Skip to main content

Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley gets its first, frightening trailer

Stanton Carlisle can read minds “under the right circumstances.” At least, that’s what Bradley Cooper’s character wants people to believe in the first trailer for Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley.

The first trailer for del Toro’s thriller features Carlisle under the scrutiny of a lie detector test, choosing the right words that will allow him to bend the truth without admitting that he’s a fraud.

Del Toro’s adaptation of William Lindsay Gresham’s novel is a departure from many of his previous films. Despite its evocative title, Nightmare Alley seemingly dispenses with del Toro’s usual supernatural or fantasy elements. Being a noir story, however, it wouldn’t be complete without a femme fatale. In this case, that role is filled by Dr. Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett), a talented psychiatrist who proposes a dangerous con to Carlisle. She’s pulling his strings, and Carlisle’s life is quickly becoming unraveled.

NIGHTMARE ALLEY | Official Trailer | Searchlight Pictures

The trailer also offers a glimpse at Carlisle’s rise as a grifter thanks to a natural talent for cold readings and techniques that carnies used to convince their audience that psychic abilities are on display. He comes into contact with a married couple, Zeena (Toni Collette) and Pete (David Strathairn), who have their own relationship with swindling the public, and Carlisle is soon chasing a once-in-a-lifetime grift. And as the trailer seems to suggest, that final job could be a life-or-death affair for him.

Joining Cooper, Blanchett, Collette, and Strathairn in the cast are quite a few familiar faces. Among them, Willem Dafoe plays the role of Clem Hoately, along with Rooney Mara as Molly Cahill, Ron Perlman as Bruno, Mary Steenburgen as Miss Harrington, Holt McCallany as Anderson, Jim Beaver as Sheriff Jedediah Judd, Mark Povinelli as The Major, and Tim Blake Nelson as a Carny Boss.

Del Toro directed and co-wrote the film with Kim Morgan, and the project will be the second adaptation of Gresham’s novel, following the 1947 film of the same name starring Tyrone Power and directed by Edmund Goulding. Nightmare Alley is scheduled to premiere in theaters December 17.

Editors' Recommendations

Blair Marnell
Blair Marnell has been an entertainment journalist for over 15 years. His bylines have appeared in Wizard Magazine, Geek…
10 best R-rated movies streaming right now
A woman and her child stands next to a dead body in Anatomy of a Fall.

R-rated movies are typically expected by audiences to push the boundaries of what can be depicted on the big screen. Whether it's gory horror movies or steamy erotic thrillers, these movies were designed specifically to get an "R" rating and be shown primarily to adults.

From modern masterpieces like Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer to classics like Alien, some of the best R-rated movies ever made are available to stream on different platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Max. With bold narratives and unfiltered realism, these are great picks for an enjoyable movie night among adult friends.

Read more
Stop! Watch these Netflix movies before March 2024 ends
Robert Pattinson in The Batman.

One of the blessings of streaming services like Netflix is that, in addition to their libraries of original titles, they also have titles that come and go on a regular basis. While the introduction of new titles is always nice, the downside is that titles usually leave the service when new ones join.

As March turns into April, we're going to lose some genuinely great movies on Netflix. While you still have time, though, you should check these three very different movies out.
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - Original Theatrical Trailer

Read more
March Madness live stream 2024: Watch every Sweet 16 game
Logo for the Sweet 16 in March Madness.

With the always-thrilling first weekend of the NCAA tournament in the books, we now move from quantity to quality. As we get ready for the Sweet 16, each matchup from here on out will be of the must-watch variety. Just four wins sit between the remaining schools and a national championship, so you know there are plenty of huge moments on the way.

There are 12 games this weekend—eight Sweet 16 matchups on Thursday and Friday, and then four Elite 8 contests on Saturday and Sunday. They'll all be televised on either CBS, TBS, TNT or truTV. Fortunately, if you don't have cable, there are a bevy of options for watching the Big Dance for free or cheap.
Is There a Free March Madness Live Stream?

Read more