The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Essays

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Danny R*******
September 3rd, 2013
Professor W**********
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, one of the first horror films ever made, is about doctor and his sleepwalking friend that can tell one’s future, particularly his death. The sleepwalker has been in a deathlike state for over twenty years and awakes to predict a couple of the townspeople’s deaths. At night he leaves his coffin and murders in cold blood. It was evident that this movie had an influence on horror movies that followed.
The first part of the movie that caught my attention was when the man’s fiancé entered. The entire screen was dark and dimly lit when a girl with black hair dressed in a bright white dress appeared from the bushes. An all white dress made me think it was some type of ghost or supernatural being at first, but it instead turned out to be his wife. The dress and hair reminded me of the girl from the ring, who creepily climbs out of TV’s and murders while wearing white. The color white can be a symbol of eternal life and could imply that the girl had died, but I was wrong in this instance.
Dr. Caligari’s sleepwalker was the other character that made me feel uneasy. He walked around the town at night in a very creepy way. He walks very slowly with his arms at his sides, looking almost unconscious. The way he walked reminded me of Michael Meyers from the Halloween series. Both look like they belong in a mental institution and don’t appear to have anything going on

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