Movie: Nightmare Alley
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Production Companies: Searchlight Pictures, TSG Productions, Double Dare You Productions
Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Producers: J.Miles Dale, Guillermo Del Toro, Bradley Cooper
Scriptwriters: Guillermo Del Toro, Kim Morgan
Main Cast: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, David Strathairn
Release Date: 21st January 2022 (UK)
Running Time: 2h 30m
Certificate: 15
Introduction
It’s been three days but I’m still in shock over Nightmare Alley. After the divisiveness of Shape of Water for some Del Toro fans, Nightmare Alley sees a near return to his filmmaking roots. What are those? Dark, nightmarish horror mixed with stunning, frightening visuals. Also, SPOILER ALERT ahead and be warned this film gets pretty dark and disturbing. Yes, even for Guillermo Del Toro. So without further ado, let’s get into my film review of Nightmare Alley.
Synopsis
The film opens in 1939 with Stanton ‘Stan’ Carlisle (Cooper) burning down his house after putting a body in the floor. He then takes a job as a carnival worker where he meets carnival owner Clem (Dafoe). After helping Clem dispose of his ill geek (a ‘freakshow’ attraction), Clem explains to Stan how he manipulates desperate men into becoming geeks. What does he do? He gives them opium laced alcohol, and when they are hooked in with the promise of work, he mentally and physically abuses them into becoming geeks. Jeez, this is still the first act. After this, Clem shows Stan where he keeps the moonshine (for controlling the carnival workers) and the wood alcohol, warning him to know which is which.
Stan’s rise
Stan then works with clairvoyant Madame Zeena (Collette) and her husband Pete (Strathairn) as part of their mentalist act. Obviously, Zeena doesn’t have mental powers. Instead, she and Pete use a code language and cold reading to manipulate their audience. However, for all their deceit they warn Stan not to go too far with the act when it comes to communicating with the dead. Stan soon becomes attracted to carnival worker Molly (Mara) and asks her about a two person act away from the carnival.
Tragedy soon strikes the carnival when Stan (maybe accidentally) gives Pete wood alcohol, causing him to die. Molly then agrees to leave the carnival to partner Stan in his new act. Two years later, Stan and Molly’s psychic act is proving a hit with New York’s elite, with Stan performing as ‘the Great Stanton’ using Zeena and Pete’s techniques. During a performance, they are interrupted by psychologist Dr Lilith Ritter (Blanchett). She attempts to expose Stan but he keeps their act safe and publicly humiliates her. Stan is then approached by Judge Kimball, who reveals he was using Ritter to test Stan’s legitimacy. Kimball then offers Stan a lot of money to allow him and his wife to communicate with their dead son. Obviously a normal man would say no but Stan agrees, much to Molly’s dismay.
When Lilith met Stan
Ritter then invites Stan to her office. Despite knowing he is a con man, she is intrigued by his manipulative abilities. Because of recorded therapy sessions with New York’s elite, Ritter has accrued a lot of sensitive information. Together, she and Stan devise a plan to manipulate Kimball with Ritter providing the necessary information. Oh also, she and Stan start an affair and therapy sessions. Obviously one of those is more important than the other… Anyway, Kimball then introduces Stan to Ezra Grindle whose lover, Dory, died from a forced abortion. I did say this would get dark. Despite warnings from Ritter about the danger he is in, Stan starts scamming Grindle. Ritter continues to feed him information as revenge for a previous attack by Grindle. However, Molly becomes uncomfortable and after learning of his affair with Ritter she leaves Stan. Probably a smart choice.
Stan’s downfall
However, Stan convinces her to stay for his ultimate plan: conjuring Dory from afar. However, Stan loses control of Grindle as his henchman, Anderson, listens to a story about Judge Kimball and his wife ‘being reunited in the afterlife’. This is what Stan promised the couple. He then goes to check on Stan and Grindle. Despite Stan’s best efforts, Grindle gets too close to ‘Dory’ and realises she is a fake. Left with no choice, Stan kills Grindle and Anderson and flees the scene with Molly. After all the chaos, Molly leaves Stan for good, forcing him to turn to…. Ritter. However, Ritter then reveals she had been scamming him all along as revenge for their first encounter. Oh, also the small matter of her shooting Stan. Out of options, Stan flees on a train.
Several years later, Stan is an alcoholic and homeless. He then runs into another carnival and asks the head for a job. However, the owner turns him away but does offer him a drink and a job as the new geek. Stan accepts while simultaneously laughing and crying.
Analysis
Genre and the impact on the audience
Right, ok for the first part of my Nightmare Alley analysis I’m going to talk about the film’s genre and the impact it has on the audience. First, what is Nightmare Alley’s genre? Well, it’s a film noir. Or to simplify that, lots of dark themes, dark lighting and dark characters. All of these feature in abundance throughout the film from the increasing amount of shadows on Stan to how monstrous characters like Clem and Lilith are. So, what is the impact on the audience? I’ll use Stan’s changing lighting as an example.
Even at the beginning, the audience feels a sense of dread and danger from Stan. I mean he did murder his father then brun down the house. These feelings are only amplified when despite repeated warnings to get out, Stan’s pride and need for money drives him to stay. However, when Stan becomes a geek this could have two different audience reactions: sympathy and justice. While some might think he deserves it for his many heinous crimes, others might feel sorry for how low he has fallen. Damn, that’s deep.
The Score, its impact on the audience and story
The next part of my Nightmare Alley analysis is the score and its effect on the audience and story. First of all, it’s a wonderful score composed by Nathan Johnson, the same man behind the Knives Out score. Secondly, it fits Nightmare Alley perfectly: ominous yet elegant. Why is it ominous yet elegant? It demonstrates the wealth and opulence of the time yet never feels too far away from danger. Take the scene where Stan attempts to conjure ‘Dory’ for Grindle. The score starts off almost romantically as Grindle sees ‘Dory’.
Yet when he realises that she is a fake, the score changes dramatically to one straight out of a thriller/horror. The obvious question now then is how does this impact the audience? Well, the changing score foreshadows Stan’s downfall. Everytime it looks like Stan will fall, the score starts getting more sinister as seen by his conversation with Zeena. Del Toro always makes sure to position Stan on the edge of falling but gives him an escape route everytime. This technique keeps the audience guessing as to when, not if, Stan will fall.
Power Dynamics in Nightmare Alley
Furthermore, the final part of my Nightmare Alley analysis is the power dynamics between male and female characters. The first relationship I’m going to analyse is Stan and Molly. While it starts out lovingly, Del Toro always shoots Stan at a higher angle than Molly. Why is this? Well, it could be to reflect the gender politics of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Despite the Roaring 20s, women still had limited power to speak up against their husbands. However, Del Toro then subverts this for Stan’s meetings with Lilith. In these meetings, Del Toro shoots both Lilith and Stan on equal terms initially. However, Del Toro soon subverts this for their final meeting as Stan is shot at a much lower angle than Lilith, which is symbolic of her betrayal of Stan. This use of camera related power dynamics also ties into lighting changes throughout Nightmare Alley.
Summary
To summarise Nightmare Alley, a fantastic horror and violent noir that brings Guillermo Del Toro near to his roots. While it’s his most grounded film yet, fans will still be split on depending on what they want from Del Toro. So, yes it is very much worth seeing for two fantastic performances from Blanchett and Cooper, along with Willem Dafoe. Now, I just need to watch it in black and white and my life is complete….
Target Audience: 15+
Content Warning: Moderate sex and nudity, strong violence and gore, strong bad language, moderate references to alcohol and drugs
Recommendation: Yes
Overall Rating: 8.5/10 – Excellent
