First Nightmare Alley trailer teases creepy carnival-set thriller from Guillermo del Toro

The first trailer for Nightmare Alley is here – and Guillermo del Toro's new thriller looks set to provide both thrills and chills.

The noir-esque trailer delves into the shadows of the carnival underworld, with mysterious hints of blood, passion, and violence. The movie follows manipulative carnival worker Stan Carlisle (played by Bradley Cooper), who joins forces with the dangerous femme fatale Dr. Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett). Alongside Blanchett and Cooper, the movie also stars Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, and Rooney Mara.

Based on the 1946 novel of the same name by William Lindsay Gresham, the story has already been adapted for the screen once before back in 1947. However, del Toro has previously emphasized that his movie is another adaptation of the novel rather than a remake of the '40s movie.

Nightmare Alley is something a little different for del Toro – unlike his previous movies, this one doesn't contain any supernatural elements. The director told Collider in 2019 that the movie is "just a straight, really dark story."

This is del Toro's first time in the director's chair since 2017's The Shape of Water, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director. He's also helmed a remake of Pinocchio for Netflix, which is currently due to be released sometime this year (although a specific date has yet to be confirmed). The movie's voice cast includes Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton, and Christoph Waltz.

Nightmare Alley arrives in theaters on December 17. In the meantime, check out our list of the other upcoming movies to get excited about in 2021 and beyond.

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.