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Nightmare Alley

Nightmare Alley

Crime · Drama · Thriller · 2021

An ambitious carnival man with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychologist who is even more dangerous than he is.

Movie details

Nightmare Alley

“Man or beast.”

2021 Crime · Drama · Thriller 2h 31m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.9 / 10

Community rating

An ambitious carnival man with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychologist who is even more dangerous than he is.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Nightmare Alley?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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The Air I Breathe

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The Public Eye

The Public Eye

Crime · 1992

A crime photographer gets involved in a conspiracy.

House of Games

House of Games

Crime · 1987

A psychiatrist comes to the aid of a compulsive gambler and is led by a smooth-talking grifter into the shadowy but compelling world of stings, scams, and con men.

Carlito's Way

Carlito's Way

Crime · 1993

Free after years in prison, Carlito Brigante intends to give up his criminal ways, but it's not long before the ex-con is sucked back into the New York City underworld.

King Ivory

King Ivory

Crime · 2025

Based on extensive research involving law enforcement and gang members, a never-before-seen, authentic look inside the underworld of fentanyl trafficking from gangs inside the Oklahoma State Penitentiary at McAlester a.k.a. "Big Mac."

The Killing

The Killing

Crime · 1956

Career criminal Johnny Clay recruits a sharpshooter, a crooked police officer, a bartender and a betting teller named George, among others, for one last job before he goes straight and gets married. But when George tells his restless wife about the scheme to steal millions from the racetrack where he works, she hatches a plot of her own.

Seance on a Wet Afternoon

Seance on a Wet Afternoon

Crime · 1964

Working-class British housewife Myra Savage reinvents herself as a medium, holding seances in the sitting room of her home with the hidden assistance of her under-employed, asthmatic husband, Billy. In an attempt to enhance her credibility as a psychic, Myra hatches an elaborate, ill-conceived plot to kidnap a wealthy couple's young daughter so that she can then help the police "find" the missing girl.

Eyes Wide Shut

Eyes Wide Shut

Drama · 1999

After Dr. Bill Harford's wife, Alice, admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met, Bill becomes obsessed with having a sexual encounter. He discovers an underground sexual group and attends one of their meetings -- and quickly discovers that he is in over his head.

Casino

Casino

Crime · 1995

In Las Vegas, two best friends--a casino executive and a Mafia enforcer--compete for a gambling empire and a fast-living, fast-loving socialite.

Crash

Crash

Thriller · 1996

A car crash victim inexplicably finds himself aroused by car accidents and becomes involved with an underground subculture of like-minded souls.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Guillermo del Toro

Written by

Guillermo del Toro · Kim Morgan

Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper

Stanton Carlisle

Cate Blanchett

Cate Blanchett

Dr. Lilith Ritter

Toni Collette

Toni Collette

Zeena the Seer

Willem Dafoe

Willem Dafoe

Clem Hoatley

Richard Jenkins

Richard Jenkins

Ezra Grindle

Rooney Mara

Rooney Mara

Molly Cahill

Ron Perlman

Ron Perlman

Bruno

Court is in session

Put Nightmare Alley on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.