Culture Crash: A Fresh Take on “Nightmare Alley”

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a strange time for movies at the box office. While tentpole films, like Dune and certainly Spider-Man: No Way Home, have brought some heat to cinemas, with Spider-Man re-writing records despite the ongoing health crisis, most other films have had to lower their expectations.

One such film is Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley, a remake of the 1947 film of the same title, both of which were based on a 1946 novel, which also has the same name. The new version stars Bradley Cooper as a huckster who joins a carnival and picks up some tricks of the trade. As his talent as a showman grows, so do his ambitions. The film co-stars Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchette, Toni Collette and a dazzling array of other stars.

While it is understandable that a period piece, R-rated noir film based on material from the 1940s didn’t put up Spider-Man numbers, it’s box office numbers are coming in at just a fraction of del Toro’s previous effort, the eventual best picture-winning film, The Shape of Water.

And honestly, I think that’s a shame. I vastly preferred Nightmare Alley to The Shape of Water and think it may just be the best work I’ve ever seen from del Toro. The atmosphere is thick, the sets are all incredible, and to a person, the cast is lights-out. I had a lot of dark fun watching Nightmare Alley.

Though its box office returns are likely unsalvageable, this is a movie with a lot to offer… and if you’re curious but unwilling to venture to theaters in a pandemic, you’re in luck. Nightmare Alley is now streaming on both HBO Max and Hulu. If you’re someone who can tolerate violence and unsavoriness in your films, I think Nightmare Alley might make your best-of 2021 lists. It certainly made mine.