Northwest Classics: ‘Twin Peaks’ dives into the grotesque
Published 3:00 am Tuesday, December 19, 2023
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Imagine partaking in a smorgasbord of the most reprehensible foods imaginable: greasy oysters, oily snails, Haggis, fermented shark and maggot cheese. That’s the equivalent of taking a deep dive into the cult classic movie “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.”
The movie is not for everybody. In fact, it’s only for a slim slice of non-squeamish souls.
It’s also not a family movie. You might want to get a tetanus shot before stepping into this junkyard of weirdness and depravity.
Just because a movie is filmed in the Northwest does not make it must-see viewing. Locations include Snoqualmie, North Bend and Fall City, Washington.
The movie stars Sheryl Lee as promiscuous drug-swilling daughter Laura Palmer and Ray Wise as creepy, insane, narcissist dad Leland Palmer.
The beyond disturbing David Lynch murder mystery opens in Deer Meadow, Washington, featuring Pamela Gidley playing Teresa Banks, a night shift waitress and the original murder victim.
Coming to Deer Meadow to investigate are Chris Isaak, playing FBI agent Chet Desmond, along with his partner, the young investigating agent Sam Stanley played by Keifer Sutherland.
The FBI investigation is the focus of approximately the first half hour of the movie.
Then the action shifts to a year later. We move to the nearby town of Twin Peaks and follow the events transpiring in the last week of Laura’s life.
The movie, rated R for strong violence, sex, drug content and language, moves at the speed of a slug — and leaves a slime trail. Themes of teenage angst and incest make it as creepy as the circus tent of oddball characters frequenting the trailer parks and dive bars of this weird little town.
The movie takes the viewer back in time. We see prolific indoor smoking and Coca-Cola machines advertising products for 60 cents. Yes, the far-back times.
These are not the “good old days.” In fact, they are anything but good. We follow the characters, damaged goods, as they catch downdrafts to a living hell.
The fevered dream sequences are beyond disturbing. They do, however, capture how a young innocent teenager caught in a swirling vortex of incest becomes incredibly self-destructive. The lives of everyone she touches are torn asunder, from innocent would-be boyfriends to her high school best girlfriend and confidant.
Angelo Baladamenti’s music is haunting. Beautiful scenery in the backdrop mocks the horror happening center stage.
The movie served as a prequel to the popular TV series, and some say you must watch the series first for the movie to make sense. The series attained a cult following. Apparently pushing the boundaries of the grotesque makes for good TV viewing.
This sad, terrifying film is not for the faint-hearted. Or for the strong-hearted who are easily offended. The movie plot may move slowly and take ugly twists and foul-tasting turns. Yet the strong message of how one man’s sins can sink a community redeems it somewhat. If you choose to watch, bring the Pepto Bismol.