Nightmare Alley: Reaching Too High

Nightmare Alley is a unique noir film. There’s no gangsters, guns, or robberies. Just a man, Stanton Carlisle (Tyrone Power), spiraling downward, consumed by his own lust for power. He loves having power and status. Even as a young boy he faked a Christian conversion to fool others and gain their favor. Fooling people is what Stan does best.

People are gullible and suggestible. Which works great for Stan. He can use the same trick preying on peoples fears. Whether it’s the poor overall wearing and pitchfork carrying crowds or the suit and tie martinis drinking night clubs in the city. People aren’t unique, they share the same fears and problems regardless of social class. People everywhere are always drawn to what they WANT to hear and not what they NEED to hear. 

The problem with Stan is he’s a liar, shallow, and only wants to use people to get what he wants. Interestingly the moment he’s honest and makes a confession it backfired on him as his love interest Dr. Lilith Ritter (Helen Walker) threatens to blackmail him ruining his life. The curtain is pulled back on his act and his whole life comes crashing down.  

By the end of the movie, he’s become a geek. The geek is the lowest of low, a circus act that is so heinous it draws a crowd. It is a last stage act, that gets liquors up and bites the heads off of chickens. Stan becomes the geek which is an outward reflection of his ugly inward character. Like the geek, inwardly, he is incapable of love and honesty, devoid of a conscience, cruel to people around him. 

This fallen character arch makes a tacked on statement at the end. The end a character says Stan fell because he reached too high. Or as the Proverbs say, “Pride goes before a fall…” There are those who want to be fooled by being told what they want to hear, and there are those who live life, selfishly pursuing their own way. In the end both are foolish.