Dr. Caligari

“That’s the funny thing about desire… if it’s not crude, it’s not pure.”

Stephen Sayadian’s 1989 cult classic DR. CALIGARI was released to critical acclaim before slipping underground, proliferating through various nocturnal subcultures as the ultimate midnight movie experience. Now, thanks to a glorious 4K restoration (soon to be released by Mondo Macabro), the 21st century will finally get the DR. CALIGARI it deserves.

Co-written by Sayadian and Jerry Stahl, this film plunges viewers into the pitch-black depths of an institutional labyrinth controlled by a witty sexual sadist who claims to be the granddaughter of the original Dr. Caligari, and is eager to continue his legacy.

Those in Caligari’s care find themselves subjected to inhumane experiments exploring the absurdity (and fragility) of human constructs such as gender, sexuality, and sanity. A rebellion is brewing among the Caligari Insane Asylum’s more ethical clinicians… can they manage to derail the mad doctor’s supervillainous schemes, or are they doomed to become the latest subjects in her diabolical research?

We’re honored to present this series of eight licensed fragrances inspired by the characters, art design, and dialogue of this cinematic rite of passage, now finally poised to unsettle, inspire, and amuse a new generation of thrill-seekers.

  • Caligari A-Go-Go Perfume Oil

    A fragrance inspired by the atmosphere and art direction of the film — its layers of grit and ooze, pop-art colors standing out against a starless void, clumps of debris, fake flowers, vials of mystery fluid, rumpled straitjackets and crisp lab coats.

    Green amber, jasmine bud, cotton blossom, eucalyptus, secondhand smoke, dirt, and petitgrain.

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  • Cannibal Soliloquy Perfume Oil

    “I know what I am, but I know I’m not what I am. Beauty lives inside me. But oh, when beauty is trapped, it gets ugly…”

    A perfume worthy of a fading Tennessee Williams heroine wandering through a mirror-maze of memories, only slightly singed from too many Electro-Convulsive Therapy sessions: wafts of burning frankincense rising from a hot-seat occupied by duelling champaca orchids, white amber, Sicilian mandarin, and bergamot.

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  • Doom Cake Perfume Oil

    A drug-induced vision of grabby, gore-slicked tentacles erupting from a facade of thick buttercream and lemon sponge soaked in cherry-flavored goo.

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  • Dr. Caligari Pins

    Proclaim your C.I.A. loyalty (that’s Caligari Insane Asylum, natch) with a licensed enamel pin celebrating the 4K restoration of a morbidly funny horror masterpiece, soon to be released by Mondo Macabro.

    Product description:
    2.50″ Cloisonné lapel pin
    Black nickel plating
    Two (x2) 8mm black rubber clutch

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  • I Know You’re Watching Me Perfume Oil

    The scent of full-blown nympho housewife hysteria: a smear of flushed, pearly skin musk splashed by a sophisticated vintage aldehyde perfume and drenched in the secretions of high-pitched arousal.

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  • Minty On My Lips Perfume Oil

    Even the brainiest femme fatale schemes are bound to collapse under the weight of a monstrous ego. The scent of defeat snatched from the jaws of success: a soft, satiny pink grapefruit punctured by a shiny metal drill bit.

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  • Scarecrow Boytoy Perfume Oil

    A lusty, bubbling cauldron of thick, black tar spilling forth from a pile of dusty straw and secondhand clothes.

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  • Tongue Wall Perfume Oil

    Fleshy and fruity: guava musk, slick strawberry lip gloss, and blood-tainted digestive juices.

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  • XXX Means Kisses Perfume Oil

    “Life imitates bad art.”

    A rare portrait of innocence and integrity amidst the corruption of Caligari’s asylum. Tart hibiscus, skin musk, shea, and the faintest whiff of nicotine.

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