by Maria Lewis
“Who killed Laura Palmer?” It was the question that fascinated the world when it was first asked back in 1990. Now, nearly 30 years later (Jesus effing Christ), Twin Peaks is back weirder and more wonderful than ever. Picking up after the end of the shocking season two finale way back in 1991, Kyle MacLachlan’s two Coopers navigate a world so weird only David Lynch could have created it. Anyone worried that the Master of WTF might have lost his touch over the years – or during the production troubles this series encountered in the lead-up to its airing – need not have worried. The first two episodes alone feature gory corpses, wood panelling, pop-up poltergeists, sinister forest montages, ghost murder, seizure-inducing patterned floors, small people, haunting faces, velvet curtains, the dissolve effect from PowerPoint Presentation, a chilling musical score and Lynch’s unique ability to make 2 minutes feel like 20. And yes, prophetic logs. There’s all of the familiar faces that brought his surrealist horror vision to life the first time, then there’s the newbies in David Dastmalchian, Madeline Zima, Ashley Judd and those we know are coming up as the 18 episodes of this series roll out week-by-week until September (namely Naomi Watts and Amanda Seyfried).
Among the fresh faces, Matthew Lillard makes a surprisingly effective vessel for delivering the specific type of unhinged and OTT performance you want under the direction of an auteur like Lynch. As a filmmaker, he has always asked a lot of his audience – maybe more than they’ve been willing to give sometimes – and if the initial taste of this continuing Twin Peaks is anything to go by, strap yourselves in.
It makes sense that the second coming of Twin Peaks would happen in 2017. After all, the show was a pioneer for horror television. And horror television? Well, it’s having a bit of a moment right now. We’ve spoken about the golden age of horror television in this column before – from American Horror Story to Penny Dreadful – and the reality is that the genre has never been stronger on the small screen than it is at present.
Back in 1990, Twin Peaks was the exception rather than the rule as horror TV hadn’t really worked since a few decades prior. Considering that Twin Peaks was cancelled after season two due to dwindling ratings, critics of the show would argue it still didn’t work then. Yet the impact the series has had on the pop cultural landscape is undeniable. There are its heir-apparents on television right now – Bates Motel, Wayward Pines, The Kettering Incident, Stranger Things and The Killing most obviously – but Twin Peaks has had long reaching tendrils outside of the medium it started in as well.
Video games Silent Hill and Alan Wake are both natural progressions from the series and draw heavily upon it, not to mention the endless bands and musicians who have been inspired to recreate the show in films clips, album covers and song. Seriously, you could make a whole playlist of tracks that are a love letter to Twin Peaks: and at the top of it would be the aptly titled Twin Peaks by Surfer Blood.
From overt inspirations to subtle references, Twin Peaks infiltrated the pop culture lexicon in the same way unique genre shows like Buffy, Star Trek and The X-Files managed to do. It’s a unique spot reserved for only the most unique offerings, but from a friend prank calling you late at night to say that their “log has something to tell you” to being referenced on The Simpsons, it’s the single most impactful work of art Lynch has made. And three decades on, it still has something to say. The cast might be more recognisable, the production value a little slicker, the scope a little larger (if possible) but – crow’s feet aside – the same tricks that raised the hairs on the back of your neck in 1990 are doing it again in 2017.
Twin Peaks is like welcoming an old friend back into your life. Sure, you may have lost touch with that friend after high school when they became a roadie and had a brief stint with a Satanic cult but the point is – you had some great times together. And the promise is that you will have plenty more.
Note: Twin Peaks is currently airing on Stan Australia.
Maria Lewis is a journalist and author previously seen on SBS Viceland’s The Feed. She’s the presenter and producer of the Eff Yeah Film & Feminism podcast. Her debut novel Who’s Afraid? was released in 2016 with the sequel – Who’s Afraid Too? – out now. You can find her on Twitter @MovieMazz.
