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Nightmare Alley Is Something Audiences Won’t Soon Forget

Nightmare Alley is one of the creepiest movies of the year. Guillermo del Toro tries his hand at something new, and succeeds. 

Nightmare Alley 2021 movie

Nightmare Alley is one of those movies that is full of twists and turns that will have audiences trying to figure it all out, but once it is over it is sure to stay with them for a long time. Viewers will not soon forget the spectacle that is Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley. He is a director that has his special touches and whose work is easily recognized. Despite this Noir genre being something quite new to him, he succeeds and puts his unique stamp on the film. 

Nightmare Alley 2021 movie

Having never seen the original, I am unable to compare it to that, but this movie only made me more eager to check it out. Nightmare Alley tells the story of a man named Stanton Carlisle who stumbles upon a traveling circus and whose mysterious past haunts him. While there he learns to use the tricks of the mind and become a mentalist.

Feeling he has gotten too good for the freak show, he leaves along with a young woman he has fallen in love with, and sets his sights on the rich. This is only the beginning though, as he decides to team up with a psychiatrist for his biggest con yet, however she might not be what she seems.

Nightmare Alley 2021 movie

What Works With Nightmare Alley

Nightmare Alley is intriguing right from the start. The opening scene will hook the audience, and then it only gets crazier from there. The longer the story goes on, the more captivating it becomes. The cast is incredible with standout performances from Bradley Cooper, William Dafoe, Toni Collette, David Strathairn, and Rooney Mara. So yes, pretty much every one has their moment to shine on screen and really bring something to the table when it comes to this story.

About halfway through the film, many of the main characters drop out and are replaced by new ones. This is when Stanton and Molly leave the circus. It is sad to see some of them left behind, but when Cate Blanchett enters, viewers won’t mind the lack of the others. 

Mara and Cooper have outstanding chemistry on screen, and when Blanchett is added into the mix, it gets even better. Cooper has chemistry with both, but the first scene between the three of them is one of the best of the entire film. It happens while Stanton is performing mentalism in front of a large and wealthy crowd, and it is completely captivating. 

Nightmare Alley 2021 movie

The plot itself is interesting, and as it twists and turns it is easy to get lost and immersed in it all. The costumes and set design will have audiences feeling like they have been transported back in time. The production alone on this movie makes it worth the watch. Several scenes might as well be paintings. They really set the mood for a dark and creepy story. Some of the best sets in the movie take place in the first half, at the circus. 

If you enjoy gore in your Noir films than you are in luck because that is exactly what you are going to get. Several moments are so shocking and grotesque that you might even have to look away. Those were some of my favorites. The majority of these come towards the end of the film. 

Speaking of the ending, these are the moments that will live rent free in your head longer than you could have ever imagined. The night after watching this movie I dreamt about it, and then for days it kept popping back into my head. I smile just thinking about the turn of events that I should have seen coming but didn’t, and how it all played out on the screen.

Stellar performances, an intriguing dark and twisted tale, and massive stunning sets are all perfect elements that make Nightmare Alley work as well as it does.

Nightmare Alley 2021 movie

What Doesn’t Work With Nightmare Alley

The biggest issue with Nightmare Alley is the length. This movie clocks in at two and a half hours which is far too long. There is certainly enough going on to keep most viewers entertained, however if the film was kept to just two hours, it would have been much better. The pacing isn’t awful, and the script does its best to keep things plugging along. But the fact of the matter is that two and a half hours is a long time, and the story needs to really warrant the run time — this one doesn’t.

It starts off a bit slow, and while the events that take place in the circus are important to the film and some of the best parts, visually, that is a place where time could have been cut down. Once Stanton leaves the circus though, things get crazier and crazier. I felt like the film really picks up once Cate Blanchett’s character is introduced — steadily rolling from there to the end of the movie, with not much down time at all. 

Nightmare Alley 2021 movie

Overall Thoughts

Nightmare Alley is a movie that will stick with audiences long after the credits stop rolling. Not only are the performances outstanding, the set design impeccable, and the costumes and makeup captivating, the story is eerie and dark. There are twists and turns that deliver, even if you kind of see them coming. The very final scene, and the close up on Bradley Cooper’s face, is enough to send chills down anyone’s spin. 

Guillermo del Toro took a leap of faith here, and it completely paid off. He puts his mark all over this thing with his over the top style and romantic subtext. Nightmare Alley will likely go down in history as one of his best. It is strangely fascinating, and dazzles through the darkness. 

A movie that audiences won’t soon forget, Nightmare Alley is dark, twisted, and completely captivating. If not for the excessive runtime, it could have been one of the best of the year.

Nightmare Alley 2021 movie poster

About Nightmare Alley

In 1940s New York, down-on-his-luck Stanton Carlisle endears himself to a clairvoyant and her mentalist husband at a traveling carnival. Using newly acquired knowledge, Carlisle crafts a golden ticket to success by swindling the elite and wealthy. Hoping for a big score, he soon hatches a scheme to con a dangerous tycoon with help from a mysterious psychiatrist who might be his most formidable opponent yet.

Nightmare Alley hits theaters December 17th.