One of the first horror films is given a chilling new lease of life with a live soundtrack in this engaging and revelatory performance.
Created in Germany in 1920, The Cabinet of Dr Caligari is a silent film that, despite its captions and resultingly slightly slow unfolding, feels remarkably modern.
With flashbacks, stories within stories, and dramatic twists, it still has the power to surprise, and its surrealist design would sit comfortably within any Tim Burton production.
This screening, part of Norwich Film Festival, is combined with a live soundtrack by four-piece band Minima, in their third visit to the event.
Featuring cello, double bass, mandolin, guitar, dulcimer, synthesiser, and percussion, the group add a spiky volume to the film, with cracking drums and jangly guitars.
The music adds a fresh dimension to the film, with a hook catchy enough that I found myself humming it on the walk home. The soundtrack does lack a little tonal variation – even in the ‘fun’ fair scenes there is an underlying menace, which keeps the audience a little too on edge. We need to be lulled and played with a little more to really bring out the power of the more fearful scenes.
Overall it offers a powerful insight into a film that is now more than 100 years old, and still retains the ability to surprise and shock.
- The Cabinet of Dr Caligari was at Norwich Theatre Playhouse on 7 November 2026 as part of Norwich Film Festival, running 6-15 November 2026.