This. Looks. Mint
It's fair to say that
Guillermo del Toro is a pretty out-there guy but when he pulls together multiple concepts successfully, there aren't many directors better at selling you weird and wonderful worlds that feel authentically lived-in.
That being said, he's always had a particular penchant for the
thriller and
horror genres - and his latest project entitled,
Nightmare Alley, looks to be an absolute belter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-qVV8zyVmI&t=2s
From the first teaser trailer alone, it seems to have all the external old-world glam of a Fitzgerald novel, the gritty suspense of
Stephen King classic and a dash of
American Horror Story - though that last one could be because the carnival setting is making us think of
Freak Show, to be honest.
Starring Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe and Toni Collette (just to name a few), this del Toro thriller is based on a 1947 book of the same name, written by William Lindsay Gresham.
Nightmare Alley was his debut novel before going on to write about
Houdini: The Man Who Walked Through Walls.
Without too many spoilers, the story follows a travelling carnival that includes an extremely persuasive con-man (Cooper) who teams up with a female psychiatrist (Blanchett) to trick people into giving them money. There are chickens involved (you'll see), lots of booze and by the looks of del Toro's adaptation, plenty more to get you off your seat.
Nightmare Alley is due for release on December 17, 2021. Just in time to get your heart racing before
Christmas dinner.
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