LYNCH by far. Eraserhead, Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, Straight Story, Mulholland Drives are all masterpieces. our great grandchildren will know his name.

Lynch for Lost Highway alone.

Ugh, and Videodrome? Please.

Yes, Videodrome. Definitely.

Cronenberg, by far.

I like MORE of Cronenberg's work, but when Lynch gets a hit, he hits it out of the park (and when he misses, it's a strike out). Therefore, while there are more Cronenberg movies I like, there's work from Lynch I absolutely love, so he gets my vote.

No. The question is: Which do you LIKE best? Not: Which do you THINK IS the best? The question and the way it was worded is asking for my favoritism. Not my thoughts on which is better. If it's not...well the OP fucked up on how to ask the question.

Lynch is a better filmmaker than Cronenberg. Like it was said though..he has his extremes on the quality scale, Lynch that is. Cronenberg has not made a horrible film like Lynch has...though I'd argue that he has made films that are of equal or greater quality to Lynch's as well. But...to me. Lynch is the better filmmaker. But I like DC more.

I completely meant it to be a personal opinion and not an attempt at some sort of pronouncement on the relative importance of either filmmaker. I wanted the poll to be much more subjective than objective.

Also I think fans of one filmmaker will most likely also be fans of the other. So, phrased another way, this is basically asking the question: if you have a chance to see a brand new movie by either one, which filmmaker's new production do you think you would anticipate the most? The one you name should be your answer in this poll.

So I did understand the question.

The answer to this is both.

I like Cronenberg more, but also really like Lynch.

I have seen 7 of 10 Lynch films and the man's work just leaves me cold. I certainly believe and do not in any way dismiss the enthusiasm his work has had, but it just isn't for me. Gun to my head, make me watch a Lynch film over again and it would probably be Dune.

Cronenberg, on the other hand, is the man who created such amazing films as Dead Ringers and Eastern Promises and also helmed one of the mass market best horror films of the 80s, The Fly. Even his failures, such as Scanners, are fascinating.

Cronenberg by a very large margin.

*Better

David Lynch, if only for his website, anti-iPhone rant, and bird-loving Twitter updates.

Ditto. When I watch most Cronenberg movies, I think, "This is an awesome way to make a movie". When I watch a Lynch movie, I'm completely sucked into the reality (or surreality) of the film and forget to even analyze the filmmaking until a second or third viewing.

They're both interesting directors who've managed the remarkable feat of forging unique careers based on their own visions. They make the films they want to make, not the ones the studios want, which means they can never get Michael Bay-rich.

I don't dislike either director, but at the same time I don't like either one enough to choose one over the other. Each has made films that impressed me and each has made films I didn't like at all.

The more interesting comparison here might be that while Cronenberg comes off as a pretty level-headed and "normal" in real-life, Lynch is often goofier than his movies.

This is a pretty good way of putting it. I was actually going to write something similar. Both of the filmmakers are known to make strange, disturbing movies, but Cronenberg seems like the kind who still has his feet on the ground. And despite how weird some of Cronenberg's films might be, I think you can feel in his films how grounded he is as opposed to Lynch.

I'm still not sure which director I would choose. Both have made great films. I'm actually a little bit surprised how few movies Lynch has really made. Seeing those two lists in the OP really hits home the fact that Lynch doesn't make too many movies.

You're missing my point. What you like the best should be the same as what you think is the best.

Sorry, have to disagree. One could say a steak dinner at a 4-star restaurant would be the best meal... but what I'd really like is a decent pizza.

It's all a matter of opinion though. Stating it is the best does not make it the best. The best is the decent pizza.

If Snake says Lynch is the better filmmaker, he is quoting it like it's a fact, it's not, it's just an opinion. It's the same as him saying he prefers Cronenberg. Again, an opinion. So, whichever one you like should be the best.

Now there is established criteria for peoples' tastes that can be argued in favor of a steak dinner versus a pizza. I get that. However, in the end, it's all opinion.

No. If I prefer Cronenberg..that's a fact. That's a personal want. No opinion about it. I like Cronenberg more than Lynch, fact. If I think Lynch is a better filmmaker that's an opinion.

These two were crucial, and I mean crucial to my development as a film lover. Cronenberg's early films hit me in the gut in a way that no director's ever did, and Lynch's films were true art.
Cronenberg's middle years left me cold - they played like doctoral theses to me. He's certainly rebounded over his last several films. Lynch has remained consistent in his vision, I feel, so it's him by a severed ear.

I can't compare Cronenberg to David Lynch - Lynch is unique with his dreamy films that make you flow within and also he has wonderful visual side, Angelo's music is a miracle...
Lynch might not always be enjoyable and it's quite clear to me why... Hi doesn't create his entry ideas but rather go through the ideas and shape a thing that is more likely to be surprise to himself. While what Cronenberg does is something that expresses his entry ideas and everything responses to this 1 or 2 ideas... Lynch is more artistic because it's not enough to make an interesting idea - to me most of the mass, Hollywood films do posses interesting ideas, but they are lack of artistic qualities. But as for David Lynch - whatever this freaky guy deos (even if it seems pathetic) he makes it look artistic.

David Lynch is a painter, animator, director, photographer, musician, philosopher, Psychologist...whatever you like ... He is a contemporary artist with deep visual art and I'm sorry but you all compare him with David Cronenberg in a way of directing however Lynch is much more than that.

I always try to find a visual art in films and the way it fits the idea... Blue Velvet shocked me with it's fascinating shot: composition, colors... "Mulholland.Dr" is just great emotion considering everything altogether... Twin Peaks series is a masterpiece influencing all the directors and composers as well there's no doubt in it, Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive are indirect story telling films and it doesn't ever end as Twin Peaks doesn't so it is not lik: "ah I get it" and the film ends as you get it in a single possible way - Lynch knows it...