Blue Velvet (1986)

“See that clock on the wall? 

In five minutes you are not going to believe what I've told you.”

When Jeffrey Beaumont discovers a severed human ear in a field, it opens a gateway into the dark underworld of his small suburban town.

Watching a David Lynch film is always an experience. Whether it be 'Lost Highway', 'Mulholland Drive', ‘Eraserhead' or 'Blue Velvet’, he has the ability to transport you to parts of your subconscious that you never knew you could reach. You are drawn into a dizzying world that is so surreal yet totally believable in the world he presents to you. 

'Blue Velvet' is a dark film. It’s dark in it’s look, in it’s characters, in it’s plot and it really crawls under your skin long after the credits have rolled. Definitely not for the faint of heart… What I found really interesting in Blue Velvet is that I never know whether or not to laugh, cringe or look away at any given moment. It’s such a dark balance that makes you question everything you are feeling and watching. It’s an unusual blend of a twisted love story with a mystery entangled in a suspenseful horror.

What I find really engaging about ‘Blue Velvet’ is the mystery of it. We follow Jeffrey Beaumont as he turns amateur sleuth alongside Sandy as they try and figure out what exactly is going on underneath the perfect little town they live in. We are given clues and small pieces of the puzzle as we take a look into a world that you shouldn’t really dare look into. We pull back the curtain just enough to see the monsters hiding behind it and, just like Jeffrey, we are sucked in against our will, powerless.

There are some scenes that will be burned onto your memory that you won’t be able to forget for a long time. You start in a dream and slowly slip into a nightmare that is relentless. That’s what I admire about ‘Blue Velvet’, it’s unapologetic and unflinching look at the bizarre that’ll take you to the extremes in each character. The film isn’t afraid to push the envelope and dares you to try and look away.

Dennis Hopper plays the terrifying, unrelenting Frank Booth, one of the great screen villains. He is so unbalanced that you never know what he is going to do next.You thought The Joker was a badass? You ain’t seen nothing yet kid. When Frank Booth gets going, the sinister weirdness in his character will (excuse the blatant cliche) send chills up your spine and keep you on your toes throughout. Let’s just say, you’ll never look at a gas canister the same way again…

Songs are used in the film to flip our perception of events and completely turn them on their head. We are treated to a bizarre mime of Roy Orbison’s “In Dreams” from Dean Stockwell that’ll have you squirming in your seat.

I don’t think it’s easy to fully comprehend Blue Velvet on a first viewing, I still don’t think I fully understand it and I’ve seen it many times. This being the case, it’s so refreshing to have a piece of film making that challenges you to look deeper into the film and deeper into yourself. It’s more of an experience than a normal viewing. It deals with so many different ideas and emotions and takes you on a gritty, sexual, mysterious journey that will leave you breathless. You feel dirty as you become the voyeur, watching and observing.

Despite everything I’ve just said, you might absolutely hate it… Probably not the best way to summarise a review but I always believe that you either love or hate David Lynch’s films. You either get them or you just don’t. 

I think that either way you swing on the argument, you’ll experience something watching Blue Velvet and be able to take something away from it. Which is what real art should do. It shouldn’t just be a money devouring tool to make you buy popcorn and fill multiplexes, it should allow you to transcend the mundane and take you to places that you never knew you could go... Then again, maybe I’m just being a hopeless romantic.

It’s hard to put into words what Blue Velvet is about because it changes from person to person. The only advice I can give is just turn down the lights, turn up the volume and open your mind to a new type of movie-going experience.

A classic that never gets old and only gets better with age. Although, the same can't be said for the trailer unfortunately... I always miss the gruff voiced narrator guy. 
Where did he go? Maybe thats the real mystery...