In my previous review of the 1922 German Expressionist film, Nosferatu, I described the feeling of watching the movie like dreaming. Everything feels so strangely fluid and perhaps even sleepy. Yet you are drawn in and somehow frightened at the same time. Now after having recently watched The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari I realize just how mind bending and strange the expressionist films of the 1920s can be. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was purposefully designed to resemble a dark dream, and not just any dark dream but the deepest abyss of the insance man's nightmare. Every set in this film was designed to look obscure and discomforting. The angles look wrong and we begin to feel as if we are inside a optical illusion where there is no end or beginning and the dream will drown us in suffocation forever. It is pure and simple genius. This film is art in its purest form and storytelling in the most metaphysical manner.
The story revolves around a strange doctor who goes around to fairs and carnivals and puts on the creepiest show you would ever see. In his cabinet Dr. Caligari keeps a man who is eternally asleep and will always sleep until the Doctor, as some strange master, calls him forth to predict the future. Supposedly, in this never ending state of sleep this man can see through the eons like some wandering vagrant of space and time. The whole concept is very lovecraftian in theme. Although I'm sure this film has no connection to the works of H.P. Lovecraft they are definitely products of the same time period.
As the story progresses the eternally sleeping figure predicts the death of a young man and the horrible prediction comes true when he is murdered later that night. The murders and strange deeds are the work of none other than Dr. Caligari. He commands his demented sleeping servant to stalk the streets and kill.
As the story progresses the eternally sleeping figure predicts the death of a young man and the horrible prediction comes true when he is murdered later that night. The murders and strange deeds are the work of none other than Dr. Caligari. He commands his demented sleeping servant to stalk the streets and kill.
Watching this strange and somewhat sad man wander aimlessly and kill is such an unnerving sight that it simply adds to the overall mood of the film. He is the dreamer but it is almost as if we are watching him within a dream as he does his filthy work. It's like a demon stalking us in our very dreams and could be like a distant cousin to the Freddy Kruger franchise. It captures the same horrible feelings of being trapped in a never ending nightmare where death literally will always stalk.
The version of the film I watched had a tinting to the screen that changed the way the mood and setting of film. The colors added to the strangeness of the dream and truly enhanced the experience. The creators really tried to capture the feeling of being trapped in the dreams of the most mentally disturbed creature.
The version of the film I watched had a tinting to the screen that changed the way the mood and setting of film. The colors added to the strangeness of the dream and truly enhanced the experience. The creators really tried to capture the feeling of being trapped in the dreams of the most mentally disturbed creature.
Overall the movie was a weirdly moving and engaging experience. It was made during a much different time period and therefore it moves slow at parts, but this can add to the nightmare experience. I feel that seeing this movie is required for true fans of the horror genre. It is important to see where some of our roots are and how it has sprouted and bloomed into the horror genre as we know it today. Honestly, we could use more psychological thrillers that play on our senses and make us think. This movie is visually stunning and it was made in the 1920s. I see no excuse for today's writers and directors to slack on the imagery of the nightmare in their own works. The Cabinet of Dr. Calgari is a piece of art and a masterpiece.
Summing it Up
Despite the movies age and the slow moving plot it still endures as a truly warped and frightening experience. Every frame and image is like an painting in the absurd style. The themes of nightmares and insanity make it a staple of the horror genre and inspiration to modern horror as we know it. Every horror fan should see it at least once.
Deaths: 2
Language: 0
Gore Factor: 1
Sex Factor: 1
Scare Factor: 2
Fun Factor: 4
Overall Rating: 5
Deaths: 2
Language: 0
Gore Factor: 1
Sex Factor: 1
Scare Factor: 2
Fun Factor: 4
Overall Rating: 5
To learn more about my rating system click here.