Blue Velvet (1986)

Yes, the soap-opera dialogue in Blue Velvet is on purpose. No, that doesn’t make it easier to sit through. Jeffrey and Sandy talk in such stiff, sweet little speeches that some viewers laugh in the wrong places. That’s David Lynch’s trick: pretty town on top, rot underneath. The opening is famous for a reason, with white fences, red roses, a man watering his lawn, and the camera sinking into the grass where the bugs are crawling. Kyle MacLachlan’s Jeffrey keeps going one door too far. Laura Dern is the warm light in the film, especially in Sandy’s dream about robins. Dennis Hopper’s Frank Booth is one of the scariest villains of the decade, all fury and no brakes. Dean Stockwell gets a strange, unforgettable scene lip-syncing into a work light. This one is strictly for grown-ups. It made $8.7 million worldwide on a reported $6M. A 7.6 because the craft is unforgettable and the deliberate stiffness keeps you at arm’s length. $87.78 says you walk faster past the next empty lot and refuse to look down at the grass.

What works: Lynch’s images are unforgettable, and Dennis Hopper and Laura Dern give two wildly opposite, memorable performances.

What doesn’t: The deliberately stiff dialogue can play as unintentionally funny, and the darkest stretches are far too intense for younger viewers.

Who it’s for: Adult viewers who like their mysteries strange and want to see where a lot of modern weird cinema started.