Naked Lunch
“Exterminate all rational thought.”
Blank-faced bug killer Bill Lee and his dead-eyed wife, Joan, like to get high on Bill's pest poisons while lounging with Beat poet pals. After meeting the devilish Dr. Benway, Bill gets a drug made from a centipede. Upon indulging, he accidentally kills Joan, takes orders from his typewriter-turned-cockroach, ends up in a constantly mutating Mediterranean city and learns that his hip friends have published his work -- which he doesn't remember writing.
Where to watch
Not streaming anywhere
Not on any streaming service in United States, and not available to rent.
Your rating
Your review
Cast
23 people
Peter Weller
Bill Lee
Known for
RoboCop
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1
Judy Davis
Joan Frost
Known for
Ratched
Marie Antoinette
Ian Holm
Tom Frost
Known for
Ratatouille
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Julian Sands
Yves Cloquet
Known for
Rose Red
Leaving Las Vegas
Roy Scheider
Dr. Benway
Known for
Jaws
The French Connection
Monique Mercure
Fadela
Known for
Quintet
Mon oncle Antoine
Nicholas Campbell
Hank
Known for
Coroner
Books of Blood
Michael Zelniker
Martin
Known for
Bird
Robert A. Silverman
Hans
Known for
Scanners
eXistenZ
Joseph Scoren
Kiki
Known for
Cypher
Dream Lover
Peter Boretski
Creature Voices / Exterminator #2
Known for
The Nutcracker Prince
F/X2
Yuval Daniel
Hafid
Known for
Adoration
David Cronenberg Director · William S. Burroughs Author Howard Shore Composer
Worldwide gross $2.6M · Budget $16M · United States release December 27, 1991
Box office
Budget
$16,000,000
Worldwide gross
$2,641,357
Gross vs. budget
0.2×
Production
Recorded Picture Company
Production
Naked Lunch Productions
Production
20th Century Studios
Studio
Film Trustees Ltd.
Production
Nippon Film Development and Finance
Production
Ontario Film Development Corporation
Production
Pierson, Heldring & Pierson N.V.
Production
Téléfilm Canada
Production
Canada · United Kingdom · Japan
Produced in
Languages
Original language
English
Spoken on screen
Arabic · English
Release dates
United Kingdom · December 12, 1991
Premiere · London
United States · December 27, 1991
Limited theatrical
United Kingdom · April 24, 1992
Theatrical
Brazil
November 11, 2003 · Physical · DVD
October 17, 2023 · Limited theatrical · São Paulo (Remasterizado em 4K)
Finland
October 16, 1992 · Theatrical
June 13, 2025 · Theatrical · Re-release
France
March 11, 1992 · Theatrical
Germany
February 16, 1992 · Premiere · Berlin International Film Festival
April 30, 1992 · Theatrical
February 17, 2023 · Premiere · Berlin International Film Festival (Digitally Restored Version)
Hungary
February 26, 1993 · Theatrical
Italy
January 13, 1993 · Theatrical
Netherlands
July 31, 1992 · Theatrical · Amsterdam
December 10, 2001 · Physical · DVD
Portugal
February 14, 1992 · Premiere · Fantasporto Film Festival
September 25, 1992 · Theatrical
South Korea
June 25, 2025 · Theatrical
Türkiye
January 1, 1993 · Theatrical
United Kingdom
January 8, 1994 · Physical · VHS
July 26, 2004 · Physical · DVD
August 17, 2015 · Physical · Blu-ray
July 10, 2023 · Physical · Arrow Video 4k Ultra HD Blu-ray / Blu-ray
More from David Cronenberg
Other films they directed, best known first.
If you liked Naked Lunch
Picks that share its genres, themes, cast and crew.
Some details come from TheTVDB.