Guillermo del Toro’s latest film, Nightmare Alley, is a visually stunning and thought-provoking neo-noir thriller. The film tells the story of Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper), a charming con man who travels with a carnival and uses his charisma and psychological insights to manipulate people into giving him money.
While Nightmare Alley is a well-made film with strong performances, it is also quite dark and disturbing. The film contains scenes of violence, animal cruelty, substance abuse, and sexual abuse. For these reasons, it is not appropriate for children or young teenagers.
If you are a parent who is considering letting your child see Nightmare Alley, it is important to talk to them about the film’s content beforehand. Make sure that they understand that the film is dark and disturbing and that it may contain scenes that they may find upsetting.
nightmare alley parents guide
Dark and disturbing neo-noir thriller.
- Violence
- Animal cruelty
- Substance abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Not for children
- Talk to your child beforehand
- Rated R
Nightmare Alley is rated R for disturbing content, violence, some sexual content, nudity, language, and brief drug use.
Violence
Nightmare Alley contains scenes of violence that may be disturbing to some viewers.
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Graphic violence:
There are several scenes in the film that depict graphic violence, including a scene in which a character is brutally beaten and another scene in which a character is stabbed.
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Animal cruelty:
The film also contains scenes of animal cruelty, including a scene in which a character is forced to watch a live chicken being eaten by a snake.
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Psychological violence:
In addition to the physical violence, Nightmare Alley also contains scenes of psychological violence, such as a scene in which a character is gaslighted and manipulated by another character.
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Self-harm:
There is also a scene in the film in which a character engages in self-harm.
Overall, the violence in Nightmare Alley is not gratuitous, but it is still quite intense and may be disturbing to some viewers.
Animal cruelty
There are two scenes in Nightmare Alley that depict animal cruelty. In the first scene, a character is forced to watch a live chicken being eaten by a snake. In the second scene, a character is shown mistreating a horse.
The first scene is particularly disturbing, as it shows the chicken being eaten alive. The scene is graphic and may be upsetting to some viewers, especially those who are sensitive to animal cruelty.
The second scene is also disturbing, but it is not as graphic as the first scene. In this scene, the character is shown whipping the horse and forcing it to pull a heavy load. The scene is still upsetting, however, as it shows the character abusing the horse for no reason.
Both of these scenes are important to the film’s plot, as they help to establish the character’s dark and disturbed nature. However, they may be disturbing to some viewers, especially those who are sensitive to animal cruelty.
If you are considering letting your child see Nightmare Alley, it is important to talk to them about the film’s content beforehand. Make sure that they understand that the film contains scenes of animal cruelty and that they may find these scenes upsetting.
Overall, the animal cruelty in Nightmare Alley is not gratuitous, but it is still quite disturbing. Parents should be aware of this before letting their children see the film.
Substance abuse
Nightmare Alley contains several scenes of substance abuse, including alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and prescription drug abuse.
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Alcohol abuse:
Several characters in the film are shown drinking alcohol excessively. In one scene, a character gets drunk and starts a fight. In another scene, a character drinks so much that they pass out.
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Drug abuse:
There are also several scenes in the film in which characters are shown using drugs. In one scene, a character injects themselves with morphine. In another scene, a character smokes opium.
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Prescription drug abuse:
In one scene, a character is shown taking prescription pills without a prescription. The character takes the pills to try to cope with their mental health problems.
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Consequences of substance abuse:
The film also shows the consequences of substance abuse. In one scene, a character who is addicted to alcohol gets into a car accident. In another scene, a character who is addicted to drugs overdoses.
Overall, the substance abuse in Nightmare Alley is not gratuitous, but it is still quite graphic and may be disturbing to some viewers.