Watch F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu and compare and contrast it with The Cabiniet of Dr. Caligari. Read Roger Ebert's essay on Munau's masterpiece as well as his essay on Caligari and use at least one quote from each. Your response should be at least 2 well-developed paragraphs. Your responses should include quotes from either Ebert's essays or the essays I handed out in class.
If you want to re-watch Caligari, go here. Nosferatu can be found here.
Both The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu were films created during the German Expressionist movement(1919-1930). Although The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was created in 1919, the very beginning of the movement, while Nosferatu was created at the end of the movement in 1930. Even though they were made at the two opposite ends of the movement, they have many differences and similarities.
ReplyDeleteSeeing as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is usually identified as the first significant German Expressionist movement film, the film was very abstract from those that had been created before. Almost everything in the film was distorted, from the buildings to stairwells and even the background, which was hand-painted. In other words, the film is structured The entire film is pretty much a powerful expression of the collective German psyche of the period, the fear that individual freedom would lead to rampant chaos which can only be constrained by submission to a tyrannical authority. On the other hand, Nosferatu is a much subtler movie. Nothing in the movie is really abstract, the background is not painted, so the actual setting of the film does not seem fake like the setting in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari did. The characters, mainly Nosferatu, are the only things “off” about the movie.
The two films are similar in a few ways as well. Both The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu use Iris shots to end and begin scenes. The main villains of both films have heavy eye make-up underneath their eyes, making them seem ghostly/dead, which in turn creates a rather creepy character. Both films have implicit central meanings that help convey the thought process in Germany at those points in time. They helped people question the norm and what they were doing in life(okay maybe not that far).
Although both created in the same film era of German expressionism, Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari contain contrasting elements on top of those associated with all films of the time period. Created ten years apart, the two films have many cinematic aspects that resemble the other while the ten years worth of advancements show in their differences.
ReplyDeleteBoth movie's have gone down in history as horror classics, Nosferatu being the first vampire movie and Caligari giving way to Frankenstein. The two films depict an innocent man coming face to face with a monster of sorts (which is characteristic of the German expressionism period). The characters wear heavy makeup to inflect their mental or physical state, their movements are broad and dramatic, and as there was no color photography, the images were tinted to indicate the time of day. Both movies utilized key lighting to intensify the characters images and show artistic representation. The transitions in the two films are also similar in using iris shots to move from one subject or setting to another.
While there are many similarities, there are also many contrasting elements. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is shot all inside on a hand-made set, not attempting to make the viewer comfortable with the environment, while Nosferatu was shot inside and outside, bringing a more realistic approach to film. As pointed out by Roger Ebert, Nosferatu is shot mostly in shadows while he says Caligari uses radical distortions immediately on the set which sets it apart from other earlier films. Even the hand-created text that floated across the screen was abstract and unique in contrast to the type used for the words in Nosferatu.
"Nosferatu" and "The cabinet of Doctor Caligari" are two movies which share many contrasting and similar elements. To start off the similarities, both films were made in the early German Expressionism movement of the 1920's. Both films were pioneers for the horror genre and displayed German expressionism techniques which had dramatic aspects. Lighting also played a big role in both movies seeing as it was used to express meaning and tone in certain scenes.
ReplyDeleteSome major differences between each movie are that the setting in "The cabinet of Dr. Caligari" has a completely artificial set while Nosferatu's set is real and physically tangible. I believe that the artificial setting of "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" is used to make the viewer feel out of place and uncomfortable while the real set in "Nosferatu" is used to make you feel normal with whatever is going on and enhance your reactions toward the abnormal vampire. Also the use of make-up was used much more in "The cabinet of Dr.Caligari", perhaps to create a more creepy and odd feeling to the entire movie.
In Roger Ebert's essay on Nosferatu, he writes "In a sense, Murnau's film is about all of the things we worry about at 3 in the morning--cancer, war, disease, madness. It suggests these dark fears in the very style of its visuals." This quote shows us that Nosferatu is not scary based on its "surprise!" aspects, but based on its suspense. This suspense cultivates growing fears in the viewers mind in a way that "The cabinet of Dr. Caligari" does not. "The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari" creates a bit more surprise than suspense for the viewers. In Roger Ebert's essay on "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari", he writes ""Caligari" creates a mindscape, a subjective psychological fantasy. In this world, unspeakable horror becomes possible." This shows us that the set was designed to be unrealistic from the very beginning, not because of low budgets, but because of the ability to make the viewer uncomfortable. As shown, "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" and "Nosferatu" are similar and different in many ways but both have been able to change the world of cinematography very effectively.
Both The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu are two classics of early horror. The movies themselves are indeed very similar – however, there are also many differences in the two. Perhaps the first difference in the two is how they are presented. Caligari possesses an extremely experimental, abstract, unnerving feel to it – the whole movie feels claustrophobic, perhaps due to the extremely artificial set design. Caligari, being early in the German expressionist period, is much bolder, brasher in its use of warped set design (Roger Ebert notes that the entire set design is wacked out; the leaves of grass like knives, the staircases that climb at ridiculous diagonals) and intense lighting and makeup. This crazy set design, in the end, helps to mirror the state of mind of the insane narrator, and fully helps to convince the viewer that they are witnessing the mind of a person who has gone completely off the deep end. Nosferatu came only three years later than Caligari, in 1922, but it is obviously much more subtle in its use of lighting and makeup than its predecessor. The acting as well is much less affected than Caligari; as Ebert notes, Max Schreck avoids much of the ridiculous flamboyance that would come to be associated with Dracula, and his reserved performance and almost unearthly appearance (the makeup design surely owes much to the heavy makeup and expressionistic appearance of the characters in Caligari – remember the almost cadaverous look of Cesare’s sunken eyes?) combine to create a figure that is much creepier than the well-mannered, flamboyant blood-sucker of Bela Lugosi.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the films have different presentations, the two undoubtedly share similar styles. They both deal with darker sides of Human nature, as was common among German expressionistic films. And in Nosferatu, you can clearly see the influence of German expressionism, although, as previously noted, in subtler ways than Caligari – consider that famous scene in which we see the count’s shadow climb a staircase, a scene that conveys it’s creepiness and unnerving atmosphere simply through shadow and lighting, a scene that would probably right at home within Caligari. Perhaps the shadow is the best way to truly represent the evil of Count Orlok – not himself an entity to fear, but what he represents, particularly in context of, as Ebert says, the buried sexual undertones of the original book.
In the end, it is obvious that both Nosferatu and Caligari have had an intense impact on not only horror movies, but movies in general. Be it the abstract, twisted, psychologically unstable set design in Caligari or the expressionist, creepy lighting in Nosferatu, both movies – and the German Expressionist period as a whole –have undoubtedly left their mark on movies, and remain two classics of the horror genre.
Hey, it's Zach. This is my response, I guess my name just doesn't show up anymore. Sorry :(
DeleteAs i watched both films “The Cabinet of DR.Caligari” and “Nosferatu” i noticed that there are similarities between both films. One similarity i found between this two films is on how these were the first two films in cinematic history with Dr. Caligari being the first film to use german expressionism which is used in 1919-1930, which is when they both express on how the characters moves on he screen,on how the actors performed onscreen, and on how the people wore makeup and clothing, which differs greatly from early American cinema. Another way on how Nosferatu is similar to Dr. Caligari is when both films used german expression to express the reality on what was going on with germany during that time period during the first world war and on to the second world war. This is shown when robert egbert explains ‘’the narrative and pictorial elements of the film gravitate toward two opposite poles. one can be labeled ‘authority’,or more explicitly. ‘Tyranny’. The theme of tyranny, with which the authors are obsessed, pervades the screen from beginning to end.’’ And also they both have really affective use of cinematography to create meaning on what the characters are capable of and what are they going to do about what situation they will encounter.
ReplyDeleteHowever There are differences between these two films even though they both used german expressionism. One difference that Caligari has in contrast to Nosferatu, is when Caligari uses their own version of german expressionism in which they expresses the reality on what germany was going through both explicit and implicit, while nosferatu’s implicitly states a conflict between good and evil. this is explained in Nosferatu’s essay when it says that ‘’in stoker the battle is fought between van helsing and dracula, conceived in the terms of victorian morality as good and evil’’. nd another difference between the two films is on how the actors move on screen, even though both films used german expressionism, and they both share almost the same type of film technique, Dr. Caligari was released two years before Nosferatu was released, and nosferatu used a more faster paced movement on the screen from the performers compared to the slow and jerky movement in Dr. Caligari.
The era of German expressionism ushered in many darker themes to cinema. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is commonly considered “the first significant German Expressionist film”, with its story of insanity and abusive power. Towards the end of the same era, a film called Nosferatu was released, hailing as “the vampire movie before it had really seen itself”. The two were both groundbreaking works in their own respects, but they share several aspects as well.
DeleteThe physical setting of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is perhaps the most immediately striking aspect of the movie, with its “jagged landscape of sharp angles and tilted walls and windows, staircases climbing crazy diagonals, trees with spiky leaves, grass that looks like knives”. This surrealism serves to illustrate the offsetting disturbance Dr. Caligari brings with him, like a disease. Normal life is skewed as baffling murders occur night after night. Nosferatu’s horror is more subtle, a shadowy darkness that slowly envelops its victims, hence the more realistic, if not completely realistic, settings of the movie in question. The only strikingly outstanding (as in “standing out”) characters are Count Orlok and his impish servant Knock. No one senses the impending doom until it is atop them. Another difference is the presentation of cinematic space, in this case, the total area covered in the film. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari takes place in the town of Holstenwall, and does not stray from that location. The town itself, described as “houses like shrieks climbing a steep hill”, feels very secluded, as if Holstenwall were uninfluenced by the rest of the world, and vice versa. Who can the few inhabitants run to should Dr. Caligari succeed in his mad game? Nosferatu takes a different approach. The movie is spread across a vast area, exemplified by Hutter’s letter saying he is “still so far away”, including Bremen, the Carpathian Mountains, and Orlok’s mountaintop castle. The fact that Hutter’s return to Bremen does not ensure his safety raises an eerie point. Where in the world could he or Ellen go to be safe? Nosferatu could be anywhere, everywhere at once.
Given their differences, the two films also are similar in many evident manners. Both use a tinted film to imply time of day (or night). Both use that to establish a fear of night. When the screen is blue, Cesare hunts his next victim, Nosferatu his next meal. The appearance, once the trend is recognized, of blue can bring about a feeling of dread in the viewer; something evil will most likely happen. Another common use of lighting among the two is silhouette. Both contain a scene in which the antagonist’s shadow appears over their sleeping victim. In Cesare’s, the shadow of a knife, like the one used to kill the official, can be clearly discerned. In Nosferatu’s, his clawed hand closes over Ellen’s heart, indicating his phantasmal power over her. Cesare and Nosferatu’s costumes are designed similarly; each wears dark clothing and has ghostly pale skin with dark shadows around the eyes. This design calls to mind an apparition cloaked in the color of death, overtly characterizing them as malevolent and fatal. Speaking of characterization, each film establishes its antagonist as evil almost immediately. You know Count Orlok is evil as soon as you hear he lives in the “land of ghosts”. Similarly, Dr. Caligari’s evil can be established immediately upon seeing his hateful looks at the official delaying his permit. The early characterization increases suspense as the viewer wonders how long the madman or vampire will be allowed to conduct their evil deeds. Stepping away from our two antagonists, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu both constantly employ closed framing. The former uses the walls of “buildings” to close in a shot’s subject(s), the latter uses the walls of Count Orlak’s castle, or the bottom deck of a ship, or Ellen and Hutter’s bedroom. The closed framing in each serves to make the viewer anxious, jumpy even, waiting for something to happen.
We fear that which is foreign to us, but in this same instance, the elements of human condition, as well as cultural invisibilty in films, allow us to identify with the characters experiencing the events, even if the events themselves our native to our own perceptual experience. "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari," as well as, "Nosferatu," both deeply embody such charasterictics of German Expressionism, having been created in the midst of the era in accordance with it. It was a matter of to the extent which it was used, as well as the manner in which it was. We can first look to, "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari," a film characterized by it's surreal set, decorated with a lopsided town, and etherial forests. Refer to the essay on, "Nosferatu,"--"The first thing everyone notices and best remembers about "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" (1920) is the film's bizarre look. The actors inhabit a jagged landscape of sharp angles and tilted walls and windows, staircases climbing crazy diagonals, trees with spiky leaves, grass that looks like knives. These radical distortions immediately set the film apart from all earlier ones, which were based on the camera's innate tendency to record reality." The mis en scene of, "Nosferatu," however, was more realistic, and thus was better able to acheive a sense of verismilitude, even in the absence of a logical explanation for a gruesome parasitic manifestation. Both films involved exaggerated makeup, and acting, thus to intensify actions, and expressions throughout the film.
ReplyDeleteActing, although not a technique of the filmmaker directly, contributed greatly to the film's quality, and overall meaning. "Schreck plays the count more like an animal than a human being; the art direction by Murnau's collaborator, Albin Grau, gives him bat ears, clawlike nails and fangs that are in the middle of his mouth like a rodent’s, instead of on the sides like on a Halloween mask." The way in which the character is portrayed, accompanied with their appearance, helps majorly, if not entirely to convey a certain message, tone, or be the catalyst for a certain emotional reaction within the audience. The use of the iris shot was apparent in both films to draw attention to important items, most commonly reactions to large events within the films. Both films used tints over the camera to create the illusions of changing light. For Caligari, the tints were yellow for day, or light, and blue for dark, or night. For Nosferatu, things got a bit more diverse. Red was for dawn and sunset, light yellow was natural light, dark yellow was artificial light, and blue was darkness, or night. By marking the times of day with different tints, we were able to associate calamity more generally with darkness, a recurring motif not only in both of these films, but all works be it films, poetry, prose etc. of all time. Both films involve a woman who is loved dearly, who eventually is antagonized by the antagonist of the main conflict, in these cases, attack, or murder. Nosferatu uses irrelevant shots of certain things, such as an instructor informing about the venus fly trap, so that the audience can subconsciously associate the nature of the carnivorous plant with Nosferatu himself, and the fly with those who dare utter his name. Nondiegetic movement coincided with the events in the film, thus allowing the spectator to become more absorbed in the elements and occurrences. The on screen textual narration, all inclusive of it's font, and duration, allowed for different meanings to be conveyed. Ex. creepy font of Caligari allowed for audience to feel more on edge.
Film has gone through many transformations and periods that have shaped film ideas and culture to this day. One of those periods in time was German Expressionism. These films were highly symbolic and stylized. Some of the first films of its kind were Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Because they were made in the same film era the two films may appear similar at first glance, but with further analysis one comes to realize that even though they were made in the same period, these two films have many differences stylistically, and production wise.
ReplyDeleteAs Robert Ebert said “To watch F.W. Murnau's "Nosferatu" (1922) is to see the vampire movie before it had really seen itself.” Nothing the likes of “Nosferatu” had ever been seen up until 1922, making it the first vampire movie ever made. Unlike some expressionist films of the era, Nosferatu is set in the real world with real environments and settings that help with the verisimilitude of the film. In Nosferatu, the shots are set in a believable and realistic way therefore giving off an oddly eerie feeling that goes along with the visual simply because the setting is so realistic and might be found anywhere. Nosferatu also uses animal footage to infer certain occurrences either present actions or those to come. Even though it could be argued that it only serves to provide more details of the surroundings, it’s interesting how it is included within the film. Being taught that everything that appears within the frame has a purpose, suggests that the animals have greater meaning that just setting. Nosferatu also has an interesting narration that provides lots of details on the circumstances and overall background of the film to help the viewer follow the plot line more easily.
One of the first things someone notices about “The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari” is the “jagged landscape of sharp angles and tilted walls and windows, staircases climbing crazy diagonals, trees with spiky leaves, and grass that looks like knives.” The extremely stylized and designed set for “The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari” leaves room for flexibility and many different interpretations. It is completely constructed out of paper and is man-made. It is so distorted at times that we must use our imaginations to realistically visualize what is being depicted. Because the movie mainly deals with the concepts of sleep and the supernatural, the wonky and distorted setting only heightens our experience and understanding of what is happening.
Both films are also similar in many ways simply because they were made during the same time period. Both films are black and white and utilize tinting of the film for explicit and implicit meaning. In The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari, mostly yellow and blue tints were used to depict day and night while also alluding to the evil that lurks among the good people. In Nosferatu, yellow and blue are also used however there are also other tints such as green and the occasional pink that can be spotted. The music in each film was also designed for each movie specifically instead of random music being chosen. During older times the music heard that went along with films was spontaneous and practically random. With the music being specific to each movie, we can now decipher different moods and tones that are supposed to be experienced during certain parts of the film. Both movies deal with the supernatural and like to toy with the unknown. These were some of the first horror films ever produced. Even though both Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari are very different, they are also very similarand are amazing to watch considering the time period they were produced in and that they were the first movies of their genre.
German expressionism was a new cinematic genre in the 1920s full of disorientation, darkness, and horror. Nosferatu and The cabinet of dr. Caligari are full of all these elements. Both are films of horror and use the same cinematic techniques. Techniques such as tinting, close ups and iris shots. The tinting was used in dr caligari to show the different times of day and in nosferatu to create more implicit meaning during certain parts of the film. Both used iris shots excessively to show people single reactions or emotions but also used the iris shots to transition from one scene to the next. Same with the close ups.
ReplyDeleteEven though the cinematic techniques used were similar, the movies were still very different from one another. The biggest difference between the two was the mise en scene of both movies. The mise en scene of dr caligari is the most stand out and the epitome of German expressionism with it “jagged landscape of sharp angles and tilted walls and windows, staircases climbing crazy diagonals, trees with spiky leaves, and grass that looks like knives.” It really draws in a viewer with its unusual world and not trying that hard for realism. Nosferatu is the exact opposite with it being placed in a realistic setting, maintaining its verisimilitude.
Dr. Caligari was more memorable with its unusual mise en scene as for Nosferatu being more memorable for its ugly actors and implicit battle between good and evil as Robert Ebert said “To watch F.W. Murnau's "Nosferatu" is to see the vampire movie before it had really seen itself."
Both The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu were German Expressionist movies that defined the movement itself. Similarities can be seen between both movies in style and tone. But with time the movement got more sophisticated and there are also differences between the two films. The message and feel of the movement did stay between the two films.
ReplyDeleteEven though the two movies were spread out from the beginning and far into the German Expressionist era, the films are able to keep certain cinematic elements and qualities. The movies are some of the first horror movies created and led the way for other horror movies to come. Both movies had a dark ominous tone created by the look of the sets and the faces of the actors in lead roles. They both used different color lenses to express the time of day or to change the viewer’s mood while watching the scene. Both examine the dark side of humanity as an expressionist film should do. The movies feature monster-like people who murder several people. The Somnambulist in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was caked in make up to make the actor appear much creepier than he actually was. Nosferatu was apparently played by an ugly actor and needed less make-up but was still very eerie.
There were many differences between the two films style. In The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari the sets were very extravagant and expensive. Roger Ebert said “The stylized sets, obviously two-dimensional, must have been a lot less expensive than realistic sets and locations, but I doubt that's why the director, Robert Wiene, wanted them. He is making a film of delusions and deceptive appearances”. His quote describes how sets can create meaning in a film. Nosferatu’s sets weren’t as abstract as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’s but still fit the movie well. The use of lighting and shadow changed between the films. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari used fake shadows on its sets, instead the set designers painted on shadows to the sets. In Nosferatu “natural” shadows were a big theme throughout the film. Light was used to cast long spooky shadows along walls and corridors adding to the fear of the viewer.
“The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” and “Nosferatu” are two horror films that were made around the same time. They were created during the time of the German Expressionism Movement, which was around the 1920’s. Besides the facts about when they were made and how they’re both horror films, the two films have a lot of similarities; they also have a lot of differences. One similarity is that both films are both shot in a dark environment that makes the monster in both films fit in with the environment around him. They suggest dark fears in the very style of their visuals. The makeup used in both films is also very similar because for both monsters in the films, there was a lot of dark makeup around the eyes to give the monsters a scarier look. They both give a dark evil feeling to the films as a whole because of all the weird uncomfortable things in the movie. Such as the look of the monsters and how dark the sets are. The ideas of both films are also very similar, they start out with a certain character that ends up coming face to face with the monster and trying to tell people about it but it doesn’t go how they want it to go.
ReplyDeleteAlthough they have many similarities, the two films also have many differences, for example, the one main thing that I noticed is that the two films have a different soundtrack. The music fits the films perfectly but the music for “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” was much more horrifying than the music for “Nosferatu”. The Dr. Caligari music was more eerie and freaky and the music in “Nosferatu” was less scary. The environment in which the sets were filmed were also very different because the set in Dr. Caligari was all made out of paper and everything looked twisted and non-realistic. It was made like this to make the audience feel uncomfortable and to emphasize the horror in the movie.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu had contrasting elements as well as elements that were similar. Although both films were made during the time of German expressionism, they still had differences.
ReplyDeleteTo start with similarities, both films, like previously mentioned are part of the German expressionism movement from 1919-1930 as well as their genre. They are both horror films. As a part of experimentation, both films were tinted to portray mood in both implicit and explicit meanings. For instance, red signifies danger, yellow was used as the neutral color, and blue was something used in a scene at night. Something else that I noticed that was similar was the use of the Iris shot. This was frequently used throughout each film, in ways of opening up another scene, or something important in the eyes of a character. The next similarity I noticed was of the make-up. Both of the main characters had very white pale skin and baggy eyes to emphasize there monster like qualities. Lastly, was the music. The music in both films was very alike in ways that there was no set rhythm to the soundtrack. In a time of disorder in the film there would be screeching sounds of all instruments playing in an unsophisticated manner to signify distress.
There are also differences between each film. The first is in the framing. Caligari had a lot more closed frames rather than open ones, while Nosferatu had more open frames. In Nosferatu, there were more outside shots of the real world rather than the artificial like in Caligari. This is why Nosferatu has more open framed shots. Another difference I noticed was how the world of Caligari was a lot less realistic rather than Nosferatu. There's rigid structures and an uneasy yet magical setting to the whole film. All sets in Caligari were hand-made, yet Caligari had a more natural aspect on the horror genre. As stated in the essay of Caligari, it is truly a sight to see the distorted world.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu, are both silent horror films that were released in Germany in the early 1920's. While they both share the same genre and origin, they also have other similarities and glaring differences. For now let's start with the similarities. Both films set the the tone of the film with was is viewed in the frame. Each takes noticeably care to use of lighting and shadows to create dark imagery. It is also interesting to note that both films feature a specific selection of music to accompany the film. The addition of the non-diegetic music, helps strengthen and accent what is presented being shown in the frame. This adds to the tension of particular scenes, giving the audience non-diegetic clues of when something bad is going to happen, before actually showing it. Each film also makes careful use of tints to reflect certain moods or to foreshadow events to come. For example in each film the tint is blue when the antagonists seek out their prey.
ReplyDeleteIn many ways however, these films are also different. The biggest being mise-en-scene. Caligari is distinct in that it is an expressionist film, which becomes clear the first time you notice its, “jagged landscape of sharp angles and tilted walls and windows, staircases climbing crazy diagonals, trees with spiky leaves, grass that looks like knives.” Every area is completely warped and twisted until it is a mere caricature of reality. Perhaps this is to reflect the mind of the protagonist Francis, who is revealed to be truly crazy, creating the entire story in his own mind within the asylum. Nosferatu is more grounded in reality when it comes to mise-en-scene, which is just as effective. The audience is introduced to familiar objects and settings that are more common to their own world, which tremendously lends itself to the verisimilitude of the film. Both films touch on evil, but what makes them different can be all found within the frame. Evil in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari must be perceived. It is merely as twisted as one makes it to be(as demonstrated in the expressionist settings), while Nosferatu is much more direct and sinister, it suggests to its audience "...not that vampires can jump out of shadows, but that evil can grow there, nourished on death.