Review 654: Nightmare Alley

 

An unbearably slow burner, Nightmare Alley maintains its grip on the audiences attention with its unshakably grim atmosphere, Guillermo del Toro's firm directorial hand and its outstanding ensamble cast.

Based on the novel Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham, Stanton "Stan" Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) is an ambitious young carny with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with Lilth Ritter (Cate Blanchett), a female psychiatrist who is even more dangerous than he is 

del Toro has described the films story as a "ramp" At its core, it's a story about somebody haunting themself. A story about somebody trying to escape from themself but actually the thing they're on the run from is the thing they can't run from.

There's great use of lighting and shadows to capture