Whilst sitting on a bench with an old man who claims to have been driven from his home by spirits, Francis (Friedrich Ferhar) recounts the nightmarish story of his time in a small town called Holstenwall. Francis and his friend Alan (Hans Heinrich von Twardowski) visit the local town fair where a Dr. Caligari (Werner Krauss) has a show featuring a somnambulist named Cesare (Conrad Veidt) who can predict the future. But when he predicts Alan’s imminent death their lives are doomed. 

My inspiration for watching this century old classic came from the recent Nicolas Cage film The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent. Cage waxes lyrical about the film being one of his favourites and it brought it back onto my radar as something I should watch. It is a film that I have heard of but not seen and the first hurdle I had to overcome was to find a legitimate version that was true to its original format. If you are unable to buy a physical media release of the film then you will face the obstacle of various versions of the film that have been tinkered with. So my advice is to search on YouTube for a version that retains the German intertitle cards, this is a silent movie after all and one that features the original (or as close to it) soundtrack. Any version that has been dubbed or features a modernised soundtrack is very much inferior. The next thing to do is to try to ensure that whilst the image is restored in some way that it still maintains the originals colour palette. Frankly it might seem easier to purchase a dvd but good versions of the film are available to stream in the public domain. 

The film itself has a wonderful visual style. The costumes, make up and set design have a wonderful gothic and weird style to them. I suspect Tim Burton would be a huge fan. 

The make up is visually brilliant with the black and white imagery. Cesare has an unforgettable look and Dr. Caligari was played by a man who was only thirty-five at the time but looks at least sixty. 

The painted sets are equally brilliant. With dark shadows and quirky angles making them seem otherworldly. 

The plot line feels quintessential as far as horror films go as well even featuring a twist ending that modern horror films still continue to ape to this day. It also has a lot of subtext around sanity and the position of Germany at the time it was created in 1920. 

At only seventy-seven minutes long and free to watch it is something that any film fan would be remiss not to take in. Frankly I can not believe it has taken me so long to admire its qualities.