One of the most insidious villains in modern cinema is the figure billed only as “the Mystery Man” in David Lynch’s metaphysical thriller Lost Highway (1997). With his eyebrow-less, Pierrot-white face, sunken eyes and mirthless laugh, he haunts the troubled life of the saxophonist Fred (Bill Pullman) and possesses the ability to materialise in several places simultaneously.
In one chilling scene, he encounters Fred at a party, where the Mystery Man reveals that he is, at that very moment, waiting back at his house. Fred dials his own landline; sure enough, it is the Mystery Man who answers, even as he is standing right in front of him.
