The haunted and the unhomely are common themes in the uncanny. These conditions usually occur in familiar architecture when something that once was a dwelling, icon or older building for us becomes the source of our fear and unease. Often the lighting is dark and the place is confusing and mysterious. To examine this preface we will look at several films that use this device to produce an uncanny effect.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) uses an expressionist set which echoes the madness of the narrator. The buildings are comprised of skewed polygons which encroach on the public and personal realm by jutting out onto the streets. It is confusing to navigate, and the viewer never has a real sense of where things are in relation to one another. As the story progresses we see the same places again and again, but sometimes they appear as normal and others they have sharp angles and darker lighting. This sense of deja-vu creates a discomfort when things are distorted and the whole set can be said to be haunted and unhomely because we are seeing the twisted construct of a man with a fragile mental state.