Rebecca Sayce
Published November 30, 2025 4:00pm
Share this article via whatsappShare this article via xCopy the link to this article.Link is copiedShare this article via facebook
Comment now
Comments
Blue Velvet is widely considered one of David Lynch’s best films (Picture: DEG/Shutterstock)
Metro journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission – learn more
One of David Lynch’s most revered films of the 80s has arrived on Netflix.
Released in 1986, Blue Velvet was declined by several major studios due to its graphic sexual and violent content, but went on to revitalise Lynch’s career following the failure of Dune in 1984.
Starring Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, and Laura Dern, Blue Velvet follows teen sleuth Jeffrey Beaumont (MacLachlan), who returns home when his father suffers a stroke.
When he discovers a severed ear in a field, he teams up with detective’s daughter Sandy Williams (Dern) to crack the case, leading them into the warped world of psychopath Frank Booth (Hopper) and lounge singer Dorothy Vallens (Rossellini).
Despite dividing critics at the time of its release, Blue Velvet earned Lynch his second Oscar nomination for Best Director and scooped accolades from the National Society of Film Critics.
In the decades that have followed its release, it is not only widely considered one of Lynch’s best films, but one of the greatest films ever released.
Blue Velvet follows Jeffrey Beaumont as he resolves to uncover the mystery of a severed ear (Picture: Moviestore/Shutterstock)
It additionally stars Isabella Rossellini and Laura Dern (pictured) (Picture: Moviestore/Shutterstock)
In 2008, it was chosen by the American Film Institute as one of the ten greatest American mystery films.
Blue Velvet currently holds a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics’ consensus reading: ‘If audiences walk away from this subversive, surreal shocker not fully understanding the story, they might also walk away with a deeper perception of the potential of film storytelling.’
In their review, London Evening Standard said: ‘At the risk of being called a sick son of a b***h, I believe it to be one of the most extraordinarily erotic and mesmerising experiences I have ever had in the cinema.
‘Blue Velvet has the power to unsettle and disturb like nothing else.’
Atlanta Journal-Constitution added: ‘Lynch pushes audiences into places not everyone wants to go, and Blue Velvet is not a conventional good time at the movies. But it is one of the most brilliant and provocative films of the year.’
Boston Globe wrote: ‘It utterly redeems Lynch from the debacle of Dune and is that rarest of Hollywood products — a riveting, complex, layered film with a distinctive and highly vivid directorial signature.’
Blue Velvet reinvigorated David Lynch’s career and has been named the greatest film of all time by numerous publications (Picture: Moviestore/Shutterstock)
It comes months after the death of revered director David Lynch (Picture: Ernesto S. Ruscio/Getty Images)
Where to stream more David Lynch films
- Eraserhead – Available to rent and buy on Apple TV+
- The Elephant Man – Mubi and StudioCanal+ via Prime Video
- Dune – Lionsgate+ via Prime Video
- Wild at Heart – Prime Video
- Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me – Available to rent and buy on Apple TV+
- Lost Highway – Available to rent and buy on Apple TV+
- The Straight Story – Channel 4
- Mulholland Drive – Mubi via Prime Video
- Inland Empire – Mubi and StudioCanal+ via Prime Video
The Fort Worth Star praised: ‘As perfect and perfectly disturbing a picture as the American cinema has delivered.
‘This masterful film taps unflinchingly into perversion and decadence in order to present wholesome enlightenment with both a challenge and a conduit.’
Blue Velvet’s addition to Netflix comes almost a year after Lynch’s death, aged 78.
More Trending
-
Play Video
Amazon's 'best' post-apocalyptic thriller – plus 5 more TV shows returning this December
Channel: TV TV 10 hours ago By Charlotte Minter - TV legend utterly unrecognisable 30 years on - can you tell who it is?
- 'The best children's movie of all time' arrives on Amazon Prime
- ITV viewers can now binge all episodes of Australian thriller that had fans ‘hooked’
Lynch’s cause of death has since been confirmed as cardiac arrest due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The visionary died after becoming housebound with emphysema following years of chain smoking, and a death certificate released by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has confirmed COPD was an underlying condition suffered by the auteur.
Countless fans and collaborators paid tribute to Lynch in the wake of his death earlier this year, with many reflecting on the tremendous impact his art had on the world, from The Elephant Man to Twin Peaks.
Blue Velvet is now streaming on Netflix
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
Arrow MORE: ITV viewers can now binge all episodes of Australian thriller that had fans ‘hooked’
Arrow MORE: War movie dubbed ‘greatest of all time’ is now available to stream
Arrow MORE: Amazon Prime’s ‘best’ post-apocalyptic thriller – plus 5 more TV shows returning this December
Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
