The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is one of horror’s most notable early entries, not only well-known for its dramatic and unique visual style, but also in its depiction of a fantastical, but truly haunting mystery. Serving as the pulse for many modern actor’s inspiration, such as Nicholas Cage, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was a landmark piece of cinema, explored in most film schools, holding up as a truly terrifying film. So, what better way to kick off Comic-Watch’s Stream Scream 2024, than a look into this classic entry in film history?
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is most well-known for its bizarre visual style. The film takes place in a city that is full of angular buildings, spiraling streets, and proportions that would feel off to just about anyone who is used to the way things normally look. The classic old saying in the film industry is “show, don’t tell,” and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari does that almost immediately with its visuals. Especially in the era of silent film, the visual style really is what sets a film apart from another. This setting gives off that uneasy sense, and almost hints at the film’s twist ending right from the beginning. And that is where the film really begins to capture the audience, with the tone.
This film can easily be viewed as murder mystery first and foremost, but it is the sense of dread and uneasiness that really gives the film its lasting impression. Another common strategy for this is for the filmmaker to shoot things at a Dutch Angle, or an angle that is askew from the object it is showing. Some filmmakers overdo this at unnecessary times, but the whole point is that it is a visual cue for the audience to know that something is off. That is where the visual style really jumps in. The filmmakers are able to capture that uneasiness based on set design alone, giving the impression that this is some kind of fantastical world despite the subject matter being somewhat realistic.
Speaking of the subject matter, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari hits several themes in its short runtime; however, none is more notable in the realm of psychological horror than the perception of reality. While a lot of this ties back to the settings and visual style, a fair share has to be credited to the way the events of the film unfold. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’s murderer’s weapon of choice is a man who sleepwalks. Right away, the idea of someone’s reality has shifted, as the murders are happening unbeknownst to the man who is actually committing them. This goes one step further with the revelation that Dr. Caligari is actually running an asylum, a place that is famously full of patients who have trouble distinguishing their mind’s tricks and reality around them. This is where the true psychological horror comes in, with the visual style acting more as a dipping sauce for the content to soak itself in as the plot unfolds.
This is where the twist of the film comes in (apologies to anyone who has not had a chance to watch The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari since it came out one hundred and four years ago). The final twist of the film is that the lead character, Francis, as well as his companions, are all actually patients of the mental hospital where their investigation leads. As mentioned in the beginning, Francis’s view of the world around him should have been the first clue that he may have been suffering from some kind of delusions; however, this twist really ties into that theme of perceptions and reality. Francis is supposed to be the reliable narrator, and at the end, he is shown to just be a patient who may have misinterpreted the entire film’s events from the get-go. This film’s true mark on psychological horror is how it break’s the audience’s trust, regains it, and then laughs as its twist ending breaks the trust again.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is truly one of the best horror films of all time, and the fact that it defined a generation of filmmaking, while also holding true to its unique style. This set design and filmmaking style is a well-known example of the Expressionist Style that challenged the norms of the era. As the month of October continues, check out further articles on famous horror films as a recurring theme may emerge.
