Having finished the TV series _Twin Peaks_ and come away from it quite blown away, I was eager to see the film that followed it. I was pre-warned that it had a different tone to the show, that it was darker and generally not well received at the time it was released. However, the final few episodes of Twin Peaks had taken a more sinister, otherworldly turn and I really liked it, so was happy to see where this would take me.

I was not prepared. _Fire Walk With Me_ is one of the most brutal, terrifying and emotionally draining films I've ever seen. And I utterly loved it. Gone is the quirky soap-opera vibe the TV show gave us (although remnants of it pop up), and instead we get a full-on psychological horror showing us the last days of Laura Palmer's life.

It acts mostly as a prequel to the show - and should definitely not be watched if you haven't seen the whole TV series, because it will spoil a lot, as well as just being confusing - but also very cleverly places scenes that occur AFTER the end of the series, so it's also a sequel in some ways.

Not many of the characters from the TV series actually reprise their roles in this film (although many did, but their scenes were later cut out) and instead we get all the focus on Laura, her family and close friends. Agent Cooper does show up in a small role and his scenes are scattered throughout the film. We also get a very young Kiefer Sutherland, Chris Isaak and a wonderfully bizarre appearance by David Bowie (which does have an explanation if you really paid attention to the show's mythology and are open to working things out).

Sheryl Lee in the role of Laura Palmer is absolutely phenomenal. She wonderfully portrays a young girl whose life is absolutely falling apart, being subjected to unimaginable horrors. All the more impressive when you consider she was only ever originally hired to play a dead body in the pilot episode of the show. Watching her demise, which you know is coming from the start, is heartbreaking. Alongside her we also get a great turn from Ray Wise as her father and Frank Silva returning as BOB.

It's hard to talk about the film or even the characters without spoiling things. It contains some scenes which have become utterly burned into my mind; notably the harrowing sequence of Laura's final moments which is both horrific but also has an accompanying beautiful resolution. And I have to mention the amazing Pink Room sequence which is an absolute sonic assault on the senses with the throbbing, dirty music and realistic use of barely audible dialogue (fortunately subtitled, but in some ways it can play better without them).

It's a lot more adult than the TV show ever was and feels like Twin Peaks utterly let loose to tell the story on its own terms, rather than the restraints of 1990s network television. The crazy Red Room/Black Lodge sequences appear here as they did in the show, and they are essential for understanding what is going on. If you just dismiss them as weird and unintelligible art nonsense then you're missing the point.

This never deserved the criticism it got when released. I can only think its because Twin Peaks fans got something completely different from what they were expecting. It's honestly the best part of the entire Twin Peaks saga and has got me very excited from the (hopefully) forthcoming return of the show. It's not particularly gory but you still need to have a strong stomach and be in the right frame of mind to watch it, because it completely gets under your skin.