German Expressionism

German Expressionism: A Horror Movement?

'Nosferatu',1922

German Expressionism is a movement which originated in Germany, and was popular from the end of the First World War until the 1930s. The movement first manifested itself in art forms such as painting, sculpture, architecture and theatre before also being applied to film.

'Café (Hotel de l’Europe)' - Max Beckmann, Sculpture - Ernst Barlach,
'Church on Hohezollernplatz'

German Expressionism’s popularity was due to it allowing citizens of Germany to ‘escape’ from the troubled times they faced during the aftermath of the war. Although often considered an artistic movement, I believe the films to come out of the German Expressionist era should primarily be viewed as the birth of the horror film genre. 

A definition of what horror is, can be taken from Sigmund Freud’s essay titled, ‘The Uncanny’. Freud suggests in the essay that horror narratives inhabit elements of ‘The Uncanny’, a “belonging to all that is terrible - to all that arouses dread”. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, (1920), is a notable German Expressionist Film which clearly shows elements of Freud’s ‘Uncanny’, making it definable as a horror.

The consideration of mise-en-scene can clearly be noticed in German Expressionist films, and shows the first understanding of the value it can hold. It is through the mise-en-scene that films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari begin to show these elements of horror. The sets used mimic real-life environments but with the addition of stylised and exaggerated shapes which creates a sense of unease. As the film plays out, the audience discovers the murderous intentions of Dr. Caligari and it becomes clear that the twisted setting illustrates the psychological state of the character, an example of Pathetic fallacy.

'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari', 1920

The final twist reveals Francis is an inmate in an insane asylum, and the events of the film are a figment of his imagination. The final setting used for the asylum is ‘normal’ compared to the rest of the film, showing the twisted version of the world was inside Francis’s head all along. The combination of setting, and other elements of mise-en-scene, accompanied by the haunting music and the dark themes of death, madness and insanity, keys themes commonly explored in German Expressionisn, proves that the film is an early example of horror.

'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari', 1920 

Nosferatu, (1922), is another German Expressionist film which should be defined as horror.

One way in which the film creates an atmosphere of horror is by playing with the movement of the actors and the camera as well as using a range of camera angles. This is an early example of utilising the visual power that could be won from using the camera in a certain way to create a sense of fear, particularly of Count Orlock. “The hideous form of the vampire approaches with exasperating slowness, moving from the extreme depth of one shot towards another in which he suddenly becomes enormous…in addition to his gigantic proportions, a kind of obliqueness which projects him out of the screen and makes him into a sort of tangible, three dimensioned menace” (The Haunted Screen, 1974). 

Count Orlock presented through a Low-Angle Shot
to evoke audience fear - 'Nosferatu', 1922

Nosferatu also utilities elements of mise-en-scene to create a sense of fear and horror. In contrast to the extreme sets used in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Nosferatu takes place in locations which replicate normal surroundings. “The horror film is more closely related to the terrors of everyday life”, (The Horror Genre from Beelzebub to Blair Witch, 2001). This adds to the horror as it shows a monster, Count Orlock, invading normal life. This sense of threat and invasion acts as a metaphor for Germany’s fears in the 1920’s. “The history of the horror film is essentially a history of anxiety in the twentieth century”, (The Horror Genre from Beelzebub to Blair Witch, 2001) and was a core theme found in German Expressionist films. A sense of fear is also created through Count Orlock’s imagery. Examples of this include through his costume and make-up, shadows, and vampire-esq actions and movements.
 

It can be argued that German Expressionism marks the birth of the horror film genre. “It represents a style and a vision and the beginnings of a genre” (The Horror Genre from Beelzebub to Blair Witch, 2001). German Expressionist films have clearly inspired the global horror genre even after the height of expressionist era began to come to an end, “It remained highly influential on the films which emerged later in the 1930s” (The Horror Genre from Beelzebub to Blair Witch, 2001). Many techniques and styles first explored in German Expressionist Films can still be seen throughout the horror genre since it’s rise in popularity, to present day. The video below shows clear links between German Expressionist films and the influence they have had on films made by Tim Burton.