Anyone familiar with David Lynch's cult television event masterpiece Twin Peaks (1990-2017) knows that the show isn't the average soap opera, crime mystery, comedy-satire, or drama. It's so much more: a melting pot of different genres and influences, or rather a genre-bender as Twin Peaks can at times be difficult to define or categorize. Its quirky and strange cast of characters, emotional nature, vast sense of surrealism, and plot surrounding murdered prom queen Laura Palmer has confused and delighted viewers over the course of nearly three decades, and for a reason.
Much of Twin Peaks is visceral to viewers, a show that not only runs the course of itself as entertainment but a commentary on entertainment itself as well and the real-life (or, reality-altering) consequences that its sequences have. It's a fascinating spectacle that has led to many a theory and interpretation, part of the fun of any Lynchian work. Part of what made the show permeate people's memories was not only the story elements but also the mechanics of horror. Lynch uses his influence of horror to make the horrors of death and abuse in the show all that more palpable to force an increasingly apathetic society of audiences to become more emotionally involved.
Josie's Death
Josie was a character similar to that of Laura Palmer, Ronnette, and even Maddie in that she seemed to suffer greatly before her horrible end in martyrdom. A fan favorite due to her intelligence and effort to survive and her romantic entanglement that humanized Sheriff Harry Truman, everyone could agree, Josie deserved better.
She was a victim of obsession and manipulation by many, only to die of fear. The last we see of Josie is Bob crawling over the space where she dies, and the final shot of the episode being Josie crying, moaning, and screaming inside a cabinet doorknob. The early-CGI imagery is disturbed in pairing with the loss of the character.
Ronnette's Coma Dream
Ronnette was another teen who was caught up in a life of sex and drugs alongside Laura Palmer. After surviving the trauma of seeing Laura be murdered and almost dying herself, Ronnette ends up in a coma for the better part of Season 1.
Before she wakes up, she sees flashes of Bob murdering Laura in a horrifying state, a reminder and showcase of Ronnette's personal hell she survived. Bob and Laura scream at Ronnette, Bob out of his twisted delight and Laura out of torment.
Mr. C's Face Morphs Into Bob
In a subtle moment that's easy to miss but utterly creepy when noticed, Mr. C - Cooper's escaped doppelganger - looks into the mirror just as he did 25 years ago after he and Bob first left the Black Lodge together.
Mr. C looks into the mirror solemnly, and while it can be a bit difficult to tell in the dark lighting of the jail cell, his features noticeably change and morph in his reflection, his nose growing and his mouth widening. He says, "You're still with me," as if relieved upon seeing Bob within himself. The daunting and seemingly unstoppable being with endless strength is terrifying in all the scenes he's in, murdering or manipulating anyone who gets in his way.
Last Scene of Season 2
After a long stint in the Black Lodge, Agent Cooper is left to find his way out. Cooper's team, lead by Harry Truman, finds him and brings him back to his hotel room. For the first time, we see Coop be quiet, seemingly shaken by his otherworldly experience in the Lodge.
Coop slinks away to the bathroom only to be revealed as Bob - Bob has escaped into a doppelganger of Cooper, laughing and repeating "How's Annie?", referring to Cooper's previous romantic interest Annie who has gone missing. Bob/ Cooper smashes his head into the mirror, causing the camera to jump, and looks out at the audience, only for the show to end and not return for 25 more years.
Birth of Bob from Judy
In a confusing and disorienting episode aligning a nuclear testing event in the 60s, a girl who swallows a strange creature, and ghostly men who violently murder innocent people, this black-and-white episode interrupts the already bizarre tone of The Return.
In what could be translated or interpreted, after shown the loud, intense, churning insides of a nuclear explosion, the gray figure identified as the evil demon Judy (or, Jowday) breathes more destructive beings like Bob out like spores. It's a strange and bizarre display that the viewer gets the sense of surreal horror despite the otherwise unidentifiable imagery.
Bob/Leland Haunts & Kills Maddie
History was apparently doomed to repeat itself as Laura Palmer's killer continues to run rampant. Laura's soft-spoken and kind cousin Maddie, who Sheryl Lee also plays, comes into town to pay her aunt and uncle a visit after hearing of Laura's passing.
In a memorably scary scene that likely embedded itself into many folks' nightmares, Maddie looks out into the Palmers' empty living room to see Bob, a strange and frightening man she had previously never seen before, turn towards her, crawl over the couch to her, and comes in close with his mouth wide open. This causes Maddie to scream and breakdown. This indicates that Bob has targeted Maddie and leads Leland to violently kill her like he did Laura.
Judy in The Glass Box Makes a Killing
A woman and man's blooming relationship sneaks a romantic moment in while the man does his lonely shift watching a strange glass box monitored by cameras and sensors.
In the heat of the moment, something is summoned within the glass box, taking the form of dark fog with a gray, unidentifiable figure inside. The woman sees the figure with horror before it suddenly leaps out of the box, mutilating the naked couple into their deaths.
First Glimpse of the Woodsman
In The Return, after the principal (played by Matthew Lillard) is accused of a brutal murder when his prints are found all over the crime scene, he sits in his jail cell, terrified and not knowing what to do as well as reeling from his destroyed marriage.
The camera pans from his jail cell to another, where an ominous-looking man covered in what seems to be charcoal or soot stares blankly right into the camera, shocking and daring the viewer to stare back. After a beat, the woodsman dissipates, with only his head floating off while it continues to stare. The scene is surreal and is a bit of a jumpscare, despite there being a minimal use of sound at all.
Laura's Doppelganger in the Black Lodge
One of the most iconic images from Twin Peaks, while Cooper traverses the Black Lodge, he finds Laura's doppelganger. She and the dwarf give him clues about the future and the Lodge narrative when in a nightmarish turn, the doppelganger holds her hands up, says "Meanwhile," and then charges at Cooper.
She screams bloody murder the entire time while her eyes are whited-out. While it may not necessarily be Laura herself, it is familiar with Laura's feelings, appearance, and legacy in how she died, taking it out on Cooper and the audience in a shrill and legendary moment of horror.
The Last Moments of The Return
In the final moments of the series in its entirety, David Lynch leaves the viewers on a cold, lonely, chilling, and incredibly dark note. After saving Laura Palmer and jumping into another reality, Cooper finds a Laura-lookalike named Carrie Page.
He brings Carrie back to the Palmer house to make her remember she's Laura. Upon hearing Sarah's distorted voice calling for Laura, Carrie suddenly bursts into a gigantic, horrible scream that Laura was notorious for, and the screen cuts to black, presumably ending the show altogether.