It's been four years since Guillermo del Toro released his last film, 2017’s The Shape of Water, which was nominated for thirteen Academy Awards and won four, including Best Director for del Toro and Best Picture. His follow-up, Nightmare Alley, comes out on December 17, but with the film finally being screened for critics, the first reactions are starting to come in.
Nightmare Alley stars Bradley Cooper as Stanton “Stan” Carlisle, a manipulative carny who teams up with the dangerous psychiatrist Dr. Lillith Ritter (Cate Blanchett), making the pair a particularly unholy alliance. In addition to Cooper and Blanchett, Nightmare Alley features a remarkable ensemble cast that includes Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, David Strathairn, Clifton Collins Jr., Tim Blake Nelson, and Mary Steenburgen.
Based on the 1946 novel Nightmare Alley from William Lindsay Gresham, the film was previously adapted into a 1947 film, however, del Toro says his take is an adaptation of the book, not the film. Unlike many other del Toro movies, Nightmare Alley won't feature any supernatural elements.
But with the release of Nightmare Alley only a couple of weeks away, what are the first reactions saying about del Toro's latest? Is it a worthy follow-up to del Toro’s Best Picture and Best Director-winning film? Or is Nightmare Alley more beast than movie? Check out some of the early reactions to Nightmare Alley below.
First, let's see what Collider's Steve Weintraub and Perri Nemiroff had to say:
Blanchett's performance in the film seemed to be the unquestionable highlight for many, with several praising her femme fatale role in del Toro's dark noir.
Several pointed out the bleakness of the story, as well as a plot that forces viewers to reconcile with the darkest parts of humanity, but all wrapped up in the lush visuals del Toro has become so well-known for.