10 Exact Moments That Changed The Horror Movie Genre Forever

by Andrew Pollard

1. The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari – Where It All Began

The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari 1
Decla-Bioscop

It would be impossible to put together such a feature without including The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari – the movie largely viewed as being the first real horror film – right at the top of the list.

Many might point to 1922’s Nosferatu as kickstarting the genre, yet the roots of this most beloved of genres go back two years prior to the 1920 release of German silent film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Playing with its audience, Robert Wiene’s movie is a roller coaster of literal insanity as it showcases one man’s descent into madness.

By simply existing, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari changed the landscape of cinema as it essentially created the horror genre that so many of us love and adore. If there’s one moment that changed the horror genre forever, it’s simply the opening minutes of this film.

A masterpiece, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari showed audiences – and filmmakers – what could be achieved through the medium of film. Not only did Caligari’s influence pour through onto German cinema, it also helped to shape movies across the globe as terror, torment and more darker themes began to be realised more and more in film.

Horror

20 Awesome Recent Horror Movies You'll Never Watch Again

20 Upcoming Movies Absolutely NOBODY Wants

Horror

10 Best Horror Movies To Watch On Valentine's Day

In this post: 
Horror
 
First Posted On: 
Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.