The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was another early horror film imported from Germany.
What was with the German fascination with horror films? Quite possibly after the horrors of World War I, the country was willing to embrace fake horror to take its mind off of the real life horror they experienced. In any event, the impressionist Caligari was a brilliant but of escapism. Rather than portray realistic settings, the film's sets were made to look like massive impressionist paintings. The film 's plot was about the horrific hypnotist Dr. Caligari, who used his powers to hypnotize others into killing for him.
The film's remarkable cinematography and set design were definitely ahead of their time. The film was a smash hit in Germany, though the film had a rougher go of it overseas. The fresh memories of a horrific war and fears of German film studios taking over the global movie business led to the film getting an outright ban in France. Samuel Goldwyn had a rough go of it in the United States, but the dazzlingly horrific film eventually got an audience.
