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.

Arguably the first true horror film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari set a brilliantly high bar for the genre -- and remains terrifying nearly a century after it first stalked the screen.

'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' remains a groundbreaking masterpiece and foundational horror film, celebrated for its intensely nightmarish atmosphere, extraordinary hand-painted expressionist sets with distorted angles, and profound influence on cinema history. While most praise its psychological depth and Gothic terror, some find the pacing boring by modern standards and note it's less frightening today. The film's engagement level proves divisive, with viewers either completely captivated or struggling with silent film conventions.