Is the Mystery Man of Lost Highway 'This Man'?

WARNING!!

THIS ARTICLE HAS SPOILERS TO THE FILM LOST HIGHWAY. IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE FILM, SKIP THIS READ. IF YOU HAVE, THEN KEEP ON SCROLLING. :)

Last night, I watched a very intriguing video by The Why Files that gave me a mind-boggling thought that I doubt anyone has thought of yet. If they have, feel free to make yourselves known in the comment section and share your thoughts concerning this topic of discovery. 

If you haven't heard of The Why Files, feel free to check them out as well. They cover many interesting and fun topics with the research of their amazing team and continue to make an impact on the world with their presence. Subscribe to their channel if you enjoy the episode above and crave more. Also, make sure to smash that Cooper-thumbs-up button. :) 

This Man has sparked some inner thoughts within me that he could possibly be the Mystery Man that has haunted us since his intro to our minds in the David Lynch film Lost Highway (1997). We all know that David Lynch is all about dreams in his works. Everything seems to be in a dream, whether it be in Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive, Lost Highway, or even Inland Empire. In Lost Highway, this is when things get a little strange when pinning a connection to a particular figure. A particular figure that has haunted people in their dreams for days, months, or even years worldwide in our space of dimension and time.  

This Man has been seen in dreams since the 1980s. There wasn't a real sketch of him until 2006 when a patient described him to a New York psychiatrist. Since then, people have been coming forward saying they've seen This Man in their dreams. He's either staring at or over them without saying a word or grunting; telling them to Go North if they want to be safe, or chases and attacks them for mysterious reasons. His visits are recurring in the Dream World. The fact he keeps coming back is a mystery of its own. 

Who is he?

What does he want?

Why does he always want us to Go North?

Where and how can we hide from him if he wants to hurt us?

It's hard to answer any of these questions because we just don't know. Many would say This Man is just an internet hoax. In fact, yes, that is true. But only a bit. An Italian viral marketing specialist by the name of Andrea Natella created the website Ever Dream This Man? in 2008 after dreaming of him telling him to do it and try to find out his identity. Andrea claimed he had tried using the sketches of This Man with facial recognition tech, but failed to identify who this Mystery Man was. Soon, Natella admitted that This Man was a picture of his father that he used as a marketing ploy. 

But that doesn't explain why people since the 1980s have dreamed of This Man. This was before Natella created the website and his claim that it was no other than his father. If that sketch isn't really This Man, then what does he look like? Yet again, why do people see that particular sketch and recognize him with either dread, allure, or even a mysterious or guiding dream figure? And some even say he wants something but they just don't know what...

The Mystery Man of Lost Highway. He wants something as well, but we never really know what it is. He claims he doesn't come without being wanted. And when he enters the scene, you're in a different space... like a dream. All surrounding sounds fade and sound so... unexplainable... almost like a hum... takes over. It's you and him... alone where others are around. Very dreamlike and very unsettling when you're face to face with him. He's even got thinning dark hair, big eyes, rounded face, yet lacking the thick eyebrows of This Man.

Though The  Mystery Man seems neutral, it depends on how you view him. Others might view him as harmless and a guiding figure of the Dream World. Others might view him in terror because of his intimidating presence with a murderous or haunting intention. Others might view him as just a random guy who's just creepy or strange. Kind of similar to the many views that many people have of This Man.

In Lost Highway, the Mystery Man seems to have some aspect of control over the events that occur in the film. It's like two or three dreams at once. A story over a story over a story. And the Mystery Man plays some role in each one as they move forward like the pieces in a chess game. He wants something and he's trying by taking advantage of those who summon his help or guidance. For mysterious reasons, he switches the bodies of Fred and Pete, and he murders Renee in Fred's body and sleeps with her blonde doppelganger Alice in Pete's body. He even murders Mr. Eddie in the very eyes of Fred, who gave him the gun to do so upon demand. 

Lastly, as if in a dream, the Mystery Man goes further to frighten Fred with the film camera. Something that Fred resents, since he likes to remember things that have happened in his life the way he wants to remember them. A therapist or psychologist would point out from this dream that he fears the truth of everything in his life and the world around him. Even the truth about himself, to go more extensively. For some unknown reason, knowing and harboring the truth deeply affects him. Perhaps the Mystery Man knew all along before Fred did. Whatever it is about Fred, the Mystery Man wouldn't have made his appearance and caused a rift in events that occurred.

This Man wants something we don't know and has been viewed differently just like that of the Mystery Man in Lost Highway. Though it is uncertain whether Lynch was inspired by the tales of This Man to create a replica of this character in Lost Highway. If not, it is still worth the thoughtful correlation between the two strange and mysterious figures that have made a prominent foothold in our imaginations and dreams.

Do the Wormhole Theories Exist in the Lynch-Verse?

This article has SPOILERS. If you haven't seen Twin Peaks: The Return, do not read this article. If you have, then keep on scrolling. :)

Worm-holes...

When it comes to Twin Peaks: The Return, worm-holes seem to be a possible way of traveling through space and time. Whether or not they are secret passages through the unknown, to the alternative realities and universes, the concept is still a great intrigue to dive into. 

'Wormholes were originally postulated in 1916, but they were not named such at the time. While studying another scientist’s solution to the equations in Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity, Austrian physicist Ludwig Flamm discovered there was another alternative. He talked about a “white hole,” a possible temporal reversal of a black hole. A space-time conduit may connect the entrances of both black and white holes.

In 1935, Einstein and scientist Nathan Rosen expanded on the concept with general relativity, proposing the possibility of “bridges” spanning space-time. These bridges connect two places in space-time, potentially establishing a shortcut that reduces travel time and distance. These shortcuts were dubbed Einstein-Rosen bridges or wormholes.' (according to Shortpedia Voices)

Shortpedia Voices: Einstein-Rosen Bridge

After 25 years trapped in the Black Lodge, Agent Cooper is finally released. The Arm (who was once the Little Man but is now a leafless tree with a head resembling that of a chewed-up ball of gum) commands him to go after BOB and then tells him he's 'non-existent' as it breaks the famous zig-zag floor. Cooper falls through the floor to a black space that is 'non-existence' and then lands on top of the glass box. He sinks into The Box, passing through it in a supernatural way before finally re-entering space. Finally, he lands on the balcony of the Tower in the middle of the Purple Ocean, and from this moment onwards, he makes his way back to our world/dimension. 

These space-like scenes seem to bring about the theories about wormholes... Most specifically, the Einstein-Rosen Bridge. The Black Hole could be the nonexistent part of the Lodges, and the White Hole as a passage in and out of the White Lodge. The space-time conduit could possibly be The Box that Cooper was floating briefly in before finally going into space again. 

This wormhole theory could also go very well after Andy opens the box at Glastonbury Grove. From this box,  a whirling dark portal is formed in the sky. This portal would lead him into the White Lodge.

Another interesting fact is that in the film Interstellar, the main character who is also called Cooper (played by Matthew McConaughey) goes through an Einstein-Rosen Bridge, which was created by the aliens of Saturn.

There could be also possibilities of the Schwarzschild Wormhole theory.

(from Shutterstock.com)

The first type of wormhole solution discovered was the Schwarzschild wormhole, which would be present in the Schwarzschild metric describing an eternal black hole, but it was found that it would collapse too quickly for anything to cross from one end to the other. Wormholes that could be crossed in both directions, known as traversable wormholes, were thought to be possible only if exotic matter with negative energy density could be used to stabilize them. However, physicists later reported that microscopic traversable wormholes may be possible and not require any exotic matter (matter with exotic properties that would violate the laws of physics), instead requiring only electrically charged fermionic matter with small enough mass that it cannot collapse into a charged black hole. While such wormholes, if possible, may be limited to transfers of information, humanly traversable wormholes may exist if reality can broadly be described by the Randall–Sundrum model 2, a brane-based theory consistent with string theory. (according to Wikipedia)

This might be another interesting theory, especially one that could easily bring us back to my previous article, Electricity... Do They Use It? From that article, I discussed how the entities could be using the electric currents and electricity as a whole to travel through alternative realities, universes, and dimensions, and also use it to do the unthinkable. The Schwarzschild wormhole might require electrically charged fermionic matter with small enough mass, which would most definitely explain the importance of electricity in The Return, as well as Cooper's entry to our world/dimension through an electric outlet. And of course, the electricity drew him to another outlet at Janey-E's house, and got him into a coma due to him putting a fork in it. 

There is also the Lorentzian traversable wormhole we should take a look at.

Lorentzian traversable wormholes would allow travel in both directions from one part of the universe to another part of that same universe very quickly or would allow travel from one universe to another. The possibility of traversable wormholes in general relativity was first demonstrated in a 1973 paper by Homer Ellis and independently in a 1973 paper by K. A. Bronnikov. Ellis analyzed the topology and the geodesics of the Ellis drainhole, showing it to be geodesically complete, horizonless, singularity-free, and fully traversable in both directions. (according to Wikipedia)

This would be another cool wormhole if part of the Lynch-Verse of non-existence, especially with the capacity to travel to more than one universe and possibly more than one alternative reality. 

Perhaps the wormholes could be the combination of all these wormhole theories or even a new type that is unknown to our very knowledge. Whatever the transport through nonexistence is, it is still a fascinating topic of assumption and investigation. 

Thank you for reading this article. Feel free to share your thoughts, theories, and debates in the comment section below. If interested, there is Twin Peaks... From Another Place group on Facebook and Discord to join. Also, feel free to check out my Twin Peaks: Chasing A Blue Rose fanfic series prequel, Twin Peaks: The Birdwatcher, published here and on Archives Of Our Own. Thanks again!!

Thanks again. See you in the trees.

Why The Blue Rose?

The Blue Rose Cases. 

How did the blue rose become so important in referring to strange mysteries and cases? 

Blue roses have been held as sacred to certain religions worldwide (if not all). They represent the spiritual journey, the pursuit of truth, knowledge, and spiritual growth, as well as bridging the spiritual world with that of our own. They are the sign of divine love and spiritual enlightenment. Also, they help us to achieve our spiritual goals.

From this, we discover that the Blue Rose is important to Twin Peaks with all these religious symbolism. We know the Blue Rose side of the F.B.I. wants to pursue the truth and knowledge of everything that goes on mysteriously in our world. We know that our beloved Agent Dale Cooper is all about spiritual growth and enlightenment through Tibetan Buddhism, and uses them to help solve the case (which we could consider a spiritual goal in his life). Dr. Albert Rosenfield also gave a speech to Sheriff Truman which clearly reveals his beliefs lie in Hinduism in terms of Ghandi and King. This is an expression of divine love. And it seems Agent Cooper, Deputy Director Gordon Cole, and Dr. Albert Rosenfield have divine love in common.

“While I will admit to a certain cynicism, the fact is that I’m a naysayer and hatchet man in the fight against violence. I pride myself in taking a punch and I’ll gladly take another because I choose to live my life in the company of Gandhi and King. My concerns are global. I reject absolutely revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method… is love” -Albert Rosenfield

Now, in a non-religious view, the blue rose is the symbol of mystery, rarity, and romance. This defines all of Twin Peaks and the Lynchian Universe as a whole. There is romance and a plethora of mysteries underlying the soap opera-ish feel of Twin Peaks and within the darkness within the remainder of Lynch's cinematic works. As for the rarity part... that's the only part of the symbolism that doesn't match up since the Blue Roses Cases seem beyond numerous and are investigated under our very noses.

Another discovery about blue roses is a 1969 song called Roses Blue by Joni Mitchell from her Clouds album. 

ROSES BLUE by JONI MITCHELL

I think of tears, I think of rain on shingles

I think of rain, I think of roses blue

I think of Rose, my heart begins to tremble

To see the place she's lately gotten to

Gotten to, gotten to

She's gotten to mysterious devotions

She's gotten to the zodiac and Zen

She's gotten into tarot cards and potions

She's laying her religion on her friends

On her friends, on her friends

Friends who come to ask her for their future

Friends who come to find they can't be friends

Because of signs and seasons that don't suit her

She'll prophesy your death, she won't say when

Won't say when, won't say when

When all the black cards come you cannot barter

No, when all your stars are stacked you cannot win

She'll shake her head and treat you like a martyr

It is her blackest spell she puts you in

Puts you in, puts you in

In sorrow she can lure you where she wants you

Inside your own self-pity there you swim

In sinking down to drown her voice still haunts you

And only with your laughter can you win

Can you win, can you win

You win the lasting laurels with your laughter

It reaches like an arm before you sink

To win the solitary truth you're after

You dare not ask the priestess how to think

How to think, how to think

I think of tears, I think of rain on shingles

I think of rain, I think of roses blue

I think of Rose, my heart begins to tremble

To see the place she's lately gotten to

Gotten to, gotten to

This song is about the malevolent possibilities of the occult, which we well know was Mark Frost's part of the Twin Peaks Universe. We also know Mark Frost's influence on the topic led to further occultic-like themes in Lynch's subsequent works. Could it also be like what sprung the story Blue Velvet with the song of the same name by Bobby Vinton? Was Joni Mitchell's song Roses Blue part of the influence behind the Blue Rose? 

We'll never know if there is any suspicion to be had that the F.B.I. could be an occult of its own or a great rival against others. If they are occultists, taking on mysteries to solve and studying supernatural forces for their own power, we're doomed to whatever apocalypse of evil comes. If not, we can all be assured that we're all in good hands for the time being. 

Thank you for reading this article. Feel free to share your thoughts, theories, and debates in the comment section below. If interested, there is Twin Peaks... From Another Place group on Facebook and Discord to join. Also, feel free to check out my Twin Peaks: Chasing A Blue Rose fanfic series prequel, Twin Peaks: The Birdwatcher, published here and on Archives Of Our Own. Thanks again!!

Thanks again. See you in the trees.

Could This Possibly Be the Real Lost Highway?

I believe I have found the Lost Highway that would support one of my most intriguing theories. To prove that Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, Inland Empire, and Twin Peaks (including the Return) are connected, I did some geographical research. It led to a surprising yet overjoying discovery. 

U.S. Route 50 is a transcontinental highway that is considered the Loneliest Road In America. It starts from West Sacramento in California all the way across the country to Ocean City in Maryland. 

From my research, Twin Peaks and all the major locations of the Lynchian Universe have roads leading to that particular highway. And another cool fact is that 1500 miles south of the highway, is the Zone of Silence in Mexico, where many strange phenomena and celestial activity have occurred and probably still do. I don't know if this Zone has a strong supernatural bond and influence with the highway, but it would explain some of the strangeness that happened at the end of Lost Highway as Fred Madison is being chased by the police. And, it would also reveal how the desert scenes in Lost Highway (the cabin scenes) and Twin Peaks: The Return (the drive through 403, and Odessa, Texas to get Carrie Paige) have their importance in terms of strange activities, including aliens.

If this supernatural connection is true, that would mean that the Loneliest Highway In America is a hot spot road to all things Lynchian strange. Twin Peaks, L.A., Las Vegas, and Odessa have roads connecting to this highway as if they are the veins of a major artery. It would also mean that there must be other city/town pinpoints to unnatural happenings in the world that are near other Zones similar to the Zone of Silence - the Dragon's Triangle close to Japan and the Bermuda Triangle. And for those who didn't know this, the Zone of Silence used to be in an ocean just like the Dragon and the Bermuda.

The Mapimí Silent Zone (also known as the Zone of Silence) was once an ancient seabed in the Tethys Ocean, which left marine fossils and large salt deposits that are mined today.

In July 1970, an Athena RTV test rocket launched from the Green River Launch Complex in Utah towards the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico lost control and fell in the Mapimí Desert region. When the rocket went off course, it was carrying two small containers of cobalt an isotope used in "salted bombs" to intentionally contaminate large areas of land. As part of the cleanup effort, hundreds of tons of soil were removed from the impact site.

As a result of the US Air Force recovery operation, a number of myths and legends relating to the area arose. Reportedly, a local resident hired to guard the crash debris during recovery operations helped spread these rumors. Legends include "strange magnetic anomalies that prevent radio transmission", mutations of flora and fauna, and extraterrestrial visitations, which have been used by locals to promote tourism in the region.(according to Wikipedia)

More information about the Zone of Silence on Historic Mysteries: 

The Zone of Silence from Historic Mysteries

And it is no surprise that in The Return, we see the Tower amid the Purple Ocean. Perhaps there could be something amid those zones I've previously mentioned, including the desert Silence. It could be something strange yet important that's either invisible to us or is hidden from our knowledge by the F.B.I.

The Loneliest Highway of America could be the most useful and discreet road to all things strange in the Lynchian Universe, as well as that of the X-Files Universe. It could possess a very strong electric current (see my previous article Electricity... Do They Use It?), thanks to the Zone of Silence, for them to travel from one place to another.

The Loneliest Road in America also passes through Virginia, where the F.B.I. is located. This could also be a link for Philip Jeffries to navigate to the F.B.I., land in the elevator without anyone seeing him, make his presence known through the surveillance camera down the hall, and enter the room where Gordon Cole, Agent Cooper, and Agent Rosenfield were discussing Cooper's dream. Strange enough, Phillip Jeffries disappears to Argentina. Whether it was him or a different Phillip Jeffries, we'll never know for certain. Argentina could be just a random wormhole for a Jeffries tulpa and have nothing to do with the Zones, but that shouldn't prevent us from investigating further.

So if the Loneliest Highway In America is indeed the Lost Highway, it would make a reasonable explanation as to why Twin Peaks and the other locations in the Lynchian Universe have a strong uphold of supernatural/paranormal phenomena.  

Thank you for reading this article. Feel free to share your thoughts, theories, and debates in the comment section below. If interested, there is Twin Peaks... From Another Place group on Facebook and Discord to join. Also, feel free to check out my Twin Peaks: Chasing A Blue Rose fanfic series prequel, Twin Peaks: The Birdwatcher, published here and on Archives Of Our Own. Thanks again!!

Thanks again. See you in the trees.

Electricity... Do They Use It?

This article has SPOILERS. If you haven't seen Twin Peaks: The Return, Lost Highway, and Eraserhead, do not read this article. If you have, then keep on scrolling. :)

Electricity is a theme common in some of David Lynch's films. 

'Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwell's equations. Common phenomena are related to electricity, including lightning, static electricity, electric heating, electric discharges, and many others.

The presence of either a positive or negative electric charge produces an electric field. The motion of electric charges is an electric current and produces a magnetic field. In most applications, Coulomb's law determines the force acting on an electric charge. Electric potential is the work done to move an electric charge from one point to another within an electric field, typically measured in volts.

Electricity plays a central role in many modern technologies, serving in electric power where electric current is used to energize equipment, and in electronics dealing with electrical circuits involving active components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes, and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies.' (according to Wikipedia)

In Lost Highway, while Fred Madison is suffering from a severe migraine on death row, electricity comes into his cell. After all the blue flashings and Fred's screams of terror and pain, he is then switched to another man, Pete Dayton. From this, electricity seems to have an importance in swapping different identities from different places. 

In Twin Peaks: The Return, we see that after the Good Cooper arrives at the balcony viewing the purple sea, and enters the Tower, Naido leads him away from Socket #15, and leads him to Socket #3. She also works with some switches as well, making sure the electric current goes on the correct path for Cooper's destination. (as for why his shoes are left behind after being sucked into Socket #3 is some mystery) Then, Good Cooper arrives from there to the socket where Dougie Jones previously was before being returned to the Black Lodge to be recycled. Another socket comes into play at Janey-E's place. He becomes so mesmerized by it that he puts a fork in it. This gets him into a coma and awakens him to be the Cooper we all know and love.

It goes on in The Return when the Giant tells him of 304 at the White Lodge. He and Diane drive to that number and pass through an electric current, which we can hear the hum during the scene. Once they pass through, they switch to Richard and Linda. 

It is also seen in Eraserhead when the man with the lever has some control over a factory and pulls it a few times during the film. Electricity would seem to be part of this as well, for a use unknown. 

Electricity seems to be a transportive and transformative power in Lynch's Universe... It's like all possibilities of alternative realities lie within the electric current, and it's the one thing keeping us from going further than our own reality. A restrictive barrier, except for those who are accepted by those on the other side. 

Whether or not electricity indeed has the power to transform and transfer among alternative realities, it is apparent in Lynch's Universe that it is much more than it seems. The entities of the Black and White Lodges, and/or the other entities outside, could be in charge of the pathways of electric currents. And, of course, in charge of the acceptance of those whom they want to pass through and out again. 

Also, there are the positive and negative charges within electricity that could be altered to make whatever path, whether good or bad. I don't know if the altering of more positive charges in the electric current could make way for a happier reality and vice versa if more negative charges. But if the altering of the currents could be another pathway to either the Black Lodge or the White Lodge, that could be how some entities can move around so easily under our very noses. Even the static in the air could help them navigate through the world and other dimensions. 

Another Lost Highway/The Return observations. At the party in Lost Highway, the Mystery Man tells Fred to call him on his cell at the Madison Mansion. This revealed to us that the Mystery Man could be in two places (and possibly more) at once. This proves the electric navigation and transportation of the entities. And we can't forget the scene with Mr. C when he disrupted the power of where he was held prisoner. With a phone, he managed to do so, and this is a clear sign that the electrical signals of even a phone call could cause things to happen or be done in terms of the entities. 

Since electricity seems to have a clear presence of power to the entities, it could also lead us further to the unknown. The entities seem to control us. They could be anywhere, watching over us, and causing the questionable and mysterious things the F.B.I. has been investigating for decades behind closed doors.

Thank you for reading this article. Feel free to share your thoughts, theories, and debates in the comment section below. If interested, there is Twin Peaks... From Another Place group on Facebook and Discord to join. Also, feel free to check out my Twin Peaks: Chasing A Blue Rose fanfic series prequel, Twin Peaks: The Birdwatcher, published here and on Archives Of Our Own. Thanks again!!

Thanks again. See you in the trees.

Tibetan vs. Twin Peaks Lore: Tulpas

We all know Agent Cooper was greatly into Tibetan Buddhism from when he discussed its slight history with Sheriff Truman, Deputies Hawk and Andy, and Lucy. He even admitted that from a dream, he gained the high intellect of that of the Dalai Llama. He has a very deep connection to the religion's spirituality, which clearly paves the way to the main topic of this article.

In Tibetan Buddhism, there sprung the true origins of the tulpa. Now, in this religion, the tulpa is regarded as 'a materialized being or thought-form, typically in human form that is created through spiritual practice and intense concentration.' (according to Wikipedia) It came about as a way of expressing the earthly bodies that a Buddha manifests to teach those who have not attained Nirvana (no, not that 90's band called Nirvana :). 

There are people in Tibet who practice bringing about these entities. They are called tulpamancers and they, through possible meditation, can achieve the creation of a tulpa.

Now, in Twin Peaks: The Return, it is shown that a tulpa is a duplicate of an individual. It is manufactured from seed and organic material from the template being a human and possibly an animal. These seeds or organic materials include hair, which we saw when Cooper gives MIKE to create another tulpa of himself for Janey-E and Sonny Jim.  It is also shown that a tulpa can retain memories from the template so that it can camouflage well in its new life.

It would be interesting to know if Tibetan Buddhism and the Twin Peaks lore could be connected. Are there those in Tibet who are given the gift from the Black and White Lodges to make tulpas of their own? Or are they the main manufacturers used by the Lodges to go forward with their ploys? 

It is an interesting topic to dive into, and Cooper being so invested in religion in general sparks much curiosity and mystery. We only see Good Cooper/Mr. C make tulpas of their own preferences. The spirit and mind of Agent Cooper as a whole could've possibly been a tulpamancer, and since Mr. C is his dark doppelganger, he too would have the same powers to create Dougie Jones and the tulpa of Diane Evans. 

Though there is this conspiracy that Annie Blackburn could be a tulpa, it is as strange to think who would've created her because we know no one who could've. And besides, a piece of the real Annie would've been used in the tulpa-making process. Perhaps she wasn't a tulpa after all, or even a doppelganger or a real human being... 

A tulpa has been thought of as an 'imaginary friend' by psychiatrists, and a mental disorder. Maybe it was all in everyone's head that she existed in Twin Peaks or in general. A spell cast by the Black Lodge to lure Cooper into their very grasp.

(Also, a llama was at the vet and looked at Cooper face-to-face... any connection to the Dalai Llama perhaps?)

Thank you for reading this article. Feel free to share your thoughts, theories, and debates in the comment section below. If interested, there is Twin Peaks... From Another Place group on Facebook and Discord to join. Also, feel free to check out my Twin Peaks: Chasing A Blue Rose fanfic series prequel, Twin Peaks: The Birdwatcher, published here and on Archives Of Our Own. Thanks again!!

Thanks again. See you in the trees.

A Connection Between The Lynchian & Barkerian Boxes

There are SPOILERS in this article. If you haven't watched Mulholland Drive, Twin Peaks: The Return, and the Hellraiser film, do not read this until you do. But if you have, then keep on scrolling. :)

[Can't find a picture of the box from Twin Peaks: The Return]

(Top picture is the Blue Box from Mulholland Dive; Last picture is the Lament Configuration Box from Hellraiser)

Mulholland Drive graced us with the first box of mystery in the Lynchian Universe: The Blue Box. Strangely enough, Betty (Naomi Watts) and Rita (Laura Harring) go to some theater where a man speaks to the audience, spotlit, as a sax plays behind the red curtain. This man seems like that of the Devil... or perhaps Faust who sold his soul to the Devil for further knowledge and magical powers. On the stage, his presence is filled with mystique and a darkness underlies those very eyes. The voice that carries on after the woman performer's collapse is another odd twist to the scene. The box then appears in Rita's hands at the end of this show.

When Betty wants to open the Box, she's eager. And when Rita doesn't come back from the darkness, she opens it with the key anyway. This leads Mulholland Drive to so many twists and turns that it's almost impossible to follow through as only one storyline. 

The purpose of this box... what does it mean? It seems to prove the reality of alternative realities. That the Universe has more realities than the one we're present in, as was soon displayed brilliantly in Twin Peaks: The Return. It also seems like a box that shouldn't be opened since it ended one of Betty's fates badly with the help of the Twinkies. But the common theme in the realities is that Betty's multiple outcomes always end badly, even breaking her heart in terms of her romantic relationship with Rita. This box seems to only bring about pain in one's life. No matter the reality. A cursed box to anyone who dares to open it. I'm also curious... why did Rita want to get it in the first place? Or know of it and its whereabouts?

The next Box is that of Twin Peaks: The Return, the one Deputy Andy solves. This box opens a strange portal in Glastonbury Grove, where it leads Andy to the White Lodge. This seems to be where Heaven is... which does lead others to believe the Giant is God. (see my previous article DEMIURGES & ARCHONS: Are They The Entities Of David Lynch?). I don't have much to say about this box, except that it leads to maybe a blissful outcome. Possibly a heavenly one.

Now let's get to the The Lament Configuration box of Clive Barker's Hellraiser films. This puzzle box will either lead one to pain or pleasure, Hell or Heaven. Both outcomes could happen, whether you solve to puzzle in the path you desire. Most of the time, it leads to Hell, but pleasure still resides with the pain. The Cenobites, including Pinhead, are the guardians within a labyrinth-like Hell within the box. Almost possibly could be the guardians of something bigger in the Black Lodge of Twin Peaks. I don't know if this Hell is connected to the Black Lodge. But where would the souls go if they can't peek to perfection and ascend to the White Lodge? I would assume they would enter a much dark place, damned to be lost forever. Also, the homeless man in Hellraiser seems to be the box's caretaker, possibly a similar role to that of the Devil-like performer in Mulholland Drive.

The tie between these three boxes is that they all have a certain fate involving pleasure and pain. Perhaps combining the powers of the Blue Box with the Glastonbury Box could make a great replica of the Lament Configuration Box. But the latter box could be the King of the three, bringing about a formidable death if solved in Hell's direction. 

I'm sure the Barkerian Universe is not at all connected to that of the Lynchian Universe. Still, they have one thing in common: they are both worlds consisting beyond the horrors of our imagination. And the fact that both have their realms and a box to reveal the deeper fears and joy is a great coincidence.

Thank you for reading this article. If anything you want to debate or theorize on this topic, feel free to drop them in the comments. 

See you in the trees.