David Lynch, a cerebral filmmaker shaped by Philly, has died

“When I call it Eraserhood, I’m talking about an intersection between a real place and an imaginary place,” Bob Bruhin, author of “Walking the Eraserhood: A Street-Level Exploration of Philadelphia’s Infamous Callowhill Industrial Historic District.” told WHYY’s Billy Penn in 2015. “There’s a whole twist of thought that comes from comparing what David Lynch did with it to reality. Eraserhood is darker and scarier than Callowhill actually is.”

Lynch went on to occupy an unusual seat in the Hollywood pantheon: a surrealist who made popular films. “Lynchian” became a description to prepare the audience for a bizarre ride they may not fully understand.

He is remembered for his unwavering eye for disruptive content. His breakout film, “Blue Velvet,” opens with a close-up of a severed human ear crawling with ants.

“A wound can be very beautiful. But as soon as you mention it, it stops being beautiful for most people,” Lynch said in 2014. “A wound in the skin, an infection, a deep cut with pus and discoloration. If you took a picture of it, a close-up, and you didn’t know exactly what it was, it could be a great beauty of an organic phenomenon.”

Lynch was a longtime practitioner of Transcendental Meditation, which he promoted for stress relief and mental peace.

His last feature film was “Inland Empire” (2006), his only film shot entirely in digital video. He also made short films and web content and occasionally appeared as an actor. He also designed furniture, some of which appeared in his films.

In 2024, he announced that his emphysema had become so bad that he was no longer able to leave his home to work.