Psychology in Film

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Historical theatrical poster for The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Image rights: PD-old-80-expired and US pre-1931 publication; source identifies authors Rudolf Ledl and Fritz Bernhard, both deceased 1945.. Image source

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Original title: Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari

A carnival showman uses a sleepwalker to carry out murders.

1920. Silent feature (runtime varies by restoration). Chronology period: 1920–1949.

Feature filmRelease or archive checkedPerceptionSocial influence

Directed or created by
Robert Wiene
Country and language
Germany
Content notes
Murders involving a sleepwalker and a carnival showman.

Why this work matters for psychology

Its images and narration invite questions about how viewers decide whom to trust.

Psychological connections

Screen stories illustrate how psychological processes look and feel in narrative form; they are not empirical proof or clinical case studies.

  • Expressionist design and subjective experience

    The film's stylized visual world invites viewers to ask how distorted sets and shadows convey subjective dread rather than objective reality, serving as an artistic prompt rather than perceptual data.

    Topic: Perception, attention and reality testingBasis: Editorial lens grounded in the BFI feature's synopsis and formal analysis, not clinical evidence.

  • Hypnotic authority as a dramatic metaphor

    The story uses hypnosis as a silent-horror plot device in which a carnival performer commands a sleepwalker, prompting discussion of how fiction dramatizes authority and suggestion.

    Topic: Social influence, conformity and intergroup biasBasis: Editorial lens grounded in the BFI feature's synopsis and formal analysis, not clinical evidence.

Portrayal and accuracy limitations

  • Hypnosis serves a horror story here. The film does not provide a modern clinical account of hypnosis or mental illness.

Questions to watch for

  1. 1. How does stylized visual design shape the way you interpret a narrator's account?
  2. 2. Why might a filmmaker use hypnosis as a metaphor for authority?

In the Psy101 course

Pairs the film's hypnotic-obedience metaphor with OpenStax Section 12.4 on obedience and social influence, while contrasting silent-era hypnosis tropes with Chapter 4 (States of Consciousness).

Textbook links show where these concepts sit in an introductory course; they do not study this screen work. See the full topics and course map.

Companion readings and work source

Readings labeled as conceptual companions or contextual references study the psychological topic rather than this screen work.

  1. [1]
    BFI. (2020, February 25). 100 years of the cabinet of dr. caligari: Why we’re still living in its shadows. https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/100-years-cabinet-dr-caligariChecked 2026-10-23.Release or archive checkedOfficial BFI film criticism checked for story framing and visual design. The linked feature discusses the ending.
  2. [2]
    Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020). Psychology 2e. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/4-6-other-states-of-consciousness(OpenStax course textbook · Full-text passages checked · Checked 2026-10-23).Conceptual Companion (Does Not Study This Work)Conceptual companion: does not study this work. It investigates the underlying psychological construct or textbook topic.Distinguishes hypnosis and meditation as attention-related experiences. It contrasts therapeutic settings with entertainment portrayals and presents dissociation and social-cognitive accounts of hypnosis. This supports a cautious comparison with screen hypnosis, without validating a film’s depiction or establishing a universal claim about personal will.Note: Full retrieved section prose inspected. Images, linked media and underlying cited studies not independently inspected; no whole-book reading claimed.
  3. [3]
    Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020). Psychology 2e. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/12-4-conformity-compliance-and-obedience(OpenStax course textbook · Selected passages checked · Checked 2026-10-23).Conceptual Companion (Does Not Study This Work)Conceptual companion: does not study this work. It investigates the underlying psychological construct or textbook topic.Introduces compliance and obedience to authority as an empirical contrast to fictional mind-control tropes.Note: Official OpenStax section headings and relevant paragraphs inspected; conceptual companion only, does not study this film.