Obscure HBO Anthology Remains Lynch's Most Underrated Series 30 Years Later

Summary

• Lynch's bizarre series was released just over 30 years ago to a lukewarm reception.
• After the three episode release, the show was sacked by HBO.
• Today's audiences would be more appreciative of his strange and unique concept.

Back in 1993, David Lynch's voice could be heard narrating the pilot of one of the most intriguing series of his career with these words:

'For a millennium, the space for the hotel room existed, undefined. Mankind captured it, and gave it shape and passed through. And sometimes when passing through, they found themselves brushing up against the secret names of truth.'

Lynch co-created the drama anthology series with the intention of exploding the mysteries and complexities of humanity with deep symbolism and bizarre references. While this may be something that piques the interest of today's audiences, it was simply too strange for viewers 30 years ago, and the show was canceled after just three episodes.

So, what was Hotel Room actually about?

Lynch's ingenious but obscure concept may have only made it to three episodes, but those three episodes are unique and worth exploring. Each is set in room 603 of a New York hotel, but each takes place at a very different time. Taking place in September 1969, June 1992, and April 1936, the stories happen years apart, with the hotel's bellboy and maid appearing in each episode without changing age.

Each episode features a different cast and thus a different story

One is a deceptive murder mystery involving a cheerleader turned prostitute, with an unexpected twist ending and a possible commentary on the dark side of masculinity. Another follows a broken marriage, two people equally unhappy and unaware of the other's feelings in their relationship, and ends with blood and an unexpected resolution. And finally, a mind-bending story that follows a couple in a kind of hallucination as they try to determine what is real and what is not in order to discover a painful truth together.

The series would fit well with today's viewers, judging by the success of dark anthology series like Love, Death, Robots and Black Mirror, but it didn't even get a chance to take off in the 90s.

David Lynch was all about the weird and wonderful

Painter, director, musician, philanthropist and more, David Lynch seems to have known no limit to what he wanted to do in his life. Perhaps most famous for his truly unique style of filmmaking, a panel of judges from The Guardian called Lynch one of the most important moviemakers of our time.

Lynch was the mind behind titles such as the original (but controversial) Dune ( 1984), Blue Velvet (1986), Twin Peaks ( 1990-1991), and Mulholland Drive (2001), but his surrealist style and outlandish concepts saw him produce many impressive visual works that earned him acclaim and a reputation for creativity.

However, this praise seemed to be lost when it came to Lynch's HBO series.

There is no doubt that Hotel Room had all the makings to be among other titles in Lynch's list of top works, but the response it received from audiences was lackluster, and saw the project met with cancellation and then left to eventually be forgotten.

There's no doubt that Hotel Room was out there, and it certainly wasn't everyone's cup of tea. However, with today's audiences, there is always the possibility that Lynch's underrated work will find a place of appreciation among modern audiences who enjoy obscurity and originality, which is something Hotel Room can offer even three decades after its release.