directed by: Robert Wiene, year: 1920
actors: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Lil Dagover

Adapted from a German stage play, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) is a landmark silent horror film that helped define German Expressionism. It follows a deranged hypnotist, Dr. Caligari, and his silent, ominous somnambulist Cesare as murders terrorize a small town. With jagged, painted sets, stark shadows, and misaligned perspectives, the film creates a feverish sense of control, paranoia, and dreamlike unreliability, influencing cinematic style and narrative technique for generations.

Hypnosis, German Expressionism, Silent Film, Horror, Psychological Thriller, Early Cinema