Guillermo del Toro returns with the highly-anticipated Nightmare Alley, which finally has its official trailer.
Though del Toro has been explicit about the fact his latest is neither a horror film nor is it a fantasy, the noir-soaked visual language tells a different story, playing on the suggestion of supernatural elements and looming threat.
In Nightmare Alley, an ambitious young carny (Bradley Cooper) with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett) who is even more dangerous than he is.
The second film adaptation of William Lindsay Gresham’s 1946 novel assembles an insane cast, including Cooper, Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, Rooney Mara, Toni Collette, Richard Jenkins, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen, and David Strathairn, who we first got to see in their stunning period costumes in September.
The newly-released official trailer accomplishes a feat that is nowadays rather rare: it keeps the thrust of the story very ambiguous, favouring atmosphere over explanations of the narrative. As such, there’s little we know about the plot of del Toro’s newest offering – but there isn’t too much longer to go until we can see for ourselves.
Nightmare Alley will release in cinemas on December 17th, courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. Watch the trailer below:
