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Hollywood is filled with remakes, to the point that even seemingly original films are actually remakes, from Keanu Reeves Knock Knock (a remake of 1977\u2019s Death Game) to even the animated Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (it\u2019s Blazing Saddles with anthropomorphic kung-fu dogs). In 2021, Guillermo del Toro brought his version of a classic to theaters, bringing the noir classicNightmare Alley back to theaters as only the visionary director could do. <\/p>\n
Alas, history repeated itself, and just as it did the first time, the second time around the film was still a box office flop, despite the A-list cast.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nightmare Alley Is A Classic Noir<\/strong><\/p>\n Nightmare Alley stars Bradley Cooper as Stan Carlisle, a man who has hit rock bottom, and finds himself working at a carnival, run by Clem (Willem Dafoe<\/a>) as part of the \u201cclairvoyant\u201d act of Madame Zeena (Toni Collette), where he learns the act of putting on a fake psychic routine. Enamored with one of the performers, Molly (Rooney Mara), Stan takes his act on the road and turns out to be a natural con man, except there\u2019s a problem, two in fact: one, there\u2019s always a bigger fish, and two, he was warned about pretending to talk to the dead.\u00a0<\/p>\n During one of his performances, Stan comes across Dr. Ritter (Cate Blanchett), a skeptical psychologist who tries to prove he\u2019s a fake, but it backfires and knocks down the first domino in Stan\u2019s complete downfall. Secrets come out, a reading goes too far, and as with any good noir, there\u2019s murder, and no one gets out unscathed. Nightmare Alley may have the outward stylistic flourish of Guillermo del Toro, but underneath, it\u2019s still a noir, with all the darkness that implies.\u00a0<\/p>\n A Box Office Bomb That Requires Audiences To Think<\/strong><\/p>\n Nightmare Alley, unlike most of del Toro\u2019s best work, isn\u2019t a story about the supernatural. Instead, it\u2019s a gorgeously shot tale of a man on the edge and his rapid, entirely preventable downfall as bad people do bad things to each other with unexpected results. Bradley Cooper gives a haunting performance as Stan and shows a level of talent that no one would have ever expected from the jealous fianc\u00e9 in Wedding Crashers.<\/p>\n With a budget of $60 million, Nightmare Alley was a massive flop, earning only $39 million worldwide. While this was attributed to its December 2021 release, when COVID was still lingering and keeping older moviegoers out of theaters, it\u2019s still a disappointment. Those who have seen the film enjoyed it, as evidenced by its 68 percent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes<\/a>, which is exceptionally good for such a dark film. It is not a feel-good experience, and the harrowing story will haunt you for days after watching it, but at the same time, there are a few of del Toro\u2019s trademark flourishes that remind you he\u2019s one of the best directors working today.<\/p>\n Nightmare Alley isn\u2019t for everyone, but with the recent success of\u00a0Nosferatu, it is now a great time to go back to another classic remake from a lost era in Hollywood. There aren\u2019t a lot of noirs being made today, and considering a modern sci-fi<\/a> noir, Reminiscence also failed to find an audience in 2021, it\u2019s clear no one will go to theaters for relentlessly dark films that involve far more dialogue than your standard blockbuster. And yet, both films have recently found an audience on streaming<\/a>, proving that once given a chance, they will win over fans and slowly, quietly become modern cult classics. <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/nightmare-alley-1-900x506.jpg\")
A doomed man and a blonde, Nightmare Alley is a noir<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/nightmare-alley-2-900x507.png\")
Bradley Cooper<\/a> in Nightmare Alley<\/p>\n