The Cabinet of Caligari

While out driving her expensive car, sappy blonde Glynis Johns (Mad About Men—54) breaks down on a remote road and is forced to ask for help at a large, swanky house owned by a mysterious and beardy Doctor played by the great Dan O’Herlihy (Robocop—87). Questioned by Dr. Caligari (O’Herlihy), Glynis automatically freaks out and ends up trapped in the weirdly decorated mansion/asylum where she soon meets more and more strange people much like herself.

She also begins to hallucinate and have bad dreams and begins to question her own sanity and the intentions of Dr Caligari: an interesting plot device that fills this sweet looking, starkly lit brain-drama with endless hours of nonsensical psychobabble and a jarring path to insanity and revelation for Glynis—who, like all—is more than capable of pretending to be mad.

Typically, Robert ‘Psycho’ Bloch’s script is a bit heavy and repetitive, but more than tolerable due to the solid turns by all concerned and the wonky walls, odd set-pieces and surreal imagery will keep ye viewing till last frenzied frame —probably. Despite the well worn title, it has feck all to do with the 1919 Cabinet Of Dr Caligari, and whether intended or not, it’s practically identical to the obscure, weird, dreamy 1959 German production (about an alcoholic woman with writers block) called Labyrinth.