Nightmare Alley
Nightmare Alley is a 2021 neo-noir psychological thriller film co-written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, and based on the 1946 novel of the same name by William Lindsay Gresham. It is the second feature film adaptation of Gresham's novel, following the 1947 version. A co-production between Searchlight Pictures, TSG Entertainment, and Double Dare You Productions, the film stars Bradley Cooper as a charming and ambitious carnival worker with a mysterious past who takes big risks to boost his career. Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen, and David Strathairn also star.
Plot
In 1939, Stan Carlisle hides a corpse under the floorboards of a run-down house before setting the house ablaze. That evening he walks into a traveling carnival and watches a geek show in which a deranged man eats a live chicken. While leaving the show, he runs into the carnival's strongman Bruno and is offered a temporary job for the night. He is subsequently convinced by carnival owner Clem to take a permanent position and begins working with "Madame Zeena", the carnival's clairvoyant act, and her alcoholic husband Pete.
More details
author | Guillermo del Toro Kim Morgan |
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contentLocation | Midwestern United States New York City |
director | Guillermo del Toro |
editor | Cam McLauchlin |
events | alcoholism cold reading con artist knowledge of human nature mentalism overconfidence effect psychoanalysis psychological manipulation spiritism traveling carnival |
genre | thriller |
keywords | abortion alcoholic alcoholic husband break burn clairvoyant dead son derange drink even force geek show horrify how to hypothermia kill laugh law enforcement mediumship morning new car old car one night opium psychic psychic act psychologist read séance speak to the dead spirit travel warn wife murder young woman |
musicBy | Alexandre Desplat |
nomination | Academy Award for Best Picture |
producer | Bradley Cooper Guillermo del Toro J. Miles Dale |
productionCompany | Double Dare You Productions TSG Entertainment |
publisher | Searchlight Pictures |
theme | ghost neo-noir psychological thriller |