I feel almost like having watched the original Nightmare Alley right before watching this didn't exactly help my own opinion but I can also say that it made a great case with regards to what could be and what couldn't be adapted from William Lindsay Gresham's novel in 1947 versus now. Nonetheless, Guillermo del Toro's film finds itself benefiting from embracing the cynicism of its source material while boasting some truly incredible set pieces and imagery from start to finish - making clear his own love of gothic fiction.

Nonetheless I also can't help but feel like this movie doesn't flow as well as Edmund Goulding's film did. Everything there just feels like it moves by much faster, but when Guillermo del Toro starts to embrace the twisted nature of the story at hand, he doesn't let down. It feels like the best sort of mind game, with Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett turning out brilliant work.