Decla (Germany)

Born around 1919 as a German branch of the French company Decla Éclair, it merged with German Bioscop to form Decla Bioscop, which eventually was bought by UFA and acted as a subsidiary. Nowadays, it's known as Studio Babelsberg.

(1920)

Nickname: "Offended Eagle"

Logo: On a black background, an outlined eagle comes flying from the right along with five forms, which turn to be letters. As the letters "EDCLA" take their place at the bottom of the screen, the eagle lands between the L and the A. Then it takes the D and places it its correct position, as the E moves to the right and morphs and into a goblin-like form, which thumbs its nose to the eagle, but the eagle grabs it with its beak. The image then jarringly cuts out (though this may be due to the length of the capture).

FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor: The animation of the letters and eagle, which is really choppy, even for 1920. Moreover, it looks off-center, but then again, it's all Delca could afford back then.

Music/Sounds: Silent, or the opening theme of the film.

Availability: Fairly scarce; can be found on European DVD prints of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

Scare Factor: High, The general weirdness of the logo, its choppy animation, and its ominous atmosphere are sure to give goosebumps to many first-time viewers. But it may vary for those who used to it.