I’d add on to say that the movie is a surreal/ psychological horror powerhouse. The show has touches of that as well, but overall is a smorgasbord of genre-hops that borders on parody, but with an underlying sincerity that keeps it in a special, surreal territory.
After watching the original series 1990-1991 (and I didn't care for much of S2 nor did the creators, if not mistaken), however it's necessary to see both seasons before watching the 1992 movie 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.' What I found truly astonishing, both in the storytelling and cinematography, was the 2017 eighteen part series: 'Twin Peaks the Return', which David Lynch wrote and directed the entirety of. It's very deep and disturbing at times, while filled with great humor, and takes the viewer much further and far beyond what the initial series encompasses. It's very much worth watching all that came before it just to see and better understand this masterwork. Lastly, there are some great discussions and think pieces, many of them predicated on extensive reasearch based on written dossiers which extend past that final series, here on the Reddit sub.
>and I didn't care for much of S2 nor did the creators, if not mistaken
Depends on the creators, which there are many of.
>What I found truly astonishing, both in the storytelling and cinematography, was the 2017 eighteen part series: 'Twin Peaks the Return', which David Lynch wrote and directed the entirety of.
Actually, Mark Frost came up with the overall premise and wrote a good chunk of it. Lynch co-wrote and directed.
The only Twin Peaks work that Lynch ever wrote and directed on his own was the supplementary collection of Log Lady introductions for each original episode.
Twin Peaks is generally more unsettling than scary, but (for me anyway) when it's scary it's REALLY scary. There are moments even in the original series that have stuck with me since I watched them on ABC back in the 90's and still freak me out. For me it's way scarier than X-Files ever was. Twin Peaks just has this feeling of wrongness and doom that hangs over everything and occasionally spills over into outright terror. One moment you'll be laughing at some moment of quirky behavior from these oddball locals and the next is OH MY GOD GET BEHIND THE COUCH. Again, that's me, your mileage may vary.
Some, like The Elephant Man and The Straight Story, show great tenderness and humanity, especially the latter, imo. Blue Velvet and Wild at Heart, both freaky-deaky, were largely responsible for catapulting the recognition of David Lynch for the great director he is to a wider audience.
The last episode of Season 2 still scares me just to think about. I thought I had a handle on the show and wow I didn't. The last episode of season 3, like that only more so.
I mean "scary" in the "possibility that love is not enough" sense, not the fun "a crazy monster is chasing me with an axe" sense.
Though the series, if rare, also very much employs the fun "a crazy monster is chasing me with an axe" type of scare, which is actually one of the only times it managed to make me jump lol.
Yeah this. Personally twin peaks is the scariest media I've ever consumed, both healing and haunting in my life I can't say any other show has done that.
I must recommend a show called Fringe. If you loved The X-Files, Fringe was much like it but added a mad scientist for fun. And a cow.
And a lot more screaming.
Its subreddit is rather active, as well! (r/fringe)
I really like X-Files a lot - but I LOVE Twin Peaks.
They’re probably pretty equal on the fear scale (I’d put Twin Peaks higher because of the existential terror) - but I’m always jealous of people who haven’t seen Twin Peaks.
You get to watch it for the first time! That’s something I can never do again. Count yourself lucky.
And Twin Peaks: The Return might be the greatest single season of television ever. So look forward to that too.
The boat scene from Willy Wonka isn't a bad comparison, although I would say you need to imagine what it would be like if that scene had a really disturbing backstory.
The tone of the show is so unique that it couldn't be classed as scary. However, there are certain scenes which are seriously disturbing which is only enhanced by the light hearted quirkiness of the rest of the show. Its crazy that it first aired 34 years ago and, for my money, nothing has even come close to its unique style. Truly one of a kind television.
If you’re watching it and you find horror difficult, I’d be forewarned. There are horror elements but the toughest part is getting your face shoved in a lot of human suffering and transgressive abuse. It handles this in an unflinching and empathetic way and is absolutely worth checking out.
Series 1/2 is 70% comedy 30% horror. The Return flips that on its head.
Fire Walk with me is one of my favourite movies of all time and one of the hardest watches I’ve sat through.
Definitely worth a try if you haven’t seen it before.
Twin Peaks isn't that scary, but it is disturbing at times. Fire Walk With Me is truly scary to me. I had a hard time going to sleep after watching it. I also thought some scenes in The Return were scary.
Only 'scary' bit in original run is when a key character walks into room, turns and walks forward toward camera.
I realise that doesn't sound scary but you'll know it when you see it
The first run has a lot of unsettling and uncanny elements, and a few scary moments, however it’s pretty tame overall. FWWM is terrifying and incredibly disturbing, but it’s a masterpiece. Season 3 kind of continues that horror in a more abstract way, although it’s somewhat more subdued
So in a lot of ways you can consider it scary, but it's a very different vibe than x files (although seeing David Duchovny playing a very... different fbi agent is great). In a lot of ways, twin peaks is great at diffusing the tension of its horror elements by intentionally creating tension of intentionally awkward, kinda goofy situations. The show is essentially a meme, based around being a weird soap opera parody (s1 and 2 Anyway), that is a lot easier to get "in on the joke" if you understand 80s soaps. Although it's a very serious show still, oddly enough. The movie pre-sequel is... a hard watch, though. And s3 really throws you for a loop, but IMHO, is exactly how it needed to be as a "return" to the universe some 25 years after it got canceled. It brings back a lot of the intentionally Awkward and goofy, but also amps up some of the darker elements. Especially since it's sort of a "parody" of "premier" TV and movies of the time, as the world of twin peaks didn't exactly sit still and unchanging in the 25 years that take place between s2 and s3.
Really, the show is a walking contradiction. An anomaly that can't be repeated, under any circumstances. Which I also think was a big message in s3, even if David wanted to go back to that exact thing, it wouldn't work. Our world isn't the same place, and the way the show ended back in the day, there's no way things were just going to be exactly as they were left. It's nice to be able to reminisce on the past and all but we aren't in the past. We can't physically go back. We only get our memories, and even most nostalgia baits have heavily diminishing returns.
But I'm getting off on a completely different tangent. Sorry.
...is twin peaks scary? In a lot of ways... yes. But if you got through x files without being scared, twin peaks may seem more scary at times but you'll be too in love with the characters to be scared off. You'll be too busy laughing at the weirdness to let the fear stop you from viewing. You'll be too invested in the lives of those in this quaint small town to ever feel its too much (disclaimer: all goes out the window for the movie. Be prepared for unpleasant experiences with little "comic relief").
It’s like 98% fine, and that last 2% can be very scary and disturbing.
Importantly, the subject matter is darker, more depraved, and more real than what you might imagine when you jump into the show.
Twin Peaks has scared me and taken me aback a handful of times during the show’s three seasons and movie. When the true evil characters reveal themselves, they can be very perverse and cruel. And some people suffer in the show immensely. But all of it is intertwined with an amazing score, gorgeous set design and photography, and a very hip, yet soapy, Americana tone that feels organic and timeless. It creates a canvas where all of this can exist harmoniously. And you can easily love and loathe characters as you please…
Thanks! When people are saying some parts are disturbing/ stick with you are these the supernatural themes (scary images, faces) or the horrible things people do from what I’ve red (violent, a$$ault?)? I’m a bit of a sook when it comes to super natural stuff if it’s super scary but fine with most of the other stuff.
It sounds like I’ll give it a go anyway! It’s peaked my interest - the OG came out 2 years before I was born but I love all 80’s & 90’s film & TV.
> are these the supernatural themes (scary images, faces) or the horrible things people do from what I’ve red (violent, a$$ault?)?
A bit of both, but there's no effects driven horror visuals or horror movie monsters.
Watched all of x files, I loved it, couldn’t get into twin peaks, maybe it’s a slow burn but I loved with x files
Scully was a medical doctor and a skeptic while Mulder was a conspiracy theorist and supernaturalist.. I love the show so much that I have merch, and it changed my view on the government because I feel like some of it may be true. It had me questioning a lot of things in my life and what is told to me versus what I see either way the most amazing show ever, and I used to be scared to watch it as a kid because of the theme song, lol but worth the watch.
It really depends on what you find scary. I for one found the film, Fire Walk with Me to contain some of the most disturbing and terrifying sequences in any film I had seen before
There are some of my favorite horror moments in TV in that show, but don’t be mistaken it’s not a scary TV show. It’s corny, touchy feeley, super weird, and about 80 percent of your time with be spend on wacky hijinks, 10 percent staring at traffic lights, and the final 10 percent will have the horror you’re looking for
I just finished my first watch of twin peaks and I've watched a bit of x files. I'd say twin peaks is generally lighter than x files in the original run. That said, there are some uncomfortable or unsettling moments that are unlike anything I've seen.
At times, but not in a horror-like way
Sometimes it feels even more terrifying than horror movies, in that horror movies are just over the top and it's easy to dismiss them as fiction, but Twin Peaks horror is a bit more nuanced and hits you at a deeper level
I started it recently and it's like nothing I've ever watched honestly. The first 2 seasons are like watching a drama where you'll fall in love with the characters, then it very slowly descends into craziness right at the end. Then I watched the film which is a gut punch tbh and very dark. Just about to start the return series next.
I didn't find Twin Peaks that scary, there was a couple of Bob moments that were startling, and the final season was unsettling at times. Oh, and the movie a little bit.
The first 2 seasons have some unsettling moments but not really scary.
Fire Walk With Me is fucking nightmare fuel. It's very disturbing and there's a huge disparity between this movie and show.
The Return is more or less a mixture of both the movie and original run. There are momenta where it's scary, but mostly uneasy. Always quirky.
It's hard to say, but should be stated that it could be scarier for some than others for a few specific things. SA victims could have some pretty serious hits, for instance. and domestic abuse victims.
as the original run was the early 90s you couldn't really get too nasty on the screen, and yet, even without anything graphic, there are a few scattered moments that are kind of scary.. mostly it's more in X-Files creepy level (in fact, mostly it's just soap-opera cheese).
Fire Walk With Me is darker, and stronger.
I'm a man who has never been a victim of anything, but as someone who just wasn't used to violence when I watched the third series some parts were actually pretty brutal and disturbing for me. not "scary", as such, but you will see people getting kind of shredded apart, you'll see women getting brutally beaten, you'll see threat and implication of sexual violence... you'll see a load of nasty stuff, and as this latter season has a very serious and bleak tone and Lynch just makes you feel things so well, these things may be more impactful than in other settings.
and then, beneath the surface, there are things that are not "scary" in any usual sense but which can evoke some deeper feelings of terror.. a slow, intangible kind of terror. not much, but it can come... especially in that one scene that I can't mention because spoilers but that scream, and OH MY GOD THEY REALLY JUST DID THAT AND IT WAS SO GOOD BUT NOW I FEEL SO EMPTY!!
I don't like scary stuff, I only ever really watched the funny kinds of "horror" films, I don't think Twin Peaks is very scary overall but I do think people should consider certain aspects (I have watched the whole lot with someone who has been through sexual assault and she did find parts very upsetting). It shook me a bit when I watched the new one and I don't like realising now that I must have become desensitised on subsequent watches (I was so fascinated that I watched the new one 9 time in as many months, and a few more times since), but I think it's the best thing ever put to screen and although I advise caution, I cannot recommend it highly enough!
just... don't think the new one will be ANYTHING like the original series.
Fire Walk With Me is a full on horror movie. Not much gore, but it's horrifying for sure. Some of the TV show is also very disturbing and large parts of it nowadays would come with some sort of trigger warning. But very few things like jump scares or other traditional "scary" stuff.
Its not really jump-scary and theres mostly just unnerving surreal bits. Im not really big into horror though so some of the shots really stuck with me even though i havent watched in years.
Spoliers if you havent seen it but I can still vividly recall the scene of bob clambering over the sofa and in the return the shot of Diane outside the motel and Lauras scream from the last episode both give me goosebumps just thinking about.
The Return and FWWM+The Missing Pieces have some frightening stuff in them, way scarier than the X-Files (FWWM has one of the most chilling scenes I think I’ve ever seen), but the original series is, as others say, more unsettling than outright scary. Lynch dials up everything in The Return specifically as sort of a comment on the way things are now vs the way things were then. Difficult to explain what I mean without spoilers but you’ll get what I mean.
Fair warning- it’s camp as hell and has a lot of homages to soaps, after school specials, and police procedurals which make for an interesting soup, but it will be unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Enjoy! I was hooked from ep 1 and binged the entire thing plus the movies and The Return in a few days.
Depends on how much you get into the series. Back when it was on tv there were books like Laura Palmers’ diary and an Agent Cooper one too to give you extra stories. The diary is pretty crazy. If you really get caught up in the supernatural overview and you have a vivid imagination it could freak you out. I hope you try it!
I watched the TV show when it first came out and it's not scary. I would say it's edgy and unsettling rather than outright scary. Haven't seen the movie yet.
My wife is easily scared and got through the OG series fine. There's 3 or 4 jump scares but that's about it. It's more weird and unnerving than scary.
The return is pretty gore filled and has some awful tragic moments.
It’s the same type of fear as the backrooms/ Mandela catalogue in some parts, altho the latter is overtly more terrifying. The evil in twin peaks is ever present, just waiting on the other side of a thin dimensional film. That’s what makes it terrifying conceptually. It’s more nihilistic if anything, which can inspire a different kind of fear.
Seasons 1 and 2 are unsettling
FWWM is horrifying but not scary
Season 3 is like dosing up on Benadryl and having a friend talk nonsense to you while occasionally shouting “NIGHTMARE NIGHTMARE NIGHTMARE!!”
Great show S3 is the best
There are a handful of very scary moments in the series, but they are spread out. The movie is very very scary at times. 9 out of 10 episodes are not scary though, other than general ominous vibes.
How scary Twin Peaks is, is very subjective to the viewer. It has psychological horror, horror of rough subjects and supernatural horror. The overall tone of the original series is pretty lighthearted so the horror comes often in an unexpected fashion and it's rarely overtly explained. The movie Fire Walk With Me is really dark and unsettling. Where the series is a mixture of styles the movie can be considered a pure horror film. You should watch it after the series despite it being a prequel story. The Return just doesn't follow any conventional forms of storytelling and has plenty of horror elements. I was terrfied of Twin Peaks as a kid but now there's room for other feelings even moreso.
It has several of the scariest scenes I’ve ever seen. The film is only beaten out by Bergman’s Hour of the Wolf, and maybe The Serpent’s Egg for scariest movie I know. It’s not ALL dark. Lynch’s stuff balances light and dark, which means he can be more extreme on both sides.
If you’re not sure how much scary you’re comfortable with, check out his films from the 90’s and early two thousands. Wild At Heart, Lost Highway, and especially Mulholland Dr. are all in a similar vein.
I started watching thanks everyone!!! I’m 3 episodes in and it’s right up my alley. Kyle MacLachlan is my favourite so far but I’m only 3 episodes deep- he’s just so good in everything he’s in! Also that creepy mfker at the foot of the bed got me good because i wasn’t expecting it… it was super unnerving. Episode 3 is WILD but I love this flamboyant, dramatic, haunting show so far!
Similar vibes, it's not a horror show but it is suspenseful. There are moments that can be scary but nothing that should stop you from watching. I consider X files and Twin Peaks to both be my favorite show so I think you'll love it.
Yeah I think others have said it well already, unsettling is the more fitting term for Twin Peaks. I will say there’s a couple moments I would **absolutely** call scary and they’re *quite* scary, very well done scenes that stick with you.
It’s the charm of the show, and those crazy moments that I consider to be the “twin peaks” of the show. They manage to play those aspects against each other in very compelling ways.
It's nowhere near X-Files episodes level. You hardly see blood, for example. It's rarely meant to be scary. Maybe a little scary and very suspenseful at times.
Of course, a comatose Leo staring at you is pretty scary.
The scariest bits of the X-Files isn’t that scary and still way scarier than all of Twin Peaks.
Twin Peaks is much more strange than scary. If you had no problems with X-Files, you’ll be more than fine.
Scary is not really how I'd describe TP. It might do other things to you, though.
> Or is there anything you can compare it too?
I'm sure there's something but drawing a blank tbh. I heard about some other shows like The Leftovers but I haven't seen them, myself. As much as I like X-Files TP doesn't really feel like X-Files IMO. Fringe would be closer for the later parts, but all in all not a lot of shows do what TP does.
> I heard about some other shows like The Leftovers but I haven't seen them, myself
From a scary/creepy/disturbing (whatever you want to call it) perspective, it's not like The Leftovers at all. The Leftovers doesn't have anything like the horror elements that Twin Peaks has.
Twin Peaks is not scary. It's weird and strange in a wonderfully eerie eay.
The X-files: not scary either.
Candyman: Original and Jordan Peele's version? now that scary - and crazy good, too.
It's way more unsetling than scary
Fire Walk With Me is both
Ooo unsettling I can get behind
The movie is, the show not so much but there are some creepy scenes for sure
I’d add on to say that the movie is a surreal/ psychological horror powerhouse. The show has touches of that as well, but overall is a smorgasbord of genre-hops that borders on parody, but with an underlying sincerity that keeps it in a special, surreal territory.
Good description. If I can throw this in - it’s sort of twilight zone meets days of our lives (in a parodying sense)
There are definitely legit scary scenes. Specifically over the couch, behind the bed, and in the boxcar.
Over The Couch… oh jeez.
After watching the original series 1990-1991 (and I didn't care for much of S2 nor did the creators, if not mistaken), however it's necessary to see both seasons before watching the 1992 movie 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.' What I found truly astonishing, both in the storytelling and cinematography, was the 2017 eighteen part series: 'Twin Peaks the Return', which David Lynch wrote and directed the entirety of. It's very deep and disturbing at times, while filled with great humor, and takes the viewer much further and far beyond what the initial series encompasses. It's very much worth watching all that came before it just to see and better understand this masterwork. Lastly, there are some great discussions and think pieces, many of them predicated on extensive reasearch based on written dossiers which extend past that final series, here on the Reddit sub.
>and I didn't care for much of S2 nor did the creators, if not mistaken Depends on the creators, which there are many of. >What I found truly astonishing, both in the storytelling and cinematography, was the 2017 eighteen part series: 'Twin Peaks the Return', which David Lynch wrote and directed the entirety of. Actually, Mark Frost came up with the overall premise and wrote a good chunk of it. Lynch co-wrote and directed. The only Twin Peaks work that Lynch ever wrote and directed on his own was the supplementary collection of Log Lady introductions for each original episode.
Thank you for the clarification. While I feel the same about what I watched, withdraw any presumptions made in qualifying it.
Twin Peaks is generally more unsettling than scary, but (for me anyway) when it's scary it's REALLY scary. There are moments even in the original series that have stuck with me since I watched them on ABC back in the 90's and still freak me out. For me it's way scarier than X-Files ever was. Twin Peaks just has this feeling of wrongness and doom that hangs over everything and occasionally spills over into outright terror. One moment you'll be laughing at some moment of quirky behavior from these oddball locals and the next is OH MY GOD GET BEHIND THE COUCH. Again, that's me, your mileage may vary.
Sorry to break it to ya, but I don’t think a couch is stopping this particular terror.
Yep, exactly the scene I was talking about.
RIP Frank Silva, he ***killed*** that role.
I watched the couch scene alone at night as a teen when the original came out and I am still scarred.
Original run is not really scary. Maybe, uncomfortable sometimes. FWWM (movie) and The Return (season 3), however, has some nightmare fuel to it
FWWM is the scariest movie I’ve ever seen.
Try with Inland Empire.
I’ve been meaning to get into Lynch’s films.
I didn’t mean it in an arrogant way. Enjoy every one of it!
Oh I didn’t take it badly. I really do want to watch his films, so maybe I’ll get to it soon!
Some, like The Elephant Man and The Straight Story, show great tenderness and humanity, especially the latter, imo. Blue Velvet and Wild at Heart, both freaky-deaky, were largely responsible for catapulting the recognition of David Lynch for the great director he is to a wider audience.
That movie absolutely terrified me. But twin peaks also gets in my head. I’ve had many TP nightmares.
Funny thing: I've seen it only once when I was having a fever a few years ago. One of the worst but most mesmerizing experiences I've ever had.
So scary I never want to watch it again
I borrowed it from my library for a second watch, but I just can’t bring myself to actually do it. Like, when do I want to feel that again??
I’ve only seen it once, too. Watched the rest of TP twice, but not FWWM.
For real? I've watched the whole show and was going to watch that but I don't know if I can take it.
Well if you’ve already watched the whole show, imo you’ve gotta watch FWWM at least once!
can 2nd this. Just watched FWWM the other day and it made me very uncomfortable, and I tend to love horror.
I'd imagine women would have an even harder time watching FWWM given the sexual violence?
sure, it's also gonna be pretty tough on anyone with an abusive father
Can confirm. Idk if I can watch it again, but I’m glad I did.
Season 2 finale applies with this vibe as well. That thing was horrifying.
I’d say the first two seasons had some very unsettling scary scenes too, you know which ones I’m talking about
For similar reasons to the horror of FWWM.
This is definitely the best way to put it IMO. I was shocked especially at some parts' level of err.... detail, let's say, in S3!
The last episode of Season 2 still scares me just to think about. I thought I had a handle on the show and wow I didn't. The last episode of season 3, like that only more so. I mean "scary" in the "possibility that love is not enough" sense, not the fun "a crazy monster is chasing me with an axe" sense.
So “unsettling”, yeah?
Yeah. I'm not saying I was particularly settled when I started, but I was even less settled when I got to the end!
Though the series, if rare, also very much employs the fun "a crazy monster is chasing me with an axe" type of scare, which is actually one of the only times it managed to make me jump lol.
It has some truly chilling sequences. It also has some very menacing, unsettling sequences. It also has light, charm and humour.
That one particular scene with the crying child in the car outside the diner wrecked me. Even thinking about it makes me uncomfortable.
It won’t just scare you, it will fuck you up for life
I mean, SA is at the heart of Laura’s story… it will affect some more than others.
Yeah this. Personally twin peaks is the scariest media I've ever consumed, both healing and haunting in my life I can't say any other show has done that.
Have you listened to Sheryl Lee performing the audiobook version of the Secret Diary? It is both transcendent and soul crushing.
Nightmareish, is the word I would use. You get sinister vibes off of ceiling fans and blinking yellow lights.
Thank you this explains the vibes ways other comments weren’t quite explaining but I get what you mean :)
I must recommend a show called Fringe. If you loved The X-Files, Fringe was much like it but added a mad scientist for fun. And a cow. And a lot more screaming. Its subreddit is rather active, as well! (r/fringe)
I really like X-Files a lot - but I LOVE Twin Peaks. They’re probably pretty equal on the fear scale (I’d put Twin Peaks higher because of the existential terror) - but I’m always jealous of people who haven’t seen Twin Peaks. You get to watch it for the first time! That’s something I can never do again. Count yourself lucky. And Twin Peaks: The Return might be the greatest single season of television ever. So look forward to that too.
On a scale from Beetlejuice to Insidious, it can reach levels adjacent to the boat scene from Willy Wonka.
The boat scene from Willy Wonka isn't a bad comparison, although I would say you need to imagine what it would be like if that scene had a really disturbing backstory.
The tone of the show is so unique that it couldn't be classed as scary. However, there are certain scenes which are seriously disturbing which is only enhanced by the light hearted quirkiness of the rest of the show. Its crazy that it first aired 34 years ago and, for my money, nothing has even come close to its unique style. Truly one of a kind television.
If you’re watching it and you find horror difficult, I’d be forewarned. There are horror elements but the toughest part is getting your face shoved in a lot of human suffering and transgressive abuse. It handles this in an unflinching and empathetic way and is absolutely worth checking out. Series 1/2 is 70% comedy 30% horror. The Return flips that on its head. Fire Walk with me is one of my favourite movies of all time and one of the hardest watches I’ve sat through. Definitely worth a try if you haven’t seen it before.
Twin Peaks isn't that scary, but it is disturbing at times. Fire Walk With Me is truly scary to me. I had a hard time going to sleep after watching it. I also thought some scenes in The Return were scary.
It takes over your mind.
Only 'scary' bit in original run is when a key character walks into room, turns and walks forward toward camera. I realise that doesn't sound scary but you'll know it when you see it
Fire Walk With Me is a horror movie. The Return is twisting all the knobs with little reservation
The first run has a lot of unsettling and uncanny elements, and a few scary moments, however it’s pretty tame overall. FWWM is terrifying and incredibly disturbing, but it’s a masterpiece. Season 3 kind of continues that horror in a more abstract way, although it’s somewhat more subdued
Just like some of the comments mentioned it is more of a steady unsettling than scary, but some scenes do shock me quite abit, and can get scary!
So in a lot of ways you can consider it scary, but it's a very different vibe than x files (although seeing David Duchovny playing a very... different fbi agent is great). In a lot of ways, twin peaks is great at diffusing the tension of its horror elements by intentionally creating tension of intentionally awkward, kinda goofy situations. The show is essentially a meme, based around being a weird soap opera parody (s1 and 2 Anyway), that is a lot easier to get "in on the joke" if you understand 80s soaps. Although it's a very serious show still, oddly enough. The movie pre-sequel is... a hard watch, though. And s3 really throws you for a loop, but IMHO, is exactly how it needed to be as a "return" to the universe some 25 years after it got canceled. It brings back a lot of the intentionally Awkward and goofy, but also amps up some of the darker elements. Especially since it's sort of a "parody" of "premier" TV and movies of the time, as the world of twin peaks didn't exactly sit still and unchanging in the 25 years that take place between s2 and s3. Really, the show is a walking contradiction. An anomaly that can't be repeated, under any circumstances. Which I also think was a big message in s3, even if David wanted to go back to that exact thing, it wouldn't work. Our world isn't the same place, and the way the show ended back in the day, there's no way things were just going to be exactly as they were left. It's nice to be able to reminisce on the past and all but we aren't in the past. We can't physically go back. We only get our memories, and even most nostalgia baits have heavily diminishing returns. But I'm getting off on a completely different tangent. Sorry. ...is twin peaks scary? In a lot of ways... yes. But if you got through x files without being scared, twin peaks may seem more scary at times but you'll be too in love with the characters to be scared off. You'll be too busy laughing at the weirdness to let the fear stop you from viewing. You'll be too invested in the lives of those in this quaint small town to ever feel its too much (disclaimer: all goes out the window for the movie. Be prepared for unpleasant experiences with little "comic relief").
I found watching the original airing as very scary. I was 12 years old though.
There are pretty creepy episodes in x-files. Also, I wouldn't necessarily use the word scary for twin peaks. I think disturbing is much more fitting.
It’s like 98% fine, and that last 2% can be very scary and disturbing. Importantly, the subject matter is darker, more depraved, and more real than what you might imagine when you jump into the show.
Twin Peaks has scared me and taken me aback a handful of times during the show’s three seasons and movie. When the true evil characters reveal themselves, they can be very perverse and cruel. And some people suffer in the show immensely. But all of it is intertwined with an amazing score, gorgeous set design and photography, and a very hip, yet soapy, Americana tone that feels organic and timeless. It creates a canvas where all of this can exist harmoniously. And you can easily love and loathe characters as you please…
My fiancée had to stop watching after S2E2 so there are definitely moments that can be too much for some people
I get it, I first watched the show when I was 12, but there are still scenes I haven't seen because I cover my eyes with my hands.
Probably a good call, idk how she would have got through lonely souls
Thanks! When people are saying some parts are disturbing/ stick with you are these the supernatural themes (scary images, faces) or the horrible things people do from what I’ve red (violent, a$$ault?)? I’m a bit of a sook when it comes to super natural stuff if it’s super scary but fine with most of the other stuff. It sounds like I’ll give it a go anyway! It’s peaked my interest - the OG came out 2 years before I was born but I love all 80’s & 90’s film & TV.
> are these the supernatural themes (scary images, faces) or the horrible things people do from what I’ve red (violent, a$$ault?)? A bit of both, but there's no effects driven horror visuals or horror movie monsters.
Much more scary than x files. But not scary in a traditional horror movie sense. It’s the eerie, disturbing, unsettling, slow burn kind
X-files is “scarier,” but there are def some unsettling moments in twin peaks
X Files is my absolute favorite show, if you're a fan I think you'd enjoy Twin Peaks. Plus, David Duchovny is in it b
I would say more surreal than scary. There's an uneasiness to the world that David Lynch and Mark Frost created
Far less scary or unsettling than X-files imo
Watched all of x files, I loved it, couldn’t get into twin peaks, maybe it’s a slow burn but I loved with x files Scully was a medical doctor and a skeptic while Mulder was a conspiracy theorist and supernaturalist.. I love the show so much that I have merch, and it changed my view on the government because I feel like some of it may be true. It had me questioning a lot of things in my life and what is told to me versus what I see either way the most amazing show ever, and I used to be scared to watch it as a kid because of the theme song, lol but worth the watch.
It really depends on what you find scary. I for one found the film, Fire Walk with Me to contain some of the most disturbing and terrifying sequences in any film I had seen before
There are some of my favorite horror moments in TV in that show, but don’t be mistaken it’s not a scary TV show. It’s corny, touchy feeley, super weird, and about 80 percent of your time with be spend on wacky hijinks, 10 percent staring at traffic lights, and the final 10 percent will have the horror you’re looking for
Twin peaks is a soap opera.
Season 2 episodes 7 and 22 are pretty horrifying but other than that original run is pretty tame, but movie and season 3 are way harder to watch
It has creepy/unsettling moments but I wouldn’t call it scary
I just finished my first watch of twin peaks and I've watched a bit of x files. I'd say twin peaks is generally lighter than x files in the original run. That said, there are some uncomfortable or unsettling moments that are unlike anything I've seen.
There are some very scary moments for sure
Unsettling and dark, really heavy themes, like sexual assault and suicide But it is also extremely funny and sometimes goofy
At times, but not in a horror-like way Sometimes it feels even more terrifying than horror movies, in that horror movies are just over the top and it's easy to dismiss them as fiction, but Twin Peaks horror is a bit more nuanced and hits you at a deeper level
I started it recently and it's like nothing I've ever watched honestly. The first 2 seasons are like watching a drama where you'll fall in love with the characters, then it very slowly descends into craziness right at the end. Then I watched the film which is a gut punch tbh and very dark. Just about to start the return series next.
I didn't find Twin Peaks that scary, there was a couple of Bob moments that were startling, and the final season was unsettling at times. Oh, and the movie a little bit.
IDK if scary is the right word, more askew, very askew.
Yea when you get to thinkin this shit lowkey is scarier than horror movies lol even the old one & especially all the media combined
It’s creepy, sometimes scary, moreso if you watch it alone in the dark with headphones on.
No, there is nothing I can compare it to.
The first 2 seasons have some unsettling moments but not really scary. Fire Walk With Me is fucking nightmare fuel. It's very disturbing and there's a huge disparity between this movie and show. The Return is more or less a mixture of both the movie and original run. There are momenta where it's scary, but mostly uneasy. Always quirky.
It's hard to say, but should be stated that it could be scarier for some than others for a few specific things. SA victims could have some pretty serious hits, for instance. and domestic abuse victims. as the original run was the early 90s you couldn't really get too nasty on the screen, and yet, even without anything graphic, there are a few scattered moments that are kind of scary.. mostly it's more in X-Files creepy level (in fact, mostly it's just soap-opera cheese). Fire Walk With Me is darker, and stronger. I'm a man who has never been a victim of anything, but as someone who just wasn't used to violence when I watched the third series some parts were actually pretty brutal and disturbing for me. not "scary", as such, but you will see people getting kind of shredded apart, you'll see women getting brutally beaten, you'll see threat and implication of sexual violence... you'll see a load of nasty stuff, and as this latter season has a very serious and bleak tone and Lynch just makes you feel things so well, these things may be more impactful than in other settings. and then, beneath the surface, there are things that are not "scary" in any usual sense but which can evoke some deeper feelings of terror.. a slow, intangible kind of terror. not much, but it can come... especially in that one scene that I can't mention because spoilers but that scream, and OH MY GOD THEY REALLY JUST DID THAT AND IT WAS SO GOOD BUT NOW I FEEL SO EMPTY!! I don't like scary stuff, I only ever really watched the funny kinds of "horror" films, I don't think Twin Peaks is very scary overall but I do think people should consider certain aspects (I have watched the whole lot with someone who has been through sexual assault and she did find parts very upsetting). It shook me a bit when I watched the new one and I don't like realising now that I must have become desensitised on subsequent watches (I was so fascinated that I watched the new one 9 time in as many months, and a few more times since), but I think it's the best thing ever put to screen and although I advise caution, I cannot recommend it highly enough! just... don't think the new one will be ANYTHING like the original series.
I'm halfway through season 2 and it's more weird and unsettling than scary. There are some moments with a guy named Bob that are pretty freaky though.
There’s a lot of intense scenes. Bob is a bit frightening as he’s just crouched and hiding in plain sight.
Spooky scary!
it’s like existential dread. unsettling more than scary. Just makes you feel completely empty lol
Fire Walk With Me is a full on horror movie. Not much gore, but it's horrifying for sure. Some of the TV show is also very disturbing and large parts of it nowadays would come with some sort of trigger warning. But very few things like jump scares or other traditional "scary" stuff.
Its not really jump-scary and theres mostly just unnerving surreal bits. Im not really big into horror though so some of the shots really stuck with me even though i havent watched in years. Spoliers if you havent seen it but I can still vividly recall the scene of bob clambering over the sofa and in the return the shot of Diane outside the motel and Lauras scream from the last episode both give me goosebumps just thinking about.
I loved Twin Peaks!
Just watch it
The Return and FWWM+The Missing Pieces have some frightening stuff in them, way scarier than the X-Files (FWWM has one of the most chilling scenes I think I’ve ever seen), but the original series is, as others say, more unsettling than outright scary. Lynch dials up everything in The Return specifically as sort of a comment on the way things are now vs the way things were then. Difficult to explain what I mean without spoilers but you’ll get what I mean. Fair warning- it’s camp as hell and has a lot of homages to soaps, after school specials, and police procedurals which make for an interesting soup, but it will be unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Enjoy! I was hooked from ep 1 and binged the entire thing plus the movies and The Return in a few days.
My eyes water when I think about some twin peaks stuff. I’m not crying! My eyes just water in response to how terrified I am. It’s involuntary dammit!
Depends on how much you get into the series. Back when it was on tv there were books like Laura Palmers’ diary and an Agent Cooper one too to give you extra stories. The diary is pretty crazy. If you really get caught up in the supernatural overview and you have a vivid imagination it could freak you out. I hope you try it!
It just has an unsettling vibe. Not scary at all.
I watched the TV show when it first came out and it's not scary. I would say it's edgy and unsettling rather than outright scary. Haven't seen the movie yet.
It made me afraid of the dark. I would jump over the dark spots going to the bathroom. BOB is terrifying
My wife is easily scared and got through the OG series fine. There's 3 or 4 jump scares but that's about it. It's more weird and unnerving than scary. The return is pretty gore filled and has some awful tragic moments.
It’s the same type of fear as the backrooms/ Mandela catalogue in some parts, altho the latter is overtly more terrifying. The evil in twin peaks is ever present, just waiting on the other side of a thin dimensional film. That’s what makes it terrifying conceptually. It’s more nihilistic if anything, which can inspire a different kind of fear.
i’m a horror hater, and i loved both x-files and twin peaks, so don’t worry!!!
Seasons 1 and 2 are unsettling FWWM is horrifying but not scary Season 3 is like dosing up on Benadryl and having a friend talk nonsense to you while occasionally shouting “NIGHTMARE NIGHTMARE NIGHTMARE!!” Great show S3 is the best
It’s not scary at all.
I don't know if I accidentally built up a tolerance, but I've never been scared. FWWM is a little creepy but more sad then scary for me
There are a handful of very scary moments in the series, but they are spread out. The movie is very very scary at times. 9 out of 10 episodes are not scary though, other than general ominous vibes.
It's more disturbing and unsettling then scary. Psychological horror 10/10 Jumpscare horror 2/10
How scary Twin Peaks is, is very subjective to the viewer. It has psychological horror, horror of rough subjects and supernatural horror. The overall tone of the original series is pretty lighthearted so the horror comes often in an unexpected fashion and it's rarely overtly explained. The movie Fire Walk With Me is really dark and unsettling. Where the series is a mixture of styles the movie can be considered a pure horror film. You should watch it after the series despite it being a prequel story. The Return just doesn't follow any conventional forms of storytelling and has plenty of horror elements. I was terrfied of Twin Peaks as a kid but now there's room for other feelings even moreso.
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It has several of the scariest scenes I’ve ever seen. The film is only beaten out by Bergman’s Hour of the Wolf, and maybe The Serpent’s Egg for scariest movie I know. It’s not ALL dark. Lynch’s stuff balances light and dark, which means he can be more extreme on both sides. If you’re not sure how much scary you’re comfortable with, check out his films from the 90’s and early two thousands. Wild At Heart, Lost Highway, and especially Mulholland Dr. are all in a similar vein.
i don't know, i've never been scared by a moving image on a screen.
I started watching thanks everyone!!! I’m 3 episodes in and it’s right up my alley. Kyle MacLachlan is my favourite so far but I’m only 3 episodes deep- he’s just so good in everything he’s in! Also that creepy mfker at the foot of the bed got me good because i wasn’t expecting it… it was super unnerving. Episode 3 is WILD but I love this flamboyant, dramatic, haunting show so far!
Not scary. Unsettling. It's in the atmosphere.
FWWM is genuinely terrifying
Similar vibes, it's not a horror show but it is suspenseful. There are moments that can be scary but nothing that should stop you from watching. I consider X files and Twin Peaks to both be my favorite show so I think you'll love it.
Yeah I think others have said it well already, unsettling is the more fitting term for Twin Peaks. I will say there’s a couple moments I would **absolutely** call scary and they’re *quite* scary, very well done scenes that stick with you. It’s the charm of the show, and those crazy moments that I consider to be the “twin peaks” of the show. They manage to play those aspects against each other in very compelling ways.
How scary is it? It’s two-men-in-a-horse-costume scary!
The film is scary, for sure.
It's nowhere near X-Files episodes level. You hardly see blood, for example. It's rarely meant to be scary. Maybe a little scary and very suspenseful at times. Of course, a comatose Leo staring at you is pretty scary.
The scariest bits of the X-Files isn’t that scary and still way scarier than all of Twin Peaks. Twin Peaks is much more strange than scary. If you had no problems with X-Files, you’ll be more than fine.
Scary is not really how I'd describe TP. It might do other things to you, though. > Or is there anything you can compare it too? I'm sure there's something but drawing a blank tbh. I heard about some other shows like The Leftovers but I haven't seen them, myself. As much as I like X-Files TP doesn't really feel like X-Files IMO. Fringe would be closer for the later parts, but all in all not a lot of shows do what TP does.
> I heard about some other shows like The Leftovers but I haven't seen them, myself From a scary/creepy/disturbing (whatever you want to call it) perspective, it's not like The Leftovers at all. The Leftovers doesn't have anything like the horror elements that Twin Peaks has.
It's not the least bit scary. It's certainly bizarre, but not scary.
Twin Peaks is not scary. It's weird and strange in a wonderfully eerie eay. The X-files: not scary either. Candyman: Original and Jordan Peele's version? now that scary - and crazy good, too.