This German Expressionist masterpiece makes great use of its chilling premise and stylized set design. Caligari's Expressionist style ultimately led to the dark shadows and sharp angles of the film noir urban crime dramas of the 1940's, many of which were directed by such German emigres as Billy Wilder and Robert Siodmak. But even before then, it transformed the horror genre in the 1920's to the 1930's.