Next Stop: Eraserhead Baby

Or how to Make a Baby, with items found in your local supermarket.

Since the passing of David Lynch last month, I’ve been watching interviews and revisiting his films. Eraserhead has always been one of my all-time favorites. One of my dearest friends turned me on to it, and I first saw it when I moved to Boston in 1985—yes, that long ago. It’s been an inspiration ever since.

My first student film project was about filming an emotion. I chose fear, and Eraserhead was a major influence.

For my documentary, one of the things I want to do is recreate the baby from Eraserhead. No one really knows how it was made, but I have a few ideas. I think it’s some kind of puppet, with its head resting on a pillow to allow for hidden controls underneath the table.

Last night, I stayed up late working on a small painting as a study. I’ve also taken some screenshots for reference.

If anyone has thoughts on how it was made—or ideas on how I should recreate it—let me know.