Blue Velvet
1986 · Movie · R · 120 min · ★ 7.6 · 83% critics
A young man finds a severed human ear in a field and brings it to the police, only to get pulled into a shadowy mystery. His search connects a beautiful nightclub singer with a dangerous circle of criminals who have kidnapped her child.
Where to watch
Watch free on Plex, Kanopy, The Roku Channel +3 more.
2 hours to watch.
Free
Rent
Streaming availability and prices may be inaccurate or change — verify with the provider before subscribing.
unSUB's subscription recommendations are informational only, not financial advice.
More value for your money
Similar titles, ranked by watch-hours per subscription dollar.
Details
- Years
- 1986
- Release date
- 1986-09-19
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 120 min
- Max quality
- HD
- Critic score
- 83/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.6/10 (3,834 votes)
- Box office
- $8,663,268
- Budget
- $6,000,000
About
If you want a strange, seductive mystery with a dark undercurrent, Blue Velvet will likely hook you—just be aware it’s disturbing and sexually charged; Not for you if you dislike Lynch-style weirdness or dark crime like Mulholland Drive or A Clockwork Orange.
Pros: eerie small-town atmosphere; memorable music choices; compelling menace | Cons: unsettling subject matter; story can feel unfocused; divisive tone
Themes
- drug dealer
- small town
- sexual obsession
- detective
- nightclub
- ear
- surrealism
- psychological abuse
- murder
- drugs
- policeman
- voyeurism
- +3 more
Awards & recognition
- Sitges Film Festival Best Feature-Length Film award · 1986
- Academy Award — Best Director · 1987 · nominated
Cast & crew
Isabella Rossellini
as Dorothy Vallens
Kyle MacLachlan
as Jeffrey Beaumont
Dennis Hopper
as Frank Booth
Laura Dern
as Sandy Williams
Hope Lange
as Mrs. Williams
Dean Stockwell
as Ben
George Dickerson
as Detective Williams
Priscilla Pointer
as Mrs. Beaumont
Frances Bay
as Aunt Barbara
- JH
Jack Harvey
as Mr. Beaumont
Directed by David Lynch