The director himself came off as almost performatively normal. Masterpieces like “Eraserhead” and “Mulholland Drive” said otherwise.

Both films feature the director's signature style, with surreal premises and shades of horror, perfect for those eager to dive headfirst in his twisted filmography. Eraserhead was Lynch's first feature-length film,

With such hallucinogenic masterworks as 'Eraserhead,' 'Blue Velvet,' 'Mulholland Drive,' 'Twin Peaks' and 'The Elephant Man,' he often left more questions than answers.

In his later life, Lynch charged into the digital frontier in his typically singular fashion. He used grainy digital video cameras to shoot the bizarre California epic Inland Empire mostly on his own dime;

Reactions from Hollywood were swift and heartfelt. Kyle MacLachlan, who became a star when Lynch cast him as Paul Atreides in 1984's Dune, Blue Velvet (1986), and the TV series Twin Peaks, described the director as "the most authentically alive person I'd ever met":

David Lynch, the visionary filmmaker behind such cult classics as Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive has died. He was 78. Lynch’s death was announced in a Facebook post by his family on Thursday afternoon.

Twin Peaks' Creator and Filmmaker David Lynch Dies at 76 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - David Lynch, the American filmmaker, writer and artist who scored best director Oscar nominations for "Blue Velvet," "The Elephant Man" and "Mulholland Drive" and co-created the groundbreaking TV series "Twin Peaks,

A primer for David Lynch’s best movies and TV shows, from “Twin Peaks” to “Blue Velvet,” to be enjoyed in a dark room with a big cup of black coffee.

Much like dreams, merely hearing Lynch's work described does not compare to experiencing his movies and TV series firsthand. Unconventional to the end, the director's filmography (plus Twin Peaks, indispensable to his oeuvre) almost always elicits strong responses,