Nightmare Alley
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Finally, the follow up to the Best Picture winning The Shape of Water is here, and Guillermo del Toro is as fascinated with on-screen monstrosities as ever. This time, however, there aren’t any paranormal beings, fantasy creatures, or classic cinematic horrors. This is a straight up noir adaptation of William Linsday Gresham’s novel of the same name (and a spiritual connection to the Tyrone Power-starring film of 1947, although it is not an adaptation of this version at all). I call this a straight up film noir as opposed to the neo-noir that it actually is because you can sense that Del Toro was actually trying to resurrect the noirs of old in 2021. Even the cinematography (by longtime Del Toro collaborator Dan Laustsen) — clad in pastel hues — is colourful, yes, but it feels like a black-and-white film coloured in afterwards. This results in one of the best looking works of 2021: a brightly lit capturing of apparitions and mannequins amidst ghost towns dolled up to look lively.
On that note, Nightmare Alley is unquestionably 2021’s most stylish film (outside of something like Dune, of course, but I’m speaking more in a sleek way), with Del Toro’s typical usage of bold characters, even bolder outfits for them to sport, and immersive sets and props for us (and them) to get lost in. Then there’s the story that holds all of these aesthetics together: a parable about personal demons and the attempts to expel the curses found in others. Nightmare Alley begins with the ending of another story: Stan sets fire to his home as an attempt of abandoning a previous life whilst in search of another. He winds up in a carnival alongside other misfits, as he learns the tricks of the trade (particularly the art of clairvoyance). Like any classic noir, there’s the notion of the femme fatale, and Nightmare Alley has them in doses, with each character representing turning points in Stan’s career as an illusionary soothsayer, including the “psychic” that showed him the ropes, another act that specializes in electrocution (of whom Stan falls in love with), and a psychologist that begins to become fixated on Stan’s act (and Stan himself). Otherwise, Stan is running away from his own skeletons: some we don’t know from the start of the film, some we get introduced to through recollection, and the new batch that spawn within the film.
Nightmare Alley is as stylish as it is tortured. It’s a noir film for the twenty first century.
Nightmare Alley takes its time telling its story for the first hour and a half, and it may be a little too gradual for its own good. For me, it’s the only major flaw the film has. Once it finally gets going, all of its build up climaxes in a symphony of sin: a whirlwind of downward spirals, deception, and damnation. These are the monsters that Del Toro is focusing on in this feature: the human race. Once the film picks up steam, it honestly doesn’t slow down until the very end; those closing credits will slam right into you. I feel like Nightmare Alley may boast one of the most gut wrenching finales of the year, with a realization of cyclical hells that may have you reeling in your seat with your jaw dropped like I was. This may be the caveat of Nightmare Alley: would this payoff have worked had Del Toro not taken his sweet time beforehand? Would we not appreciate the backfiring schemes that toil with tarnished, broken people (seeking love from the great beyond) if we weren’t familiar enough with how said schemes would work? Who knows. If anything, I can see Nightmare Alley maybe aging well, especially if a resurrection of classic films noir (or at least a deviation from neo-noir back towards the genre’s original roots) continues to boom after this flick. Guillermo Del Toro does love telling stories, though, and maybe Nightmare Alley got a little carried away with its exposition. Nonetheless, he continues to deliver sensational payoffs with Nightmare Alley, so hang in there when watching; it’s going to wind up being unforgettably grim.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.