‘Wild at Heart’ Tweaks ‘Peaks’ Freaks : Film: If you saw the David Lynch-directed TV series and expect to see the same on the big screen, think again. Some who have seen the new movie say it’s too violent.

They were, you might say, on the twin horns of a dilemma. Gail McGill and her friend, Heather Stapleton, couldn’t decide whether to see “Ghost” or the new David Lynch film, “Wild at Heart.” Waiting in line to buy their tickets, the two girls debated the potential merits of each film as they inched closer to the ticket window. In the end, the two opted for Lynch.

Though neither girl had ever seen a film by the controversial director, they both considered themselves “ ‘Twin Peaks’ addicts,” and made their decision based on their viewing experience of the offbeat television series.

“I loved ‘Twin Peaks,’ ” said McGill, 19, before entering Edwards University Theater in Irvine. “I’ve heard he (David Lynch) makes really weird movies. But it can’t be any stranger than ‘Twin Peaks.’ ”

A little more than two hours later, McGill emerged from the theater visibly shaken.

“I will never see another film by David Lynch,” exclaimed McGill, while Stapleton nodded in agreement. “It really made me upset. It’s nothing like ‘Twin Peaks.’ I mean, it’s so violent.”

Indeed, David Lynch the filmmaker has caught by surprise fans who know him only as the mastermind behind “Twin Peaks.”

“Wild at Heart,” starring Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern, follows the path of Sailor Ripley (Cage) and Lula Pace (Dern) as they try to make their way to California to escape the wrath of Lula’s psycho mother, played by Diane Ladd. With a dark but playful reference to “The Wizard of Oz,” the film drips with blood and sex and presents one of the strangest list of characters since Lynch’s last film, “Blue Velvet.” While the film features brief appearances by some “Twin Peaks” regulars, there’s no question that Lynch is operating at a different level, far from the constrictive confines of prime-time TV.

Opening last week to fairly enthusiastic crowds, “Wild at Heart” grossed about $5.5 million in its first three days. And while the film is attracting the usual array of veteran David Lynch fans, it appears that the audience also includes a sizable number of “Twin Peaks” fans who are curious about the director’s celluloid endeavor.

Leonie de Picciotto, vice president of publicity for the Samuel Goldwyn Co., which released the film, said there’s no question that the popularity of “Twin Peaks” is helping box-office figures.

“We had conducted a survey prior to the film’s release, and we had found that the majority of the people who had watched ‘Twin Peaks’ knew who the stars were but didn’t know who David was,” De Picciotto said.

As a result, De Picciotto said, during the initial promotion of “Wild at Heart,” television ads heavily promoted Lynch’s ties to “Twin Peaks,” while radio and newspapers ads were mum about the connection.

“It seemed that people who read newspapers or listened to radio were more likely to know who David Lynch was,” she said.

Admitting that the film may come as a shock to those who know of Lynch only through “Twin Peaks,” De Picciotto said there have been reports of some walkouts.

“On the whole, it appears the film is getting a good reception,” De Picciotto said, noting that on opening night last week, Lynch, Cage and Dern had made the rounds to a variety of Los Angeles theaters to gauge audience reaction.

At the Edwards University in Irvine, ticket seller Robert Droney said customers have walked out or demanded their money back. “When I can, I warn them (ticket buyers) if they’ve never seen a David Lynch film before.”

At the Cinedome in Orange, Michael Martinez and his girlfriend, Teresa Gomez, were waiting to see the film. Martinez had seen all of Lynch’s films, but Gomez had never seen any.

“I liked ‘Twin Peaks,’ said Gomez, 23, from Orange. “Michael said I would like his films. But I don’t know. I heard it’s pretty violent.”

Martinez, 25, said he lost interest in “Twin Peaks” and never got beyond the third episode.

“It bothers me when they try to compare Lynch, the director of films, and Lynch the director of television,” Martinez said. “What Lynch does on film opposed to what he does on television are two completely separate things.”

Following Martinez and Gomez inside the theater was Kelly Stratton, 20, and Lisa Griffen, 19. Both women were visiting friends from San Diego and both claimed to be big fans of “Twin Peaks,” especially of Kyle MacLachlan, who plays FBI investigator Dale Cooper in the TV series.

“Well, to be honest with you, I don’t know who David Lynch is,” said Griffen, laughing. “The only reason we came was because we thought ‘Wild at Heart’ was connected to ‘Twin Peaks.’ ”

When told otherwise, the women looked at each other and started laughing.

“I’m here because of David Lynch,” said Craig Peltson, 33, of Fullerton, who was seeing the film a second time. “I hope this film shocks the hell out of these “Twin Peaks” people. The last thing we need is the commercialization of Lynch.”