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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DanTheMan 2

Often cited as the quintessential work of German Expressionism and the progenitor of so many horror iconography and archetypes, The Cabinet of Dr Caligari constructs a mental landscape — a personal psychological fantasy — within which unspeakable horror becomes a terrifying reality. Presenting lunatics, murderers and possessed somnambulists in its eerie shadows, the jagged angles and sharp white lights of masses and lines create a psychic individuality to the enveloping atmosphere. It illustrates something more eternal: about great manipulators, and the underlying anxiety that either society has gone mad, or we have. An eerie sense that this hellish scene is actually the real world, and that our everyday lives are the delusional Technicolour dream of a madman. It's a story told and seen by a discombobulated mind, with all the scenery jumbled into fantastic shapes and the features of the players weirdly angular and wildly staring. Director Robert Wiene creates a film that's beautifully warped in all senses, creating something truly fascinating and utterly bizarre. A stylised representation of an off-kilter world, where the exaggerated performances only add to the film's unnatural vibe. The influence of The Cabinet of Dr Caligari knows no bounds, a crazy black mass all on its own, a mute opera of fear.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/30/25

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Stephen C

1 hour and 9 minutes is too short!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In German and American English audio versions with American English subtitles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/04/25

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Tyler B

Striking from start till end, and twisting the idea of the dead. In each scene, you’ll witness emotions, art, and horror. You’ll tremble as the sleepwalker and its puppeteer, terrify. Displaying yet another example of pure evil. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a-film that set the standard for horror (I.e. shutter island) and still stands up to the test of time.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/18/25

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Alesia L

To fully comprehend the movie, I had to read a summary, which helped clarify any confusion. The unique makeup was a work of art and made the main characters especially prominent. Very spooky.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/15/25

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Emma F

A classic horror film that still sends chills down our spines, over a century after it was made.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/11/25

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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

Full Review

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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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