The original US poster and most valuable Lynch poster of all. Recently named by "Premiere" magazine as one of the 50 Greatest Movie Posters ever!

Due to the film's small initial release, the poster is not a typical US one sheet size. They were folded into quarters. Has sold at auctions such as Christie's in New York for hundreds of dollars (see last photo).

The history behind the printing and distribution of original Eraserhead poster is quite confusing and not well understood. Recently however, I managed to research out a Mr. Ben Barenholtz in New York City. He is the person who distributed the film in it's early years and also designed the original posters. He told me that designing the poster was as simple as photocopying the still of Henry's face from the film!

He also helped answer questions regarding the different styles of text on the posters. He claims that the "Blocky" type of text (seen in the first two images to the left) was the text he originally decided to use for the posters title. However, Lynch didn't approve and at some point inserted a style of text that Lynch liked better - the thinner, non-blocky text.

Running for years in the midnight theatre circuit, posters were needed in a continuous fashion rather than for a specific release date. Ben Barenholtz stated that there were several runs of posters made as the demand for the film increased slowly across midnight theatre circuits.

The top is a poor scan of what I believe is the first printing run. This is printed on a flat dull paper. Note the style of lettering at the top, and the chin and lower lip of Henry. Also note that the Libra films logo is at the lower left corner.

The second image is of what I believe is the second printing/run. It is printed on glossy paper. Note the same "block" font for the title as used in the first picture as designed by Ben Barenholtz. However, also notice a black line that runs vertically along the lower lip and chin. This dark line is not found on any frame or still from the film. A very close inspection shows a similiar vertical line across Henry's forehead.

It seems very clear that these lines are from restoration of fold damage along a fold in the first run poster. This second poster was then printed off of the first run of poster that had been restored. Also note the Libra logo is at the lower right corner rather than the left corner as in the first printing run. I asked Ben Barenholtz to look at his own personal copy of the poster he kept from his own production desk. He claims it is of the blockier text he designed and DOES have a chin line. (This gives some weight to the fact that the lines are of a later printing run rather than a fake reproduction.)

The third picture also has the noteable chin line, but has the thinner non-blocky type of font used for the title lettering that Lynch designed.

It seems logical that there exists a fourth type of poster with Lynch thin style lettering and no lines. Certainly this would be a first print run. However, I have never found such a poster. Until one does reveal itself, this may suggest that Lynch's decision to have a different style of lettering was not made until after the initial printing run.

Thus I have begun listing original Eraserhead posters as to whether or not they have the block lettering and the chin line:

1. Block/no-lines - first printing with text designed by Ben Barenholtz.

2. Non-block/no-lines - first printing with text designed by David Lynch. Does this exist??

3. Block/lines - A later printing with text still designed by Ben Barenholtz, and the Libra film logo changed and lines from the fold in the original poster.

4. Non-block/line - A leter printing with Lych's style of text and lines evident from folds on the original poster.

(The fourth picture is a poor picture of another "block/line" copy that was auctioned off at Christies in New York in December 2000.)

I am always trying to investigate more into the initial printing of Eraserhead and any information/images would be greatly appreciated.