Three reasons to watch “The Alley of Lost Souls”, now available on Star+

The Alley of Lost Souls (Nightmare Alley) can now be seen in digital format through Star+. The film, directed by Guillermo del Toro, was based on the novel of the same name written by William Lindsay Gresham with a screenplay by Mexican filmmaker and Kim Morgan. “In 1940s New York, the swindler Stanton Carlisle joins a psychic and her husband, a mentalist, to steal from a dangerous millionaire. The group is helped by a mysterious psychiatrist who has her own plan”, is detailed in the official description.

The film distributed by Searchlight Pictures has four nominations for the upcoming Oscar ceremony in the categories of Best Film, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design and Best Costume Design. The results of the main victories will be announced on Sunday, March 27, when the 94th edition of the most important film and Hollywood gala will be held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.

Why should we see this new film noir and psychological suspense proposal led by Del Toro? Here are three reasons why you should sit in front of the TV right now to enjoy a story that brings back the renowned director's terrifying cinematic style.

Guillermo del Toro's return to management

Since The Shape of Water won the Oscar for Best Film and Best Director in 2017, Guillermo del Toro did not release another title directed by him until the release of The Alley of Lost Souls. For the past five years, in addition to working on the filming of the latter and the next premiere Pinocchio, he was also involved in his role as producer and screenwriter. Pacific Rim: Uprising, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and The Witcher are the other productions that took their credits outside the directing role.

A second film adaptation of the book

The original story of the film belongs to the literary work of the same name by William Lindsay Gresham. Published in 1946, the novel introduces us to Staton Carlisle, a 21-year-old boy who is part of a traveling fair creating hand games with banknotes and coins. The protagonist, characterized by his ambition and cunning, takes advantage of every situation to his advantage, even using his own charm with women. When he meets Dr. Lilith Ritter, a psychoanalyst of questionable ethics, he finds an opportunity to carry out the perfect scam together, although he will only have fallen into the trap set by this mysterious woman. The first film adaptation was screened in 1947 and starred Tyrone Power under the direction of Edmund Goulding.

Dose of horror with a remarkable cast

Another attraction of The Alley of Lost Souls is the scenes full of terror from the book and, in turn, heavily influenced by the label of Guillermo del Toro. But this would not be possible without the brilliant cast of Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen and David Strathairn. Each of the actors personalized the classic characters on the author's pages and brought them to life, from the way they behave to the ways of wearing their clothes of the time.

The Star+ platform premiered The alley of lost souls on March 16.

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