Episode 58: The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920) & Session 9 (2001)

2026-07-25

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Welcome to episode 58 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.This week, we are exploring the world of the insane asylum, starting off with the oldest film we have covered to date and our very first silent movie.This is The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari from 1920, which was directed by Robert Wiene. This stars Frederich Ferer, Conrad Veidt, Werner Krauss and Lil Dagover.Then we follow this with something a little more recent, although it is...

Welcome to episode 58 of The Horror Double Bill, the podcast where each week we pair two movies to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

This week, we are exploring the world of the insane asylum, starting off with the oldest film we have covered to date and our very first silent movie.

This is The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari from 1920, which was directed by Robert Wiene. This stars Frederich Ferer, Conrad Veidt, Werner Krauss and Lil Dagover.

Then we follow this with something a little more recent, although it is still 25 years old. This is Session 9 from 2001, directed by Brad Anderson. It stars David Caruso, Peter Mullan, Stephen Gevedon and Josh Lucas.

Along the way, we’ll be discussing the birth of the horror film, German Expressionist cinema, the life and career of Conrad Veidt, the true crime that inspired Session 9, The Danvers State Psychiatric Hospital, recovered memory syndrome and satanic panic, and much, much more.

Recommendations

The Hands of Orlac (1924)

The Man Who Laughs (1928)

Casablanca (1942)

References

Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari by David Robinson (BFI Film Classics)

Beyond Caligari: The Films of Robert Wiene by Uli Jung and Walter Schatzberg.

Euro Gothic: Classics of Continental Horror Cinema by Jonathan Rigby

The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror, edited by Phil Hardy

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cabinet_of_Dr._Caligari

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_Veidt

https://www.filmportal.de/material/interview-mit-olaf-brill

https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/conrad-veidt-lived-out-his-anti-nazi-commitment/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_Krauss

https://historymatters.sites.sheffield.ac.uk/blog-archive/2020/defending-democracy-the-protests-against-werner-krauss-in-west-berlin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lil_Dagover

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0891998/

Session 9 blu-ray (Second Sight Films)

Fangoria magazine issue 168

https://www.newschoolfreepress.com/2021/10/29/stephen-gevedon-talks-session-9-fan-theories-a-review-of-the-last-thing-mary-saw-more-from-brooklyn-horror-film-festival/

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/jan/07/features.magazine

https://1428elm.com/2017/09/26/stephen-gevedon-session-9-retrospective-interview/4

https://movieweb.com/agent-orange-session-9-with-director-brad-anderson-david-caruso/

https://www.aboutfilm.com/features/session9/interview.htm

https://screenanarchy.com/2004/10/brad-anderson-an-interview-with-the-director-of-session-9-and-the-machinist.html

https://historyofmassachusetts.org/history-of-danvers-state-hospital/

https://www.madinamerica.com/2018/09/decline-danvers-state-hospital/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Session_9

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Remembers

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recovered-memory_therapy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repressed_memory

https://www.fangoria.com/session-9-20-years-later/