After winning big at the 2018 Oscars ceremony for his last feature film, The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro is returning to the director's chair for the upcoming Nightmare Alley, a noir thriller/horror film set around a Carnival.

Based on the 1946 novel by William Lindsay Gresham, Searchlight Pictures' Nightmare Alley will star Bradley Cooper (who replaced Leonardo DiCaprio) as Stanton Carlisle, a former carnival worker with a talent for manipulating people and using his carny tricks to con millionaires by pretending he is a mind reader. Carlisle soon gets tangled with psychiatrist Dr. Lilith Ritter, played by Cate Blanchett, who at first tries to prove he's a fraud, but then gets wrapped up in his dangerous schemes.

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del Toro invites viewers in right from the start of the Nightmare Alley trailer with his unique style of colors and energetic cinematography, which captures the carnival setting. As blues and greens mix with yellows and oranges, and the camera glides past numerous characters, while a voiceover from Willem Dafoe's character guides viewers through what is occurring. As the trailer progresses and more characters are introduced, the preview cuts between shots quicker and quicker, presenting much of the danger and thrills that await.

Unlike his previous work, del Toro looks to leave his fascination with the supernatural behind in order to explore the darker, noir world of this story. In an interview with Vanity Fair, del Toro made this claim about the upcoming film, "This has no supernatural element. It’s based completely in a reality world. There is nothing fantastic. It’s a very different movie from my usual, but yes, the title and my name would create that [impression].” With this being the second adaptation following the 1947 film that was released shortly after the novel was completed, del Toro hopes to explore the greater depths of this noir world that is described in the novel. "I wanted to do the universe of the novel, which is a little gritty, but also strangely magical. It has a very strange, mystical allure—and mythical. I was very attracted to that possibility,” del Toro said.

It's fascinating to see a director transition into new territory and try something different than what they used to. Even if the supernatural element is not present, del Toro's skills as a filmmaker and his critical and box office success with his past filmography prove that the director is more than capable of tackling a darker, more grounded story.

On top of that, the star-studded cast will surely not disappoint. Other than Cooper and Blanchett in the leading roles, Nightmare Alley's cast features Toni Collette as Zeena Krumbein, Dafoe as Clem Hoately, Richard Jenkins as Ezra Grindle, Rooney Mara as Molly Cahill, Ron Perlman as Bruno, Tim Blake Nelson as Carny Boss, David Strathairn as Pete Krumbein, and Mary Steenburgen.

Nightmare Alley is set to release in theatres on December 17, 2021.

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Source: YouTube/Searchlight Pictures, Vanity Fair