With the announcement that the great David Lynch died on January 16, the world hasn’t just lost one of its greatest filmmakers: It’s lost one of its greatest artists, period. The work of a filmmaker whose sensibility was certainly not for the masses,

Much like dreams, merely hearing Lynch's work described does not compare to experiencing his movies and TV series firsthand. Unconventional to the end, the director's filmography (plus Twin Peaks, indispensable to his oeuvre) almost always elicits strong responses, with each project re-assembling a number of core ideas, themes, and images.

David Lynch, one of the most visionary directors of all time, died at the age of 78 on Thursday (Jan 16). Here are 5 of his best movies ranked.