"Nightmare Alley" is a 2021 American neo-noir psychological thriller film directed by Guillermo del Toro.
The starring cast includes Bradley Cooper as Stanton Carlisle, Cate Blanchett as Dr. Lilith Ritter, Toni Collette as Zeena the Seer, Willem Dafoe as Clem Hoatley, Richard Jenkins as Ezra Grindle, Rooney Mara as Molly Cahill, Ron Perlman as Bruno, Mary Steenburgen as Mrs. Kimball, David Strathairn as Peter "Pete" Krumbein, Holt McCallany as Anderson and others.
Here are "Nightmare Alley" movie trailer, plot summary, full cast and characters, release date, streaming services and everything we know so far.
Trailer
Is there a trailer for Nightmare Alley movie?
SearchlightPictures on Thursday, November 18, 2021 released the trailer for "Nightmare Alley" you can watch here:
NIGHTMARE ALLEY | Official Trailer | Searchlight Pictures.
Plot summary
What is Nightmare Alley movie plot?
Here is a short review of "Nightmare Alley" movie plot summary.
Stanton "Stan" Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) burns down his midwestern home and takes a job as a carny with a traveling carnival. When the carnival geek becomes sick, carnival owner Clem (Willem Dafoe) enlists Stan to help him dispose of him. Stan is disturbed at how any man could sink to the level of performing as a geek, living in a cage in squalor and biting off the heads of live chickens to appease the crowd. Clem explains that he seeks out alcoholic or drug-addicted men with troubled pasts, and lures them in with promises of a "temporary" job and opium-laced alcohol. He then uses their dependence to physically and mentally abuse them until they sink into madness and depravity, thus creating a new geek. He shows Stan where he stores the moonshine he brews to control some of the carnies, but warns him not to mistake it for the wood alcohol he stores nearby.
Stan works with clairvoyant act "Madame Zeena" and her alcoholic husband, Pete (David Strathairn). Zeena and Pete use cold reading and an ingenious coded language system to make it appear that she has extraordinary mental powers, which Pete begins teaching to Stan. He and Zeena warn Stan not to ever use these skills to continue leading patrons on when it comes to the dead, what they call a "spook show"; they always inform customers afterward that the show is a deception, otherwise people get hurt. Meanwhile, Stan becomes attracted to fellow performer Molly, and approaches her with an idea for a two-person act away from the carnival.
One night, Stan accidentally gives Pete the wrong bottle and the old man dies from consuming wood alcohol. In the aftermath, Stan swears his love to Molly and reiterates his plan to her. She accepts and they leave the carnival behind. Two years later, Stan has successfully reinvented himself as "The Great Stanton", a psychic act for the wealthy urban elite of Chicago, along with Molly as his assistant, using Zeena and Pete's techniques. During a performance, their act is interrupted by psychologist Dr. Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett), who attempts to expose their code system. Stan's cold reading allows him to best Ritter, keeping their act safe. He is later approached by the wealthy Judge Harrington, who employed Ritter to test Stan. He is now convinced of Stan's abilities and offers to pay him handsomely to allow him and his wife to communicate with their dead son. Despite Molly's objections to the "spook show," Stan agrees.
Cast
Who plays who in the Nightmare Alley movie cast?
Here is the full cast and characters of "Nightmare Alley" movie. Actors and actresses are sorted mostly in credits order.
Release date
When is Nightmare Alley movie release date?
"Nightmare Alley" movie release date was scheduled to be on December 1, 2021 (United States) and on February 3, 2022 (Hungary) distributing by Fox Searchlight Pictures, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Argentina, Forum Hungary and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Germany.
Filming
What are Nightmare Alley filming details?
The duration of the film is 150 minutes.
"Nightmare Alley" movie is rated "R", according to the MPAA film rating system.
Principal photography began in January 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Rating
What are critics and audiences saying about Nightmare Alley movie?
"Nightmare Alley" movie got high rating from critics. IMDB rating is 7.8/10.
Sources
More information and reviews on "Nightmare Alley" movie you can get on the following websites.
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