Eraserhead was so compelling if you were into complex, multi-nuanced, highly interpretative film plot storylines. In its own unique way, it was kind of the 1970's version of Fight Club in black-and-white. I think Eraserhead was actually Lynch's first major successful film when it was released in 1975 and before the rise in popularity of rental movie companies like Blockbuster, there was a period in the mid-late 70's where "midnight matinee" movies like Rocky Horror Picture Show, Eraser head and Night of the Living Dead racked up huge crowds at midnight showings at local theaters before it went out of fashion by the early 80's. Eraserhead might've been the last successful "midnight matinee" movie in a crude, primitive era of film marketing and promotion that no longer exists.