The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

2005

1h 16m

Drama

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

List

33%

6 Reviews

Tomatometer

64%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

An evil hypnotist puts on an amazing carnival act, but all is not what it seems.

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Ed Gonzalez

Slant Magazine

Interesting only for about as long as it takes to realize that Fisher has honored Weine's expressionist aesthetic but hasn't improved the original's creaky plotline.

Rated: 2/4

Jun 17, 2007

Full Review

Joe Leydon

Variety

An undeniably clever commingling of a new cast (and spoken dialogue) with a silent classic. But pic fails to engage consistently on its own terms, and begins to coast on novelty value around the midway point.

Oct 25, 2006

Full Review

Neil Genzlinger

New York Times

In his semi-remake of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, the director David Lee Fisher has accomplished something rather startling: he has out-disoriented the original.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 24, 2006

Full Review

David Cornelius

eFilmCritic.com

It's the movie equivalent of bad fan fiction, really.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 12, 2007

Full Review

Maitland McDonagh

TV Guide

Fisher's dialogue draws heavily on the original film's intertitles and script directions and the addition of sound is a plus for moviegoers uncomfortable with the artificial embarrassment of silence.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 24, 2006

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Audience Member

A film that has had a great impact over the years in great part because of it being one of the movies that was actually preserved and could be seeen, it influenced Noir Film, psychological thrillers and horror for year and will continue to do. Also many people say it's themes come from Post War sensibilities. Hard to say. Don't believe people who say this was the first horror movie, it was not. Rating highly because of it's impact.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Really beautiful to watch! The story drags a little but that’s probably just due to being from a different era.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/06/19

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Audience Member

How much more perfect can a remake of a silent classic get? They digitized the original negative to use the original sets and managed to capture the original silent masterpiece but with sound! Of course they follow the original as closely as possible, the addition of sound makes it different enough that nothing more is needed; if you want a different take on the source material, please watch the 1962 version with Glynis Johns. Manages to be as much a curiosity as the original, and sits comfortably in its shadow.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is an interesting, though unexceptional film. The faults other viewers have noted are there, though I am more forgiving and consider that the acting, for instance, can work as part of the odd vibe of the film. The sets are very interesting to look at. The only serious flaw was the sound, which was quite poor. Viewed as a sideshow (and not a main attraction), the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is fine.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I appreciate the far reaching effort, innovation, homage, and a dazzling concept. It comes across as earnest, and yet its a silly and soulless caricature. It sadly does not capture the intrigue or the creepiness of the original silent film that ran in German theatres for seven straight years after its release.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I love the original (favorite movie of all time) for the most part I love what the dialogue adds. I just don't like the effect with the fake Caesare. It just could have been a dummy like the original.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

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David Lee Fisher

Director

Judson Pearce Morgan

Francis Geist

Daamen J. Krall

Dr. Daamen Caligari

Doug Jones

Cesare

Lauren Birkell

Jane Stern

Neil Hopkins

Alan

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Synopsis

An evil hypnotist puts on an amazing carnival act, but all is not what it seems.

Director: David Lee Fisher
Screenwriter: David Lee Fisher, Hans Janowitz, Carl Mayer
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (DVD): Jun 5, 2007
Runtime: 1h 16m