There are nights in Los Angeles that seem to seep into the skin, thick with secrets and the hum of neon. David Lynch, ever the conjurer of the city’s strange twilight, knew how to make the familiar uncanny, how to let the city’s shadows breathe. His stories always hovered at the edge of dream and memory, lingering like the aftertaste of something unspoken. Now that he lies past the days, the city is emptier in his soul's wake, its mysteries less likely to see the light of day. 

For years, fans have wondered what Lynch’s next move would be after his iconic films and series. A hint surfacing shortly after his passing is telling of it all.

It is only now, months after David Lynch’s death, that cinematographer Peter Deming has come forth with details of what could have been Unrecorded Night in an interview with The Film Stage. Lynch had planned to write and direct a Netflix series, spanning thirteen episodes, set in the heart of Los Angeles. The series, however, was doomed by circumstance. Initially shelved due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Unrecorded Night was later stalled again as Lynch’s health declined. The project never moved beyond the thick, five-hundred-fifty-page script that even Deming struggled to read in just three sittings, he revealed. 

The echoes of Old Hollywood blending with the city's mythic underbelly were what the backdrop of this sprawling mystery was being crafted as. Deming described it as “another LA canon” for Lynch, a spiritual successor to Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, and Inland Empire—a fourth entry in his ongoing dialogue with the city’s haunted glamour. But of course, the city scoutings, the anticipation, all faded into the limbo of unrealized dreams.

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From the nightmarish corridors of Eraserhead to the unsettling small-town secrets of Twin Peaks, Lynch crafts worlds where reality fractures and the uncanny seeps through everyday life.

Peter Deming's account proves that what the late artist had in mind was extremely his own, Lynchian—a labyrinthine narrative, as can usually be seen beyond his mesmerizing portraits of Los Angeles as well. David Lynch’s work delves into the surreal and the subconscious with a haunting intensity that defies easy categorization. His films and series explore the dark recesses of human psyche, blending dream logic with visceral emotion, creating experiences that linger long after the screen fades to black. These works reveal Lynch not just as a filmmaker, but as a master of cinematic enigma and psychological exploration.

From the darkly idyllic suburbs of Blue Velvet to the 1984 number that kickstarted the Oscar-worthy trajectory of Dune adaptations, David Lynch’s films have left a singular mark on cinema. Whether exploring the uncanny, the grotesque, or the beautiful, Lynch’s popular works remain unforgettable—each a distinct portal into the enigmatic landscapes of his imagination.

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What do you think of this dropped David Lynch piece that could have been? Let us know in the comments below.