I understand what the OP is looking for, a way to achieve an atmosphere. And he hopes to find it through a certain technical approach.
But these techniques are in a certain cense 'old', perhaps no more available, and even more the result of very personal way of combining, practicing and seeing.
I was looking for some kind of 'dark' atmosphere for visualising a very specific subject too.
I found it not in the use of a particular film nor developer, even not in the printing, but in the use of a contrast filter on the camera: a Hoya SR-66 (and Hp5+ at box speed in ADOX XT-3 1+1 and low angle January sun).
I don't know if David Lynch used a red filter, nor do I know what film-developer-printing technique, but I would suggest to give the use of a contrast filter a try.
Here is an example of what I am trying to say.
But please bear in mind that what you see here are two bad digital reproductions of FB prints and inconversant Photoshop fiddling, and above that I was somewhat to enthusiast in applying some vertical mouvement...
Saint Bavo Abby in Ghent.