Where Nightmare Alley Ranks Against Guillermo Del Toro's Best Movies
Writer-director Guillermo del Toro has made a name for himself largely by making supernatural-themed movies that are filled with incredible creature designs and atmospheric production design. His latest film, Nightmare Alley, sees the filmmaker take on the noir thriller genre for the first time in his career.
Like many of del Toro's films, Nightmare Alley has been critically praised but struggled to find a mainstream audience. The film immediately establishes itself towards the top of his filmography, comparing favorably to films such as Crimson Peak and Pacific Rim, but falls just short of topping his absolute best work like Pan's Labyrinth.
One of del Toro's early forays into big-budget Hollywood films, Blade II once again follows the titular hero as he tries to protect humanity, this time from a new threat of mutant vampires known as Reapers.
Although the film is filled with some of the best action sequences in the entire Blade trilogy and brings back beloved characters from the first entry, the story is fairly generic and the film mostly prioritizes style over substance. It is an entertaining and fun enough movie but not one of del Toro's best works and not nearly as weighty or insightful as Nightmare Alley.
Set in a future where humanity is embroiled in a war with massive interdimensional Kaiju, Pacific Rim is a sci-fi action movie about humanity's attempts to build and pilot giant robot mechas called Jaegers to defeat the Kaiju.
Although Pacific Rim features a ridiculous premise and focuses more on visual spectacle than character or story, it does manage to deliver plenty of awesome fight scenes between the Jaegers and Kaiju. It is not as deep or impactful as Nightmare Alley, but it does represent a fun and unique entry in his filmography.
Set in the late 1800s, Crimson Peak is a gothic romance movie about an author who moves into a secluded mansion with her new husband and his sister, only to discover that the haunted mansion houses many dark secrets.
Del Toro's signature style lends itself perfectly to the gothic romance genre, infusing the film with elegant horror sequences and visually stunning moments. For some, the movie leans too far in the romance direction instead of embracing more of the horror elements, but the film effectively tells the story that it sets out to tell. Crimson Peak is more in line with del Toro's other films but does not execute its tragic storyline or thought-provoking message as effectively as Nightmare Alley.
Del Toro's first feature film Cronos is a horror drama about a man who discovers a mysterious device that grants its owner eternal life quickly discovers that the device also has some dire effects on the owner, turning him into a vampire-like creature.
Despite being del Toro's first film, Cronos is indicative of many of the filmmaker's signature traits including its dark fairytale-like tone, thought-provoking script, and religious themes. It may not be as polished or well-crafted as Nightmare Alley, but it showed from the beginning what audiences could expect from a del Toro film.
Adapting the fan-favorite Dark Horse Comic character for the big screen for the first time, Hellboy is a superhero movie about a demon who is captured by Allied forces during World War II and trained to become a superhero who works with a team of metahumans to keep earth safe.
By directing the first entry in the superhero franchise, unlike Blade II, del Toro had the freedom to establish his own tone and visual style. Frequent collaborator Ron Perlman, in one of his best movies, is outstanding as the titular character, capturing his likable yet conflicted personality. The story is not as weighty or poignant as Nightmare Alley, but because of the striking imagery and religious connections, the character and story are natural fits for del Toro's filmmaking sensibilities.
Following the success of the first film, del Toro returned for Hellboy II: The Golden Army sees Hellboy and his team trying to stop Prince Nuada from locating the mythical Golden Army and using it to try to rule the world.
The film preserves the best elements from the first installment, such as the likable characters and slick visuals, while expanding the action sequences and creature design. It is lighter fare than Nightmare Alley but the film is still a fan-favorite and many were left disappointed when del Toro was not able to complete the Hellboy trilogy.
Set in the 1960s, The Shape of Water is a romantic fantasy drama movie about a custodian at a high-security government facility who meets and forms an unlikely romantic relationship with a humanoid amphibian-like creature who is being held by the government.
The film is uniquely del Toro, finding the beauty and romance in the dark and using a visually striking fairytale to deliver relevant and impactful social commentary. Featuring outstanding acting, gorgeous cinematography, and a moving score, the film is an empathetic and subversive exploration of being an outsider that earned del Toro the Best Picture and Best Director Oscars. The Shape of Water is on par with Nightmare Alley, but some divisive elements such as the musical number give the latter a slight edge.
Adapting a novel from William Lindsay Gresham, Nightmare Alley is a noir thriller about an ambitious conman who learns how to fake clairvoyance in order to swindle others but finds himself in over his end when he gets involved with a well-connect psychologist.
The film is far more grounded than del Toro's other films but still features his iconic style and tone. Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett's incredible performances, a smart script, and compelling themes help make Nightmare Alley one of the best films of the year and one of del Toro's personal bests.
Set during the end of the Spanish Civil War, The Devil's Backbone is a gothic horror movie about a young boy who moves into a haunted orphanage that he discovers is filled with dark secrets.
In his best films, del Toro is able to generate sympathy for the characters that others view as monsters and The Devil's Backbone is one of the best examples. The film is moving, atmospheric, and genuinely scary, which is why some consider it to be one of the best horror movies of the 2000s. Del Toro's unique combination of horror and empathy makes the movie stand out as fresh and original, elevating it slightly above Nightmare Alley.
Taking place in the period directly after the Spanish Civil War, the dark fantasy film Pan's Labyrinth follows a young girl as she escapes into a fanatical world of fauns and fairies in order to avoid dealing with Francoist stepfather.
The film manages to deliver a powerful commentary on a pivotal moment in history through the imaginative perspective of a scared and innocent child. While other directors may have been able to make Nightmare Alley, only del Toro could have made a film as visually striking, magical, and darkly beautiful as his masterpiece, Pan's Labyrinth.
Source: Screenrant
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