A pregnancy test commercial directed by David Lynch is still disturbing fans, decades on from its first broadcast.
The Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks director was tasked with creating a commercial for Clear Blue, the one-minute pregnancy test. Decades on from the release of the advertisement, fans are still freaked out by the fifteen-second piece. An upload of the advertisement to YouTube saw fans share their thoughts on the advertisement, which is shot entirely in black and white, except for the Clear Blue product placement. Jim McCalister, who uploaded the advertisement nineteen years ago, wrote: “Not creepy at all.” Viewers were stunned by the advertisement, with one writing: “So normal it’s creepy.”
Another added: “Man, just thinking about the back story of her pregnancy within the framework of a David Lynch film makes you want to watch this over and over and over again… I was just waiting for her to burst out singing, ‘In heaven everything is fine…'”
A third shared: “The only problem is it tells you YES then NO every hour. It’s almost like David Lynch is wanting to drag you through his own hell but do it in less than 16 seconds. It’s very subtle, but it’s there.”
LynchNet, a site dedicated to categorising Lynch’s advertisement work, notes the advertisement released in 1997. A description of the advert reads: “Staring Marisa Parker. A series of three ads created for the ad agency Ogilvy and Mather in New York. A woman stands in her bathroom waiting for the minute to be over. Numbers on the clock face, as well as the hot and cold labels on her faucet and water drops change to yes and no.
“‘The client was a little nervous that the spot would be eerie and scary,’ says David Cohen, executive producer at Ogilvy & Mather. ‘But on the set, Lynch was constantly making sure the client was happy.’
“Lynch – who also directed a 1990 Obsession ad for Calvin Klein – heard about the idea for the commercial from his agent. He contacted Ogilvy & Mather saying he liked the bold, simple concept. But copywriter Lisa Mayer knew better, ‘I said to him, “Mr. Lynch, you were attracted to this because it involves the psychological torture of a beautiful young woman.” And he said, “Yes.”‘
“In fact, Lynch engaged in a little good-humoured on-set torture himself. The veteran director made the spot’s actress (newcomer Marisa Parker) actually take a pregnancy test so he could tape her real-life reaction. The twist: Lynch switched her results with those of a pregnant crew member. Says Mayer, ‘[Marisa] held her own, then as soon as the camera stopped rolling, she screamed, “You bastard! Very funny”.'”
You can watch the eerie commercial below.
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