One of the more unique items I recently added to my Twin Peaks collection is a movie theatre mylar for David Lynch’s 1992 masterpiece, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. Mylars were used to indicate where a movie was being shown inside a movie house. Thanks to long-time collector of mylars, Original-Movie-Mylars on eBay, I learned more about these once prominent wayfinding tools.
BRIEF HISTORY OF MYLAR BY THE DUPONT COMPANY
On January 22, 1952, The DuPont Company’s Ralph C. Krueger and Arthur B. Ness presented a paper at the American Institute of Electrical Engineers at the Hotel Statler in Ithaca, New York. They described a new cellophane-like film that was lighter and stronger than products in use at the time. Named “Mylar,” DuPont officials said the film was two-to-eight times as strong as that of other commercial film. The suspected the product would be used in packaging, electrical insulation and even fabric.
While commercial uses were still years away, the DuPont Company believed in this product so much that they announced the construction of a $10 million manufacturing plant near Circleville, Ohio in November 1952. The plant wouldn’t open for several years but they believe this product would revolutionize the industry.
Nearly a year later, DuPont was advertising Mylar Polyester Film for usage on poultry houses. By mid-1954, the Circleville plant was operational which generated record profits for the company by 1955.
MOVIE THEATRE MYLARS
Flash forward to movie theatres in 1989. According to Original-Movie-Mylars, these advertising tools were created as a response to the multiplex explosion of the 1980s. New movie theatres being constructed were no longer small venues with one or two screes. Theatre owners needed a way for patrons to find their specific theatre showing a film.
These mini-posters were used in two places continued Original-Movie-Mylars – one above the box office and one above the theatre. They could be lit from behind to provide a glowing effect for the printed graphic. Since these printed pieces were made of thicker material, they were designed to last longer through a particular theatrical run of a film. Double-sided mylars were mostly produced between 1996 to 2012 with the occasional single-sided mylar.
The Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me above mylar was supposedly from a re-release of the film at some point after 1992. You can how the graphic glowed (or is that “burned?”) when backlit.
TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME MYLAR
I was surprised by the size of the mylar which measured approximate 5-inches tall by 25-inch wide. The printing is embossed which gives the printed piece a textured feel. There is no copyright on the mylar but there is a MPAA rating of “R” or “Restricted.”
The print advertisement was a variation of the poster made for the United States theatrical release in August 1992, which includes the tag line, “In a town like Twin Peaks, no one is innocent.” This key image was used on everything connected to the film, from the soundtrack album cover to the VHS cover.
The shot of Laura Palmer in the half-heart necklace is from a scene in in Room 6 at the Red Diamond City Motel.
LOOKING FOR YOUR OWN MOVIE MYLAR?
If you are looking for a mylar from your favorite film, I invite you to contact Original-Movie-Mylars who has been collecting these unique items since 1998. The seller has amassed a “very large collection” that now totals over 35,000 mylars! If there is a particular title, or list of titled, that you are seeking, please send an email to originaltheaterposters@gmail.com.
For now, I’m glad to add this rare Twin Peaks item to my ever-growing wonderful and strange collection.
