The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari(1920)
1920 · Robert Wiene · 77 min
Francis, a young man, recalls in his memory the horrible experiences he and his fiancée Jane recently went through. Francis and his friend Alan visit The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, an exhibit where the mysterious doctor shows the somnambulist Cesare, and awakens him for some moments from his death-like sleep.
Drama · Horror · Thriller · Crime
7.91.8k votes
TMDB score
2/5
Intensity
0/5
Gore
4/5
Stays with you
How The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari scares
Watching this feels like stepping into a fevered dream where nothing sits at the right angle and you're never quite sure what's real. The horror comes from crooked buildings, painted shadows, and a sense that the whole world has gone slightly mad, not from anything jumping out at you. It moves slowly and strangely, more like a nightmare you're wandering through than a story being told to you. Good for someone curious about where movie horror started, not someone looking for a scary night with friends.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari rates psychological 5/5, visceral 1/5, gore 0/5, lingering effect 4/5, and overall intensity 2/5.
- Psychological: 5 of 5
- Visceral: 1 of 5
- Gore: 0 of 5
- Lingering: 4 of 5
- Intensity: 2 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 8 of 100 — leans Slow burn
Supernatural vs Real-world: 65 of 100 — leans Real-world
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 55 of 100 — balanced
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A slow, eerie unfolding that builds steadily through the middle before easing into a strange, unsettling close.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 3, 3, 2.
How scary is The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari rates 2/5 — moderately scary, building its fear through slow-burn dread rather than shocks. The fear is mostly in your head — it unsettles far more than it assaults. Expect it to be restrained with gore and scary but not punishing. Expect it to stay with you for days.
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