R-Rated Thriller Remake No One Saw In Theaters Now On Hulu
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’s Death Game) to even the animated Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (it’s Blazing Saddles with anthropomorphic kung-fu dogs). In 2021, Guillermo del Toro brought his version of a classic to theaters, bringing the noir classic Nightmare Alley back to theaters as only the visionary director could do. 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.
Nightmare Alley Is A Classic Noir
Nightmare Alley stars Bradley Cooper as Stan Carlisle, a man who has hit rock bottom, and finds himself working at a carnival, rub by Clem (Willem Dafoe) as part of the “clairvoyant” 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’s a problem, two in fact: one, there’s always a bigger fish, and two, he was warned about pretending to talk to the dead.
During one of his performances, Stan comes across Dr. Ritter (Cate Blanchett), a skeptical psychologist who tries to prove he’s a fake, but it backfires and ends up knocking down the first domino towards Stan’s complete downfall. Secrets come out, a reading goes too far, and as with any good noir, there’s murder, and no one gets out unscathed. Nightmare Alley may have the outward stylistic flourish of Guillermo del Toro, but underneath, it’s still a noir, with all the darkness that implies.
A Box Office Bomb That Requires Audiences To Think
Nightmare Alley, unlike most of del Toro’s best work, isn’t a story about the supernatural. Instead, it’s 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 fiancee in Wedding Crashers.
With a budget of $60 million, Nightmare Alley was a massive flop, earning only $39 million worldwide, and while this was attributed to its release in December 2021, when COVID was still lingering and keeping older moviegoers out of theaters, it’s still a disappointment. Those who have seen the film enjoyed it, as evidence, it has a 68 percent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, 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’s trademark flourishes that remind you he’s one of the best directors working today.
Nightmare Alley isn’t for everyone, but with the recent success of Nosferatu, it is now a great time to go back to another classic remake from a lost era in Hollywood. There aren’t a lot of noirs being made today, and considering a modern sci-fi noir, Reminiscence also failed to find an audience in 2021, it’s 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, proving that once given a chance, they will win over fans and slowly, quietly become modern cult classics.
Nightmare Alley is available to stream on Hulu.
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