In two previous articles, I detailed the locations of the boy and girl scenes from Twin Peaks Part 8 on Showtime. This final article in that series takes a closer look at the arrival of the Frogmoth at the girl’s bedroom. The interior and exterior scenes were shot in the same location as the “Goodnight Kiss” scene.
THE LOCATION
You may recall from the previous stories how I located this spot – the solitary building near the home provided the much needed clue to discovering the location. I figured they must have shot the interior bedroom scene in the same area (why pack up and move to the set far away?).
The approximate coordinates of the house are 34°23’49.1″N 118°43’04.3″W.
Thanks to a public image folder on the internets, I found this image of the house exterior. I believe the room they used is in the front left side of the home. More on that in a moment.
THE BEDROOM
In the scene, a girl is listening to “My Prayer” by The Platters following a goodnight kiss from a boy.
The same outstanding people who uploaded a house exterior also included an house interior image.
I believe this is same room used because of the windows. If you look carefully, you’ll notice the same window details appear in the episode and at the location. Clearly the set was decorated before shooting.
THE RADIO
The girl looks at her radio once the Woodsman takes over the airwaves.
I first identified the radio the day after Part 8 first aired on Showtime. It appears to be a slightly modified Sears Silvertone Radio No. 1 that was manufactured between 1949-1951. I’m guessing that a handle was added to the top by the prop department. The front left knob may have also been replaced. I haven’t found a radio that matches the design with a handle and different knob.
Of course, when I think of “Silvertone” I think of Chris Isaak’s 1985 debut album which contained two instrumental tracks used in David Lynch’s Blue Velvet. The first was “Livin’ For Your Lover” which is heard at the party where Jeffrey and Sandy dance. The other is “Gone Ridin'” which is heard during Frank Booth’s joyride with Jeffrey. I digress.
THE FROGMOTH VISITS
The girl falls asleep thanks to the soothing voice of The Woodsman.
Enter the Frogmoth! The scene contains several exterior shots of the Frogmoth’s arrival at the girl’s bedroom (ala “Killer Bob style” by entering through her bedroom window).
The window scene helped me identify where it was shot as seen on the map above.
Above is a comparison of the scene from Part 8 and the actual location. The trees appear to match which makes me think it was the front left side window.
THE FROGMOTH ENTERS
The scene cuts to a close of up the girl sleeping on her bed.
The Frogmoth approaches and she opens her mouth. The creature then climbs inside the girl’s mouth and effectively created nightmares for generations to come.
The credits from this episode play over the face of the sleeping girl. I present this particular screen grab as BUF was the visual effects company responsible for creating the Frogmoth. They recently shared a behind the scenes look at the 213 shots they created for Twin Peaks on Showtime.
In particular, they discuss the Frogmoth’s creation:
“It was an exciting challenge to create the Frogmoth : a strange creature between the moth and the frog. We first received a drawing from Lynch for the back part of the body. We then worked on the design to validate the look with the director, before proceeding to the setup. It was nevertheless a continuous creative process, as the setup had to change a few times to get the desired shape and textures.”
The BUF team continued:
“We also had to find a convenient animation for this imaginary character, who had to be a nasty and scary animal, moving slowly, but still be able to fly without getting comical. The rigging was done with muscles and grease. We also added some hair.”
I think they did a fantastic job creating such a memorable creature for a very haunting scene.
