What do the Cat in the Hat, Jason and the Argonauts, William Castle, Snow White, Hieronymus Bosch, and Francis Bacon have in common (apart from the makings of a phenomenal dinner party)? The answer, of course, is that each has inspired and influenced Burton's work. From the Harryhausen-like stop-motion of Vincent to the Jefferson Airplane-riffing Alice in Wonderland, Burton films wear their influences lightly. If one influence runs through them all though, it's the dark, fantastical stamp of German Expressionism (and telling people that will totally make you sound intelligent). Danny De Vito's hunched, be-hatted Penguin? That'll be Robert Wiene, director of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Gotham? Fritz Lang's Metropolis. Edward Scissorhands? Dr. Caligari's sleepwalking assistant Cesare. Don't surprised if Dark Shadows' vampires have bald heads, nibbly teeth and unfeasibly long fingers, Nosferatu-style.