Time: 74 Minutes
Cast:
Werner Krauss as Dr. Caligari
Conrad Veidt as Cesare
Friedrich Feher as Francis
Lil Dagover as Jane
Hans Heinrich von Twardowski as Alan
Rudolf Lettinger as Dr. Olsen
Director: Robert Wiene

I remember when I first attempted to watch Nosferatu when I was younger, I really couldn’t get into it. However, years later I tried again and I thought it was great. Following on from that, I wanted to try watching more silent films, particularly those in the horror genre. I had heard about The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, I knew it was a horror movie from the silent era, in fact it was said to be the first horror movie, but otherwise I went into it rather blind. It turned out to also be a really great film. 

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a classic gothic horror murder mystery, compelling, twisted and with a real aura of mystery. It has a great and haunting atmosphere with effective dread and suspense and tension, selling the terror despite not having any verbal dialogue. It is steadily paced across its 70 minute runtime, which was the right length for this movie. It also ends with a good twist, which no doubt had a great influence on many future movies and stories.

The movie was directed excellently by Robert Wiene, while I’m not familiar with the movies of the time, the filmmaking really did feel ahead of its time. It is visually gorgeous, the imagery is unnerving, it is beautifully lit, and the slanted and disorienting sets are amazing. That paired with the foreboding score creates a surreal, ghostly and atmospheric experience. 

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is an atmospheric, surreal, suspenseful, and beautifully directed horror film. It’s still impressive over a century later and it’s unsurprising that it was so influential, especially with regards to films in the horror genre.