IFI CLASSIC

Widely considered to be the first true horror film ever made, the innovative Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was hugely influential on the German expressionist movement of the 1920s. It tells in flashback of the visit to a carnival by Francis and his friend Alan, where one of the exhibits is somnambulist Cesare (Conrad Veidt), who can tell the future and is controlled hypnotically by the enigmatic and charming Dr. Caligari (Werner Krauss).

When Alan is found dead the following morning, as predicted by Cesare, Francis and his betrothed, Jane, suspect Caligari’s involvement in this and other recent mysterious deaths. Their investigation leads to Cesare’s kidnapping of Jane, and the discovery of the truth behind Caligari, a truth which may however hide something even more disturbing. A film of unsettlingly alien beauty, it retains its power to surprise the viewer. (Notes by Kevin Coyne.)

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★★★★★ The Irish Times ★★★★★ The Guardian