Adelaide Fringe Review: The Cabinet of Dr Caligari

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari 
Mercury Theatre
Review by Sarah List

I first heard about The Cabinet of Dr Caligari on a podcast about horror movies that were the first in their genre (here for the full list:https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/6lp0ml/josh_and_chucks_list_of_horror_movies_that/).  Caligari is arguably the first horror movie of all time, predating the classic (and most commonly thought first horror movie) Nosferatu by a full two years. I was excited to see how surreal and unsettling a 100 year old film could be, being a bit of a fan of the horror genre.

Alan and Francis visit the annual fair, where they partake in a show presented by Dr Caligari, featuring a somnambulist (sleepwalker) who has apparently been asleep for 25 years but can be awakened by the Dr to tell fortunes of the audience. When Alan asks the somnambulist when he will die and is told ‘tonight’, the prediction comes true and is part of a series of mysterious murders, and the town is gripped by fear. Francis is driven to discover the truth – but the truth is not always as it seems.

With angular and surrealistically painted sets, the visual environment is distorted and bent, perhaps to represent the lens that you’re viewing the story through. You can see where the roots of film noir lighting and staging sprung from stylistically too. Although the film is subtitled, the text is minimal and the film relies upon the expressive communication of the actors to convey the mood and storyline. This screening is paired with live performance Ashley Hribar, who has recently specialized in creating soundtracks for silent movies. Blending classic piano with unsettling modern electronic sounds (the latter reminiscent of the score from A Clockwork Orange) this film is freshly reanimated. 

A real treat for film, horror and music performance lovers.