German Expressionism and Dr. Caligari

German expressionist cinema was a part of several related creative movements in Germany in the early 20th century and many of the elements such as architecture, dance, painting, sculpture and cinema were part of a larger Expressionist movement in north and central European culture. German Expressionist films rejected cinematic realism and used visual distortions and hyper-expressive performances to reflect inner conflicts.

One of the most popular films of the genre is 1920's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

Francis, the main protagonist of the film, essentially misleads the audience by telling a string of stories such as one that happened to him and his wife, Jane. Meanwhile at the fair in town, we meet Dr. Caligari . After a few murders happen in the town, including Francis' friend, Alan, Francis tries to figure out who did them, and through Francis' eyes (and other aspects of the cinematography) we are led to assume Caligari is up to it.

Literally speaking, the film tells a story through very clear visuals in the acting since it's a silent film and with dialogue screens.

The use of dark lighting, as well as ominous music (at least in the version I saw) and the overall design of the story all offered a more creepy and suspenseful feel to the film. As for the plot twist: The entire story was made up by Francis as he is an inmate at an asylum, which I think the film did a great job at misleading us from.

The setting is set up with oblong buildings and walls around the characters. While originally being recorded in black and white, the yellow-ish tint shows the darker aspects relay the similarly dark theme of the story. This gives the strange vibe of the film while subtly alluding to the plot twist of the film.