The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

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The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Released Mar 19, 1921

1h 9m

Horror

Fantasy

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

83 Reviews

89%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

At a carnival in Germany, Francis and his friend Alan encounter the crazed Dr. Caligari. The men see Caligari showing off his somnambulist, Cesare, a hypnotized man who the doctor claims can see into the future. Shockingly, Cesare then predicts Alan's death, and by morning his chilling prophecy has come true -- making Cesare the prime suspect.

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Critics Consensus

Arguably the first true horror film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari set a brilliantly high bar for the genre -- and remains terrifying nearly a century after it first stalked the screen.

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Edwin Schallert

Los Angeles Times

I recommend heartily this somewhat daring Teutonic dive into the troubled waters of ellipsoids, parabaloids, conic sections, and chiarscura, the terminology of which is quite sufficient to indicate that the bars are up to the normal mind.

Oct 3, 2022

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Marjorie C. Driscoll

San Francisco Chronicle

[A viewer who is] sensitive to the impression value of blurs of shadow and sharp white lights of masses and lines that possess a psychic individuality of the enveloping atmosphere created by the mounting of the scenes will find his perceptions stimulated.

Oct 3, 2022

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Mae Tinee

Chicago Tribune

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is undeniably clever. It is most artistically acted. The lightning is a marvel of spookiness. And if you are looking for something different, well -- it is certainly different with a vengeance.

Oct 3, 2022

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M.V. Moorhead

Less Hat, Moorhead

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari's true power derives from the weird visual atmosphere Weine and his designers, Hermann Warm, Walter Reimann and Walter Rohrig, bring to almost every shot through boldly stylized, expressionistic sets and camera angles.

Oct 29, 2024

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

There are many themes to be gleamed from its sociopolitical and psychoanalytical musings.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 27, 2024

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

[It] revolutionized the medium with its Expressionistic techniques externalizing the nightmarish delusions of a mental patient...

Dec 8, 2023

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Joe A

I saw parts of it on Portlandia. The skit was good, but the movie was lame. Sorry.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/25

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Jacob M

A true timeless masterpiece that has influenced others with its German Expressionist art style, groundbreaking story and mysterious atmosphere.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/17/25

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Martijn t

If dr. Cagliari would've been there during the American Psycho business card scene, Patrick Bateman would've instantly gone into a murderous rage out of jealousy. On a more serious note: like every German expressionist classic I've seen so far, extremely impressive. And not just the art direction; I was very surprised how much this 1920 film already had all the psychological thriller beats down: unreliable narrator, a big twist and some nice mysteries (how can there be two?)

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/27/24

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William B

Super entertaining classic film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/11/24

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Jay W

Never have I watched a film that felt more like a nightmarish fever dream. Everything about it feels just a bit off. The acting, the makeup and even the set is very strange. Nothing quite adds up. The movie doesn't follow a coherent narrative but operates on a sort of dream logic. The story is about Dr. Caligari coming into town with a carnival show. He has a creepy man named Cesare who can answer any question the audience has. But it appears that Cesare is being controlled by Caligari to commit murders. Or is he? This strangeness makes the movie creepy. You have to respect it, but you don't have to like it.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/20/24

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Tyler G

The set design, acting, lighting, sound, and story are so much more ambitious than pretty much all of its Silent Era peers. It is still a great watch over 100 years later.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/22/24

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Robert Wiene

Director

Werner Krauss

Dr. Caligari

Conrad Veidt

Cesare

Lil Dagover

Jane

Friedrich Feher

Francis

Rudolf Lettinger

Dr. Olson

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Synopsis

At a carnival in Germany, Francis and his friend Alan encounter the crazed Dr. Caligari. The men see Caligari showing off his somnambulist, Cesare, a hypnotized man who the doctor claims can see into the future. Shockingly, Cesare then predicts Alan's death, and by morning his chilling prophecy has come true -- making Cesare the prime suspect.

Director: Robert Wiene
Producer: Rudolf Meinert, Erich Pommer
Screenwriter: Hans Janowitz, Carl Mayer
Distributor: Grapevine Video, Kino Video
Production Co: Decla-Bioscop AG
Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: German
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 19, 1921, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 22, 2016
Runtime: 1h 9m

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