Much like dreams, merely hearing Lynch's work described does not compare to experiencing his movies and TV series firsthand. Unconventional to the end, the director's filmography (plus Twin Peaks, indispensable to his oeuvre) almost always elicits strong responses, with each project re-assembling a number of core ideas, themes, and images.

With the announcement that the great David Lynch died on January 16, the world hasn’t just lost one of its greatest filmmakers: It’s lost one of its greatest artists, period. The work of a filmmaker whose sensibility was certainly not for the masses,

For those unfamiliar with Lynch’s work and looking for a starting point, here are five of his most well known and highly acclaimed movies and shows, in chronological order.