TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN — PART 8 & THE ALCHEMY OF DARKNESS Screening + Panel

This January, 7th House, The Philosophical Research Society, and Zebulon honor one of the great all time masters of cinema with their series NIGHT BLOOMING JASMINE: A CELEBRATION OF DAVID LYNCH, with events throughout the month at both PRS and Zebulon. Perhaps no artist has ever imbued their work with such darkness, mystery, wonder, beauty, and humor, a consummate creator whose journeys into the far reaches of imagination and consciousness have left an indelible and eternal mark on the world. On January 20th, 7th House will honor what would have been Lynch’s 80th birthday with a truly Philosophical Research Society-style offering: a screening of one of perhaps his greatest late-career masterpiece, TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN — PART 8, followed by a salon-style panel discussion — helmed by a group of incredible scholarly thinkers from the realms of mythology (Devon Deimler, PhD), the occult (William Kiesel), time & consciousness (LD Deutsch) and cinema — delving into the esoteric and philosophical currents running through the episode, the wider Twin Peaks mythology, and Lynch’s singular body of work. This sure-to-be-fascinating conversation will be opened up to the entire audience!

If TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN delighted in subverting fans' expectations of the 25-year-awaited sequel to David Lynch and Mark Frost's beloved cult TV series, its now legendary eighth episode detonated all preconceptions about the boundaries (even in the post-streaming era) of the medium of television itself. Eight years after its first broadcast, it still boggles the mind to imagine that some unsuspecting channel surfer (albeit one with cable) could have accidentally come across such a surreal, audacious, terrifying, and jawdroppping work of art, wedged between reality cooking competitions and Friends re-runs. Simply put: no one had ever seen anything like it before on television.

An absolute masterpiece, ranked up there with the auteur's greatest works, The Return's mind-bending eighth chapter manages to both transcend the series' already impressionistic narrative while simultaneously offering a chilling primordial origin story of the cosmic evil that haunts the entire Twin Peaks saga. If you’ve never seen the series, though, the episode can firmly stand on its own — and, most fascinatingly, its palette of tones and inspirations (from structuralist experimental cinema to mid-century B-Movie horror) and themes (the primordial struggle between innocence and evil) feel like a poetic distillation of Lynch’s entire oeuvre. A largely dialogueless journey, it is a masterful melding of surrealist metaphysics and 50s monster movie archetypes, a treatise on the ultimate evil of the atom bomb, a shining (...literally) moment for fan-favorite supernatural entity The Giant/The Fireman (played by Carel Struycken), featuring the introduction of one of Lynch’s most instantly iconic boogiemen (...”Gotta light? Gotta light?”) and an ear-shredding musical interlude by “The” Nine Inch Nails.

Dir. David Lynch, 2017, 58mins, United States, English, Unrated (Adult Audience Suggested), Digital.

Very special thanks to Ashley Harrington and Cal Gunderson at Showtime and to David Lynch's family and team.

ABOUT THE PANELISTS

(Additional Guests To Be Announced Shortly!)

Devon Deimler, PhD is a writer, artist, and teacher. She is an Associate Professor in Pacifica Graduate Institute’s Mythological Studies program, Curator of exhibits and events at OPUS Archives and Research Center (home to the collections of James Hillman, Marija Gimbutas, and Joseph Campbell), and a lecturer and special editions editor for The Philosophical Research Society, where she has served as Contributing Artist/Scholar. Devon earned her PhD in Mythological Studies with an emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica. Her dissertation, Ultraviolet Concrete: Dionysos and the Ecstatic Play of Aesthetic Experience, won the Institute’s Dissertation of Excellence award. She holds a BA in Interdisciplinary Sculpture from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Her experience in the arts includes founding an independent record label, Wildfire Wildfire Productions, and working as Assistant to the Director at the Dennis Hopper Art Trust. She was recently published in Truth and Soul: A Robert Downey, Sr. Reader.

William Kiesel has walked the path of esotericism for over 30 years. His practical experience and historical knowledge of occult literature and culture draws from such diverse disciplines as Hermeticism, Neoplatonism, Qabalah, Thelema, Alchemy, Rosicrucianism, Theosophy, and Ceremonial Magic. With his decades as an antiquarian bookseller, his training in letterpress printing and bookbinding, Kiesel brings his love of books and scholarship together as publisher at Ouroboros Press. He is also faculty at 22 Teachings School of Hermetic Science and Magical Arts. www.bookarts.org

LD Deutsch is a writer based in Los Angeles. Her work focuses on time, consciousness, technology, mythology and the fall of the materialist paradigm. She received her MA in Religious Studies from UC Santa Barbara, where she concentrated on the territories between scientific and religious thinking (most particularly the science of consciousness and the discontinuity between physical-scientific models of time and the human experience of time’s linear flow). Her works have been published by Sacred Bones Books, Anthology Books, Nautilus Magazine, Cixous72, Mundus Press and more. She has presented lectures at Pioneer Works, The Philosophical Research Society, The Knockdown Center, TV Eye, 2220 Arts + Archives, Zebulon Café, Heavy Manners Library, Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Festival and The Sonic Art Research Unit at Oxford Brookes University. Her first book, Time, Myth & Matter: Essays on the Natures and Narratives of Reality was published by Sacred Bones Books in May 2025.

Please email [email protected] or phone 323-663-2167 with any questions.

ADVISORY DISCLAIMER

With some exception, The Philosophical Research Society’s 7th House Screenings does not typically provide advisory warnings about potentially upsetting content or subject matter, as sensitivities are particular to each viewer. Please be sure to read event listings, research on the web, or visit Common Sense Media, IMDb, and DoesTheDogDie.com for thorough info on content and age-appropriateness. If you have any specific content advisory questions, please email [email protected].

CONTENT DISCLAIMER

The views, opinions, and thoughts expressed within exhibited works are solely those of their creators and may not represent those of the Philosophical Research Society (PRS), its affiliates, or any individuals associated with PRS. Screenings are intended for educational and entertainment purposes.

ACCESSIBILITY

PRS wants all guests to be able to enjoy our events safely and comfortably. If you require any accessibility accommodation, please reach out to [email protected] before showtime and we will be happy to assist you.

REFUND POLICIES

All sales are final. There are no refunds for PRS events , except in the event of a medical emergency, including but not limited to a positive COVID-19 test. Ticket exchanges may be granted on a case by case basis, pending circumstances.

In the event that PRS is forced to cancel an event entirely, tickets will be refunded or vouchers offered for a rescheduled event.

PARKING

We encourage attendees to consider carpooling, walking or biking to events if possible, and please be considerate of our Los Feliz neighbors when parking. Nearby street parking is available, as well as limited parking onsite at PRS in the front lot (entry from Los Feliz Blvd. when heading east).

PRS EVENT POLICIES

• We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.
• Events are subject to change without notice, including guest speakers and/or performers.
• We encourage you to arrive at least 30 min. before the scheduled event start time to find parking, enjoy the Bookstore and take your seats.
• Please turn off all mobile devices before the show. Talking and texting are not allowed during the events.
• No filming, audio recording or mobile phone recording of events, screenings, concerts or other programs by audience members is allowed without permission.
• There is no smoking permitted on PRS grounds.
• We strongly encourage guests to wear masks to PRS events to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
• PRS allows Service Animals into the facility under ADA and state guidelines. For further details please visit www.ADA.gov. No animals permitted whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support, under ADA guidelines and CA Health Code.
• Please do not bring outside food or drink into PRS events.
• Weapons are strictly prohibited at PRS events.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher The Philosophical Research Society