LogFAQs > #946457789

20. Mystery Man scene (Lost Highway) (22.5 points)
Nominated by: jcgamer107 (0/5 remaining)
https://youtu.be/qZowK0NAvig

Importance: 3.5
Fear: 9
Snake: 10

While David Lynch resides and thrives in the horror genre, his branding often revolves around trippy narratives and a sense of bewildering confusion that aren't so much based on raw scares but rather make the brain feel off-kilter and off in subtle ways. However, when Lynch really wants to scare you, he can, as proven by this scene, while still keeping those same psychological charms he's known for. Some context: the "Mystery Man" as he's known was dreamed of by Fred prior to this scene, and Fred has also been receiving mysterious video tapes intruding on his privacy, such as shots of him in bed sleeping or of the exterior of his house. So, Fred, hanging out at a party hosted by his friend, gets approach by the Mystery Man: "We've met before, haven't we?, referencing the dream, but Fred doesn't make that connection. I absolutely adore the use of sound and music in this scene, and it allows Lynch to have some fun in the background during this scene with song titles. The track being played before the Mystery Man shows up is called "Something Wicked This Way Comes", a very 90s jazzy-dance song from the soundtrack, which also lifts the riff from the Classics IV Halloween staple, "Spooky", two horror-themed titles that tie-perfectly into the Mystery Man's character and sudden appearance in the scene. The Mystery Man has this oppressive, unsettling design, sort of like a modern day Count Orlok, inhumanely pale with a sharp haircut and gloomy profile. When he walks up to Fred to talk to him, all sound and music cuts out, besides this dull hum that is ever-present throughout their conversation. This allows the audience to ignore all distractions and focus entirely on the coversation, filmed in shot-reverse shot with uncomfortable, claustrophobic close-ups. Fred is initially stand-offish to the man, but that quickly ends when the Mystery Man tells Fred he's at his house RIGHT NOW. The Mystery Man is even kind enough to offer Fred a cellphone to verify it for himself. Lynch uses the trope of "calling from inside the house" in one of its most morphed and unexpected executions of all time: the Mystery Man is in two places at once, clearly in front of Fred, and he's able to answer the phone at Fred's house without Fred even being home! The levels here are mind-boggling! Lynch also incorporates some vampire lore, adding even more mystery as the Mystery Man was somehow invited in to Fred's home, he hasn't broken in. The Mystery Man's follow-up echoed, doubled laugh in stereo is just purely the stuff of nightmares. As the Mystery Man turns to leave, the music once again comes back in, breaking the hypnotic spell and giving us a chance to breathe and reflect.

In the span of a mere 3-minutes, Lynch accomplishes horror acrobatics, everything designed and in its proper place to catch the audience hook, line, and sinker. It touches on the pitfalls of fame, the Mystery Man could be a stand-in for an overly-obsessed fan with the qualities of a stalker, getting uncomfortably close to Fred's personal life. It reflects the anxieties of the rich lifestyle and party anxieties, the pressure to keep up appearances and make small talk even if your life is spinning desperately out of control. And most of all, it reminds us to not talk to strange possibly-a-vampire mystery men and take their cellphone to call our house to see if said mystery man is actually there right now!

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Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S