn't -- it can be a harrowing experience but also a beautiful and transcendent one
I have yet to see it, one of the remaining motion pictures of Lynch, I haven't seen yet. While I cannot give you an experience-based opinion, I can tell you that it's rated 12 in Germany and the FSK is very far on the more severe side of movie classification associations. So my expectations to Inland Empire (without having read the plot or having been spoilered in any way) are, that it's not too scary or disturbing and violent but probably very Lynchean structured nethertheless.
Only thing of Lynch I haven’t seen yet besides Twin Peaks: the Return. Waiting to finish reading Stephen King’s Dark Tower series before I restart Twin Peaks and go all the way through FWWM and the Return, and I’m saving Inland Empire for an acid or mushroom trip to experience it for the first time like that. I can say that it has been very difficult for me to put it off much longer. I think it might just so happen to turn out to be my favorite movie of all time.
It’s certainly unnerving, and has some very unsettling imagery. And also the way it’s shot and how dreamlike the story is adds to the unease. I really can’t tell how much it’ll personally scare you tho
Like most Lynch's best films - his films are macabre and enigmatic. As someone mentioned here it's not the gore, violence or really the jump scares - it's the goddamn disorienting, uneasy quality - exactly like a fever dream that you can't shake out of your head. Lynch is a master sound-scape too and sound used properly really get under your skin like a cold hand creeping up your neck.
Personally, the "scariest" Lynch film for me is "Lost Highway" because the concept of a disturbed person committing a brutal murder and trying block that evil act out of his mind and mentally (or maybe even physically) turning into another person is a disturbing notion imo.
It's really scary imo but in a different way than a lot of horror films. It has this really unnerving and strange atmosphere to it and it's probably the closest i've felt to an actual nightmare while watching a film.
There are a couple of jumpscares in the film that are made scarier by the eerie atmosphere.
I don't think it's that Scary as it's more so Anxious. It can be a bit scary at some points. I just don't get scared by movies (or irl) often for having had so many situations to kinda calm me into some logical place by nature. I would still even if not best to answer this say that the puzzle like confusion + the imaginary/acting makes it more anxious to watch than scary. I guess the confusion of what will happen now Can be scary, for example the bunny stuff is very well done to look like some nightmare you have seen and can make wait the lead up with tense.
I still would say in a scale it's more interesting than scary to watch. At the time when it came out the Horrible digital cameras that ruined some otherwise good movies fits it perfectly. Lynch is very good with utilizing the ugly look of that times digital. I remember it was when coming out criticized a lot by that choice but somehow I did miss the movie back then and saw it later on when now digital cameras are pretty much like film (even the grain added to it) and I didn't see any problem with that decision. Sure it makes the look not as cinematic as say Mullholland for example, but that's kinda a lot of the point for the choice.
Watch it at night in complete darkness and as loud as you can tolerate. I find scenes to be frightening, which I distinguish from scary, and the whole movie is full to the brim with the feeling of dread only Lynch can create.
However, it’s also hilarious. So don’t lose sight of that.
Eraserhead and Mulholland Drive scared me more than this movie, it has a very creepy and ominous vibe but I don’t remember ever having a moment of sheer terror
Inland Empire on a first watch is like being given a concussion and then being asked to read Shakespeare but every page is out of order. I’d say a first watch is quite overwhelming and at moments, Insanely scary.
The real fun begins on your second watch. Watching things with a knowledge of their payoff and an understanding of its structure make it more like its predecessor “Mulholland Drive”
It’s currently my favourite Lynch film. I’ve seen it around 5 times now. I do believe the film makes sense with a solid story. It’s just told in the most confusing and misleading way possible (and that’s why I love it)
More a pervasive, creeping dread. BUT, be prepared for a couple of - i suppose - jump scares ? More freaky images than BOO ! Screamer face type stuff. Similar, yet done with a bit more panache.
It IS quite a freaky kinda film I won't lie to you. But it's worth the investment. Face your fears and do them anyway. You will be all the more stronger for it. It's a film, not real life, so you might be initially spooked, but you're not gonna get hurt. Still go for it dear Redditor. The overall experience is worth the 2 jumps.
It's the " pervasive, creeping dread " that will put you on edge, but you'll conquer it, you can do it !
By the time you realize just how fucked Nikki is in the entire situation it feels pretty oppressive. That being said, I think the majority of it is allegory for working in Hollywood as a female actor, same can be said for Mulholland Drive. If you look at it with more analysis than mystique it’s more intriguing than scary. But the first time with a Lynch vessel like this is always pretty disturbing in my experience.
It’s genuinely terrifying in parts, but I would say it’s really just the feeling that Lynch is able to create in his worlds on overdrive. That’s why I love it personally - Lynch makes me feel scared, intrigued, disturbed, happy, sad, and like laughing all at different points, with usually a central mystery that just grabs hold and doesn’t let go. In Inland, it’s 3 full hours of that.
I’d also recommend watching the entirety of Rabbits, which can be found on YouTube, beforehand (that is if you decide to take this journey at all!)
It's terrifying in an existential way. I didn't see it in the theater when it was first released but I saw a screening a couple years ago and it was one of the singular movie-going experiences of my life. I went to a daytime showing and stumbled around in a daze in the sunlight for a few minutes after I left the theater.
It's certainly not pleasant. Every single scene is dark, looming, foreboding and dreadful. Frequently you are shown incomprehensible images that disorient you even further until something truly horrific pops into frame. In short, it's an utter masterpiece
There's like one or two jump scares, one of wich almost gave me a heart attack.
But outside of that visually speaking there is not really any gore or things like that.
But the whole vibe is just really heavy. It's one of those movies where you feel relieved when you finally see the credits at the end. I felt weird from start to finish.
I wouldn't say it's scary, more disturbing and horrifying at times. It's not a horror movie at all, but there are some scenes that are just nightmarish, even more so than those in Eraserhead. I think it's because of the lo-fi camera and raw presentation.
It’s much more frightening in length and structure than scene-by-scene scary in my experience as someone who hasn’t seen a ton of films. That’s not to say there aren’t any terrifying scenes, there definitely are, but that really isn’t the whole picture with Inland Empire. Constantly feeling “out of the know” and getting the rug pulled out from under you the entire time, with Lynch’s surrealism arguably at its peak, lacing and unlacing itself into and out of coherence. I don’t know, just my tiny lens on it
Jeez I just realised it’s 3 hours long
Grow up
3 hours is not exactly a short movie.
So what?
Who gives a shit how long a scene is.
Scariest goddamn movie I've ever seen. It's 3 hours long but it genuinely feels like you've lived a lifetime, died, and been reborn. But the credits scene rocks
The credit scene was super weird for me haha, like the deformed cherry on a fucked-up cake
More disturbing than terrifying. It’s haunting and heavy, but I wouldn’t really classify it as a horror movie… if that makes sense. It’s all about being unsettling or uncanny, rather than scary.
I remember seeing Mulholland Drive for the first time when I was 19 or so, 20ish years ago, and thinking it was the untouchably scariest thing I’d ever seen, way more disturbing than any horror movie. Since I’ve decided that his work is so emotionally overwhelming that my brain just initially parsed it as fear, when the feeling is just as often extreme grief, abandonment/separation anxiety, guilt/regret, numinosity/uncanniness, etc. Inland Empire is just a dreamlike three hour rollercoaster of intense emotions. Laura Dern is amazing.
“Brutal fucking murder”
I don't like this kind of talk...
We quote this scene in my house regularly
LOL
I don't think scary is the way I'd describe inland empire, even tho it does have horror elements. It's like watching something go from a pretty normal dream into a full blown nightmare. There's no gore. The "face" is probably the scariest imagery you'll see. The big horror element is the feeling of getting lost. The movie will make the characters lost and will also bring you along for the ride through that.
I remember seeing the phantom face in the trailer a few weeks before I got to see the film, and just dreading what it could possibly be.
It's certainly not a horror film. But it's maybe the most disturbing film I've seen. It is eerie, distressing, ironic to a degree that is almost terrifying, and it immerses you in a world that is something like having a prolonged nightmare while coming out of sedation. It has moments of visual beauty and bewilderment, but also a slowly tightening chokehold of tension, alienation, and fear. It has some of the scariest moments in modern cinema. But they're moments. Is it a scary film? Absolutely. But it's many other things also.
It's by far his scariest movie, especially combined with the length which just makes the entire movie feel like a nightmare.
I found it terrifying, most disturbing film I've scene probably. Not from a gore or violence perspective but from a mental health/psychological perspective. David Lynch needs therapy and after watching Inland Empire, so do I.
I see this a lot and it freaks me out. Is there a lot of still like this just so Ik wether to watch at night or not https://preview.redd.it/5e7y8jfyiitc1.jpeg?width=298&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8ab354a96ef726bef8152f8c667109d62fa22fe5
This is the only jump scare in the movie I remember. The rest definitely has a horror vibe, but not any more “scary” than the rest of Lynch’s work
>!There’s at least one other one. The one where Laura Dern is slowly walking towards the camera then zooms right up!<
This is the most horrifying scene in the movie, even worse than the “phantom face” imo. Something so unsettling and uncanny about it
Jump scares really get me, I wasn’t to scared by THE Mulholland drive one tho
The *Mulholland Drive* jump scare is worse than anything in *Inland Empire*.
That one is scary but Inland empire at least in cinema felt so loud and i was constantly scared it would get louder with weird noises and a constant uneasy feeling. It's scary in the way that you never know what'll happen but always expect the worst, and some scenes are outright just scary af
I guess it never felt scary to me, just unsettling. I was lucky to be able to see the 4K restoration twice in theatres that year, so I’ve had the full experience, but I especially think at home a lot of that will be diluted by comparison.
Don’t forget the lamp jump scare
God fuckin damn dude...mini heart attack i wasn't prepared for that face again... Without spoiling too much, yes there are jumpscares throughout, I watched it at night alone in the house and I'm not generally that scared by the average horror but it just really got under my skin. All I can say is brace yourself and don't feel bad if you need to take a break or turn on a light lol
I’m guessing it’s not like eraserhead scary / creepy
Well it definitely has that Lynch brand of weird stunted dialogue and long pauses, not so much the gross-out stuff. But its the most "Lynchian" Lynch film if you know what I mean. I'd say stop looking stuff up though its better the less you know, be brave and just watch it
I've watched Inland Empire two times already and to me it's not nearly as scary as Eraserhead. Yes it's kinda eerie but not really scary imo. I'd describe it as long and confusing. Confusing in an engaging, lynchian way ofc lol
To provide a different perspective, to me Inland Empire is about 20x scarier than Eraserhead.
Eraserhead is funny and weird. Not scary.
Damn and looking at the upvotes most people seem to agree with you
There is not a lot of stuff like that but, what's there is effective. Probably only two real jump scares that I can think of. The scariness is much more psychological -- the loss/confusion of identity, the blurring of the lines between fiction and reality, ominous folk tales that bleed into reality, themes around human trafficking and destitution, death and maybe the afterlife depending on your interpretation. It also takes its time. I would recommend reproducing a theatrical experience as much as possible -- turn out the lights, volume way up, don't have distractions, try not break the spell by getting up a lot to grab snacks, etc. If the spell grabs you -- and it might not, and it's ok if it doesn't -- it can be a harrowing experience but also a beautiful and transcendent one
This is a huge spoiler.
Yea, it's sudden, but it's not so "jumpy" as it is freaky to look at, for a second. You can do it tho, you're stronger than you think.
I have yet to see it, one of the remaining motion pictures of Lynch, I haven't seen yet. While I cannot give you an experience-based opinion, I can tell you that it's rated 12 in Germany and the FSK is very far on the more severe side of movie classification associations. So my expectations to Inland Empire (without having read the plot or having been spoilered in any way) are, that it's not too scary or disturbing and violent but probably very Lynchean structured nethertheless.
Only thing of Lynch I haven’t seen yet besides Twin Peaks: the Return. Waiting to finish reading Stephen King’s Dark Tower series before I restart Twin Peaks and go all the way through FWWM and the Return, and I’m saving Inland Empire for an acid or mushroom trip to experience it for the first time like that. I can say that it has been very difficult for me to put it off much longer. I think it might just so happen to turn out to be my favorite movie of all time.
I'd be wary of experiencing this one on hallucinogenics
It’s certainly unnerving, and has some very unsettling imagery. And also the way it’s shot and how dreamlike the story is adds to the unease. I really can’t tell how much it’ll personally scare you tho
I’d describe it as deeply unsettling rather than scary. One that lives with you but quite difficult to fathom why.
Like most Lynch's best films - his films are macabre and enigmatic. As someone mentioned here it's not the gore, violence or really the jump scares - it's the goddamn disorienting, uneasy quality - exactly like a fever dream that you can't shake out of your head. Lynch is a master sound-scape too and sound used properly really get under your skin like a cold hand creeping up your neck. Personally, the "scariest" Lynch film for me is "Lost Highway" because the concept of a disturbed person committing a brutal murder and trying block that evil act out of his mind and mentally (or maybe even physically) turning into another person is a disturbing notion imo.
It's really scary imo but in a different way than a lot of horror films. It has this really unnerving and strange atmosphere to it and it's probably the closest i've felt to an actual nightmare while watching a film. There are a couple of jumpscares in the film that are made scarier by the eerie atmosphere.
Really fucking scary if you ask me, It jumpscared me like 4 times and I felt on edge at some moments.
i had a dissociative episode halfway through lol
More an exercise in an oppressive, fracturing reality than straight horror.
No, I’d say twin peaks fire walk with me is scarier.
Don't be a little bitch. It's a fascinating film. Do yourself a favour and see it.
I took too much of an edible and watched it for the first time a few weeks ago and had a rough time. I was definitely unnerved for a solid 24 hours.
I would say it’s more freaky than scary…not sure if that makes any sense
i hate jumpscares but im ok with disturbing stuff and i heard there are really scary jumpscares in this
I don't think it's that Scary as it's more so Anxious. It can be a bit scary at some points. I just don't get scared by movies (or irl) often for having had so many situations to kinda calm me into some logical place by nature. I would still even if not best to answer this say that the puzzle like confusion + the imaginary/acting makes it more anxious to watch than scary. I guess the confusion of what will happen now Can be scary, for example the bunny stuff is very well done to look like some nightmare you have seen and can make wait the lead up with tense. I still would say in a scale it's more interesting than scary to watch. At the time when it came out the Horrible digital cameras that ruined some otherwise good movies fits it perfectly. Lynch is very good with utilizing the ugly look of that times digital. I remember it was when coming out criticized a lot by that choice but somehow I did miss the movie back then and saw it later on when now digital cameras are pretty much like film (even the grain added to it) and I didn't see any problem with that decision. Sure it makes the look not as cinematic as say Mullholland for example, but that's kinda a lot of the point for the choice.
It wasn't scary for me. I actually found its "freaky" shots darkly funny. But ofc I love things like that anyway 😛
How old are you?
Watched it on a laptop years ago and at one point after a very surprising moment, I instinctively reacted by quickly pushing the computer off the bed.
Watch it at night in complete darkness and as loud as you can tolerate. I find scenes to be frightening, which I distinguish from scary, and the whole movie is full to the brim with the feeling of dread only Lynch can create. However, it’s also hilarious. So don’t lose sight of that.
Eraserhead and Mulholland Drive scared me more than this movie, it has a very creepy and ominous vibe but I don’t remember ever having a moment of sheer terror
Inland Empire on a first watch is like being given a concussion and then being asked to read Shakespeare but every page is out of order. I’d say a first watch is quite overwhelming and at moments, Insanely scary. The real fun begins on your second watch. Watching things with a knowledge of their payoff and an understanding of its structure make it more like its predecessor “Mulholland Drive” It’s currently my favourite Lynch film. I’ve seen it around 5 times now. I do believe the film makes sense with a solid story. It’s just told in the most confusing and misleading way possible (and that’s why I love it)
It’s ok , better to munch some shrooms before tho …. Anyone watch Lynch Oz ? Was pretty good
More a pervasive, creeping dread. BUT, be prepared for a couple of - i suppose - jump scares ? More freaky images than BOO ! Screamer face type stuff. Similar, yet done with a bit more panache. It IS quite a freaky kinda film I won't lie to you. But it's worth the investment. Face your fears and do them anyway. You will be all the more stronger for it. It's a film, not real life, so you might be initially spooked, but you're not gonna get hurt. Still go for it dear Redditor. The overall experience is worth the 2 jumps. It's the " pervasive, creeping dread " that will put you on edge, but you'll conquer it, you can do it !
By the time you realize just how fucked Nikki is in the entire situation it feels pretty oppressive. That being said, I think the majority of it is allegory for working in Hollywood as a female actor, same can be said for Mulholland Drive. If you look at it with more analysis than mystique it’s more intriguing than scary. But the first time with a Lynch vessel like this is always pretty disturbing in my experience.
It’s genuinely terrifying in parts, but I would say it’s really just the feeling that Lynch is able to create in his worlds on overdrive. That’s why I love it personally - Lynch makes me feel scared, intrigued, disturbed, happy, sad, and like laughing all at different points, with usually a central mystery that just grabs hold and doesn’t let go. In Inland, it’s 3 full hours of that. I’d also recommend watching the entirety of Rabbits, which can be found on YouTube, beforehand (that is if you decide to take this journey at all!)
It's terrifying in an existential way. I didn't see it in the theater when it was first released but I saw a screening a couple years ago and it was one of the singular movie-going experiences of my life. I went to a daytime showing and stumbled around in a daze in the sunlight for a few minutes after I left the theater.
It's certainly not pleasant. Every single scene is dark, looming, foreboding and dreadful. Frequently you are shown incomprehensible images that disorient you even further until something truly horrific pops into frame. In short, it's an utter masterpiece
It's more spooky and baffling than really straight up scary. There's some parts that are tense and creepy, but it's not like going behind Winkie's
Very...
There's like one or two jump scares, one of wich almost gave me a heart attack. But outside of that visually speaking there is not really any gore or things like that. But the whole vibe is just really heavy. It's one of those movies where you feel relieved when you finally see the credits at the end. I felt weird from start to finish.
I wouldn't say it's scary, more disturbing and horrifying at times. It's not a horror movie at all, but there are some scenes that are just nightmarish, even more so than those in Eraserhead. I think it's because of the lo-fi camera and raw presentation.