Is it true that some fellow directors helped ERASERHEAD gain notoriety?
5a. Yes. When ERASERHEAD was screened at Filmex, it received mix reviews. Lynch cut 20 minutes of footage (see the section on Deleted Scenes) to make the film an even 90 minutes, and he found a distributor in Ben Barenholtz of Libra Films. Lynch had a print of the film sent to Barenholtz, who was known for turning EL TOPO, PINK FLAMINGOS and THE HARDER THEY COME (films that would never survive a regular theatrical release) into midnight hits. Lynch: “The major studios will put a film out for a week and if it doesnt make so many dollars, theyll pull it forever. Well, Ben puts a film out, and just kind of waters it. First, the real weirdoes will see it; theyll see anything if its running at midnight. And if it clicks with them, itll enter the next phase, which is a slightly bigger group of people.” Soon the film was drawing a healthy audience, but it was the words of some fellow directors that really got things moving. John Waters, director of PINK FLAMINGOS, CRY BABY, HAIR SPRAY and oth
