Germany

Teutonic tales of terror

A Faustian tale

"The Student from Prague" was made in 1913. After falling in love with a beautiful countess, penniless student Balduin, played by Paul Wegener, makes a deal with the devil who takes Balduin's reflection from a mirror in exchange for love and gold. Baldiun's evil doppelganger then proceeds to wreak havoc, until the desperate student decides to retaliate - with disastrous consequences.

Teutonic tales of terror

Looking for Lulu

GW Pabst's silent classic "Pandora's Box" (1929) stars Louise Brooks as the seductive, uninhibited and impulsive Lulu, the mistress of a respected newspaper publisher, Dr. Ludwig Schön. A melodramatic series of events culminate in Schön's murder, of which Lulu is accused. As a fugitive, Lulu ends up working as a prostitute on the streets of London - before a fateful encounter with Jack the Ripper.

Teutonic tales of terror

Running riot in Prague

Set in medieval Prague, Carl Boese and Paul Wegener's silent horror masterpiece "The Golem" (1920) tells the story of clay statue, Golem, brought to life by a rabbi to protect the local Jewish population. But, as is customary with homemade creatures, the unpredictable Golem turns out to have a penchant for going on a rampage.

Teutonic tales of terror

Classic whodunit

"The Haunted Castle" was directed by the German Expressionist master F.W. Murnau. The film follows a hunting brigade forced by a storm to stay at Castle Vogelöd. The party is ruffled by the arrival of Count Oetsch who is reputed to have murdered his brother. Cut with flashbacks, events take a sinister turn as accusations as to the true identity of the murderer begin to fly.

Teutonic tales of terror

Creepy Count Orlok

F.W. Murnau is perhaps best known for another Expressionist horror classic "Nosferatu - A Symphony of Horror" (1922), set in the Carpathian Mountains. Loosely based on Bram Stoker's "Dracula," Mex Schreck stars as the iconic castle-dwelling, blood-sucking Count Orlok. After a number of deaths in the township, locals believe it's the plague - until the long-fingered count's true identity revealed.

Teutonic tales of terror

Sleepwalking killer

Robert Wiene's silent classic "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" (1920) centers on a series of mysterious murders in the mountain village of Holstenwall. Werner Krauss stars as the eponymous Dr. Caligari, who controls the sleepwalking Cesare and compels him to kill. The abstract, Expressionist sets, flashbacks and dramatic twist at the end made the film an icon of the horror genre.

Teutonic tales of terror

Process of elimination

Starring Peter Lorre as the wild-eyed, whistling serial killer Hans Beckett, Fritz Lang's first sound film "M" (1931) masters the art of suspense and social critique. Less horror then crime thriller, Lang's modernist, anti-Fascist tour de force sees Berlin society thrown into disarray as the hunt for the mysterious child murderer casts each and every citizen as a potential murderer.

Author: Helen Whittle | Editor : Sean Sinico