The Cabinet of Dr.

Caligari and Genre

Fig 1: Film and Architecture of Caligari, (1920)

 German Expressionism
Fig 2, Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari, (1920)
When it comes to genre and Caligari, German expressionism was
particularly influential in its handling and pioneering of the horror film
genre. The style and genre of the art that the film is built around
originated from the cultural shifts in worldview in Germany after WW1
stemming from distrust in authority and trauma from the war, causing
the perception of reality to become more subjective. In response, film
and entertainment industries were ordered to produce propaganda of
sorts – costume dramas and opulent musicals to distract Germans from
their dismal and poverty-stricken existence.
Expressionism became a contrast to this, showcasing twisted forms and
distorted compositions as a representation of the questionable state of a
person’s mind. Dr. Caligari utilizes the seemingly uncoordinated forms of
German Expressionism that makes us question the state of the world and
whether or not the protagonist is to be trusted. As Craig Benzine states in
an Open Culture article, the filmmakers "deliberately distorted
everything within the frame," the sets "designed to look deliberately
artificial and throw you off balance.” (Benzine, 2017) Thus the film
presents us with a setting and environment that makes its events
ambiguous, its tone uncertain and a prevailing sense of dread and
mystery that persists in horror films to this day.
German Expressionism
The 1920s began the Expressionism of films of which Caligari was the
forefront; Janowitz’ Der Januskopf (1920), F.W Murnau’s Nosteratu (1921),
Paul Wegener’s The Golem (1920), and Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lodger (1926)
amongst many others helped shaped Hollywood and the rest of the world
in reference to the horror genre and influenced productions such as
Benjamin Christensen’s Witchcraft Through the Ages (1922) and Eugenio
Testa’s The Monster of Frankenstein (1920) (Jones, 2005:17-18).
The short lived but expressionist movement in post-war German film gave
way to more expensive expressionist sets such as those featured in
Metropolis (1927) and The Golem (1915) (Dixon, 2011:41-43)
 Horror
Due to Caligari’s influence, Germany is often considered the birthplace
of the horror film (Jones, 2005:227); Caligari is the first movie to
incorporate supernatural horror into the cinema and led many works in
the 20s to use the same expressionist techniques. It was the first of its
kind as a psychological horror film; this had “wired unearthly lighting,
critics called it “the scenery of the soul”.” (Briggs, 2003)
People saw Caligari as a “revelation of what motion picture is capable
of as a form of expression”. It was a milestone – the film succeeded in
fusing its elements into a “filmic whole” that creates “an atmosphere of
anguish and terror” (Clarens, 1967) that reaches beyond its setting of
curved streets and twisted buildings.
 Horror
European horror was much more focused on inner meanings, while
American horror was much more preoccupied with cheap thrills.
(Jones, 2005:69-71).
The movie is defined to be the first one
to truly bring horror into film, and it has
also given movie makers an idea of what
a monster should be.

Fig 3, Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari, (1920)

 Silent Film
Caligari changed the face of silent cinema
and created the first horror film of artistic
quality and ended up as one of the more
“timeless artefacts of the 20th century”
(Jones, 2005:17-18).
It was also the first movie to suggest
psychological horror as an alternative to
movies that preferred shock value, and that
film could capture dark qualities much
more dramatically than initially imagined.

Fig 4, Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari Poster, (1920)

Other Influence
Caligari has inspired films that are the same genre as itself alongside films that directly reference the
styles used in Caligari. Such films would be Human Wreckage (1923) which used similar contorted
settings, as well as one of the more accomplished films of the 1930s: Murders in the Rue Morgue
(1932).
It has also inspired films that are opposite in terms of mood and has thus extended beyond the
horror genre; Protozanov’s Aelita (1924) still utilised the unsettling setting style but it took on a much
more satirical, comedic tone.

Fig 5, Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari, (1920)

Conclusion
• German Expressionism played heavily into the film’s
art style and themes alongside works that followed
Caligari
• Caligari is one of the most influential films of the
horror genre and presented a turning point in horror
movies
• Caligari set the expectations for horror movies that
followed for the next few decades and is still prevalent
today.
 Bibliography
Briggs, J. B. (2003), Profoundly Disturbing: Shocking Movies That Changed History. Plexus
Clarens, C. (1967), An Illustrated History of Horror and Science-Fiction Films: The Classic Era: 1895-1967. Da Capo
Press; 1st Da Capo Press Ed edition
Craig Benzine, Open Culture (2017) at: http://www.openculture.com/2017/06/what-is-german-expressionism.html
Dixon, B., (2011) 100 Silent Films, BFI Screen Guides. British Film Institute; 2011 edition
Jones, A. (2005), The Rough Guide to Horror Movies. Rough Guides
Fig 1, Film and Architecture of Caligari, (1920): https://www.archdaily.com/300945/films-architecture-the-cabinet-
of-dr-caligari/69cabinet-du-dr-caligari-08-g
Fig 2, Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari, (1920): http://mainetoday.com/movies-and-film/classic-silent-horror-film-
cabinet-dr-caligari-screened-new-live-score-mayo-street-arts-friday/
Fig 3, Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari, (1920) https://celluloidwickerman.com/2012/08/27/das-cabinet-des-dr-caligari-
robert-weine-1920/
Fig 4, Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari Poster, (1920) https://www.kinofenster.de/filme/archiv-film-des-
monats/kf1402/das-cabinet-des-dr-caligari-film/
Fig 5, Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari, (1920) http://monovisions.com/the-cabinet-of-dr-caligari-1920-vintage-images/