Nightmare Alley (2021)

Nightmare Alley is a 2021 American neo-noir psychological thriller film directed by Guillermo del Toro from a screenplay by del Toro and Kim Morgan, based on the 1946 novel of the same name by William Lindsay Gresham, being the second feature film adaptation of Gresham's novel, following the 1947 version by 20th Century Fox.

It premiered at Alice Tully Hall in New York City on December 1, 2021, and was theatrically released in the United States on December 17, 2021, by Searchlight Pictures (a subsidiary of 20th Century Fox).

Plot
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 psychologist who might be his most formidable opponent yet.

Why It's Not A Nightmare

 * 1) Dr. Ritter creates a multi-layer charade to get payback on two men that wronged her, gets loads of money in the process and remains squeaky clean and with a sympathetic story. Most importantly, she completely obliterates Stan when it comes to reading and manipulating people, playing him like a fiddle without him ever figuring it out until the bitter end. Oh, and she always dresses nicely and also runs a respectable practice, where she genuinely helps people in need.
 * 2) The final scene where Stan arrives at another carnival and offers his mentalism act to the owner. He's initially put off by his unkempt appearance, saying he smells like piss, but then offers him a drink, one carny to another. He mentions that he has one job that Stan can take, give him a place to stay, food. But it's temporary. Just until he finds another geek. Stan realizes this is his fate, and tells the owner "I was born for it." as he snaps and breaks down laughing.
 * 3) As horrible as Stan is, it's actually quite sad to see him become a homeless, alcoholic wreck at the end of the movie, who is so desperate for work that he agrees to be a geek, established as the lowest of the low amongst carnival workers.
 * 4) The power of a "spook show" over its audience is emphasized, with mentalists able to tap into the deep loss so many people feel; this makes the Kimballs' murder-suicide especially horrific, as Stan took their love and bereavement and twisted it into something destructive.
 * 5) It features not one, but two cameos in the movie, like;
 * 6) * Tim Blake Nelson as a carnival ringmaster that Stan encounters at the end of the movie, who rejects his mentalist act and uses Clem's technique to trick Stan into becoming a geek.
 * 7) *Jim Beaver as the sheriff who tries to shut down the carnival in the first act but who Stan manipulates into leaving.
 * 8) The transition from a impoverished artistic swindle to a wealthier grift with higher stakes is fascinating.
 * 9) Awesome directing by Guillermo del Toro.

Nightmarish Qualities

 * 1) A close look at Grindle's corpse reveals that Stan punched his nose off may get disturbing at times. We also get a look at Anderson's mangled body after Stan runs him over with a car twice.

Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 80% of 330 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's consensus reads, "While it may not hit quite as hard as the original, Guillermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley is a modern noir thriller with a pleasantly pulpy spin.". Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 70 out of 100 based on 55 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it a 72% positive score, with 49% saying they would definitely recommend it.

Trivia

 * Due to scheduling conflicts, Desplat exited the film, resulting in Nathan Johnson being brought in as replacement.