David Lynch famously abhorred explaining himself. “Believe it or not, Eraserhead is my most spiritual film,” the director once said of his esoteric debut feature, during a 2007 interview. When asked to elaborate,

For the iconic writer-director, who was diagnosed with emphysema before his death last week at 78, cigarettes were more than a habit—they were a form of meditation, a symbol of the art life, and an endless source of visual poetry.

Books & the Arts / His visceral films, which reflect the best and worst of American life, affected viewers in realms both conscious and unconscious. Vikram Murthi In David Lynch’s Blue Velvet, college student Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) discovers that he’s both a detective and a pervert.

Lynch's legacy emphasized finding meaning and love, a lesson echoed in games inspired by his work. Games like Silent Hill, Death Stranding, and Control show strong Lynchian influences in storytelling and aesthetics.

Just 15 days into the new year, the world woke up to some devastating news—David Lynch, a mastermind of horror movies, had lost the battle to emphysema. The good news is that he left us a long list of films; here are his best. But First…