Probably the best silent film I have ever seen, Caligari has a clear emphasis on German Expressionism while also being a methodically psychological horror film about the supernatural and the surreal imagination of the insane. Silent films started off as filmed plays, and in that vein this film constructed all its sets by hand, painting them in odd patterns, and showing interesting angles and vacant shots of this small village. Besides the interesting set design for the walls and floors, the stairs and windows were strange as well. The slanting light (possibly natural) barely illuminated the creeping corners and morose faces of the townspeople. The town itself is romanticized in the loose culture of the times, being small and simple, without the benefits of electricity or modern technology. Much of this was candlelit which lent to an atmosphere where monsters and creepy crawlies could be behind the next wall just waiting to murder you. Not such a stretch since a string of murders mysteriously starts after the appearance of the gypsy centric fair and a tent advertising a coma creep controlled by a large eye browsed crone named Dr. Caligari. The somnambulist, or coma patient, is a vampiric man who lays within a box and predicts the future based on some unnamed psychic abilities. The look of it and the intricate storyline lends to a very creepy vibe. The characters all express their emotions in a wide and over dramatic way, as this is a German Expressionist film. Everything is bigger, darker, more hurried and vague, and you never quite know who the villain is. Beside that you are always theorizing whether there is any true magic, or it's medicine, or frankly a dream of an insane person. Nothing is ever clear or true, and that leads to feeling unsettled and uneasy over what is on the screen. True, it's silent, and true the characters are at times bland, but it's the storytelling and the fact that it's a horror film that keeps the suspense and the intensity alive. It's a horror film that will have staying power through the decades to come.

This is often regarded as one of the best horror movies and also as the first horror movie, many of the films elements have been rehashed throughout history, anything from the mad doctor who has control on a monster, to the twist ending. Its one of the most important films of all time, not only for horror cinema, but also for film in general and for Germany, Caligari represents the German authorities who control the mindless zombies at their will, in order to complete his dreadful deeds. At first this movie was booed by audiences, just goes to show that what is considered now as awful or bad may not be considered as such in the future, the movies flaws fall on its good aspects, this movie influenced so many other movies, that now it seems a bit tired to see this film, if you are not into silent movies, I wouldn't recommend it, but if you tolerate them or even like them you have probably seen this already.

Dr. Caligari (Werner Krauss) keeps a somnambulists named Cesare (Conrad Veidt) in a cabinet as part of a sideshow. At night he order Cesare to go out and kill his enemies. Will he be caught? The plot is not the main focus here. What is is the sets which are brilliant. They're all crooked buildings and things you would see in your nightmares and not in real life. This is an example of what was called German Expressionism. The settings keep you off balance constantly throughout the film. Even better is Veidt who's downright terrifying as Cesare. He was a very handsome man but here he looks terrible and frightening. There's also excellent direction and a twist at the end while somewhat predictable today was probably shocking back in 1920. Also this is reportedly the first full length horror film ever made. Only about 60 minutes and well worth seeing.

A simple plot, but with a great execution, a gem every cinephile must discover, "The Cabinet...¨ is among the best of the best, even for its time.One can easily perceive why it became a classic: not only for the superb visual style, with those surreal, curved decorates that give the feeling of being trapped in a nightmare, but also for its dark, engaging and suspenseful plot (highlight scenes are the kidnapping of one of the main characters, and the last 20 minutes). A psychological thriller, which even has its moments of horror, as it's normally considered to be the first of that genre, at least in full-length format, if we compare it with, for example, short films such as "Frankenstein" from 1910. The uses of colors, framing, lighting, makeup, shadows, are all perfectly executed in order to give life to a nightmarish atmosphere.It is also important to note that it has the honor to be the film that founded the German Expressionist Movement, which would give us other treasures such as Nosferatu, The Hands Of Orlac, and Metropolis.Superb are also the performances, especially Conrad Veidt as Cesare and Werner Krauss as his master the doctor, who are already very creepy not only by their physical appearance, but also because they imbue an aura of mystery.And last but not least, the final plot twist (being also the pioneer film in using this device) encourages debate, and (why not?) further viewings. This twist, if it was not enough, was used in some later and recent modern films, with more or less variations, but I have no doubt that in its time it shocked audiences.A truly amazing experience. And it is already among my favorite silent films.