Weine's scare tactics

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919) directed by R. Weine is one of the earliest horror movies. Personally, I didn't find myself scared at any point, but I'll admit it was a little creepy. I attribute the creepiness to the style in which it was shot, specifically the set, film effects, and soundtrack.
The set appears to have been built completely freehand as there are no right angles. Edges careen off in different directions, walls are uneven, and it looks quite haphazard. I'm pretty sure that Beetlejuice (1988) borrowed this idea in parts. The effect of the slanted sets is that it bestows a sort of chill in the audience, as if to emphasize the fact that there is something wrong. Coupled with some of the other visual effects, it certainly gives the impression that something disturbing is being depicted.
In terms of film editing, I noticed a few stylistic choices; the extensive use of color filters and misuse of screen space were most apparent. Scenes in the movie would alternately have yellow, cyan, or rose colored tints applied to them. Although I was unable to pinpoint the logic behind the colors, I suspect that they coincided with the characters on screen and that the more the characters became intertwined with the mad Dr. Caligari, the more they were shown in the yellow colors. One scene in particular had a clear division in the colors on screen; on one side “Alan” was shown in the yellow hue while on the other side the object of his affection was shown in the rose-colored tint. As the film progressed, this girl was shown more and more in yellow. It is also equally likely that I imagined this correlation and the color choice is completely arbitrary. The constantly shifting colors seem once again to say, “There is something not quite right here. Something is out of place. This dude's head is yellow!” I noted another oddity in the use of screen space; the movie was shot as if the camera had tunnel vision, often leaving the edges completely blank and focusing only on a circular area in the center of the screen. It may be that this tunnel vision is meant to stress the idea that the entire movie is a frame narrative, a story within a story. But in my opinion this aspect was meant to build suspense, limiting what the audience can see and forcing a certain level of imagination to be used. The curtailed screen space in combination with the fades between scenes had the effect of each shot at the end of a scene melting into black then into the next scene. In other words, the visuals had a distinctly eerie feel to them.
The musical choices in the film seemed to have been recorded in the 1980s stylings of Mars Volta or Mr. Bungle in some parts and jazzy freeform melodies during the killing scenes. There was a broad range of music that cycled through as the movie progressed. Originally the soundtrack was a soft, subtle, foreboding number that changed to a drab piano sonata with the introduction of the Dr. Caligari that changed once more to a chilling, hauntingly fast tempo with the introduction of the somnambulist. Both the doctor and the somnambulist and at various points other characters were clearly associated with a musical theme that played while they were on screen. Musical themes in movies is something we can all describe, whether it be the Darth Vader theme from Star Wars or the Pink Panther's song, but in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, as it is a silent film, the music never stopped and the different musical sounds transitioned into each other. The overall effect of this constant cycling through different types of music made the specific themes more pronounced upon repetition. If we want to talk decibels, the crescendos were, fittingly, during the death scenes and the chase. The music played an important role in the film and I feel that it was better as a silent film with only this soundtrack. Had there been dialogue and a need to end the music at points, it would not have been as gripping and I would not have known which parts were supposed to be scary.
As a horror film, I can't say I peed my pants and I expected more blood. I do however respect The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari for being frightening and doing so without words. Me, I'm more of an Exorcist (1973) fan.