Nightmare Alley

All right, folks. Last stop. End of the line.

Grab your belongings and head off the bus.

Thank you.

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen,

to the greatest carnival in the world.

Spine-chilling attractions, fun for all ages.

Hurry! Hurry, hurry.

Behold, the beauties of the Orient,

reenacting forbidden dances for your education

and pleasure.

Games of chance, games of skill.

Molly, look what I got for you. Chocolates.

You ready to go? You got the sandwiches?

One last chance to witness this supreme oddity.

I must ask you, however, to remember that this exhibit

is being presented solely in the interest of science and education.

Where did it come from? Is it a beast or is it a man?

Come on in. Come on in and find out.

This creature has been examined by the foremost scientists

of both Europe and the Americas, and pronounced a man.

Unequivocally, a man.

He can go for weeks with neither food nor drink

and live entirely on the atmosphere.

But you're in luck because tonight we're going to feed him one last time.

Peach.

There will be a slight additional charge for this attraction,

but it's not a dollar, not 50 cent, but a quarter.

One fourth of a dollar, and you will see him feed.

Suckle on the blood

of reptiles and birds...

Like a babe feeding on its mother's milk.

Bite it! Come on!

No.

Come on. Fourth of a dollar.

25 cents. Pay up.

Step right up and get a prize!

Hey, mack.

You can't be back here.

You.

You're the cluck from the bus stop.

You followed me here, didn't ya?

Why?

What's your pitch, pal?

You on the level? You need work?

He's just peddling applesauce.

Major. Major. Give me a minute.

All right, we got a storm coming through.

I gotta load out fast. I'm short a few guys.

It's hard work.

You get a dollar, you move on. No mooching around.

Savvy?

All right, fellas, on the count of three.

Ready?

One, two, three.

Let her down.

Take the post down! Take the post down!

Want I should help you count it, Rockefeller?

It was a dollar

minus the till for the Geek Show.

That's right. I clocked you, cluck.

Hey! Hey!

I'll give you five for the radio.

Tell you what, we're joining another carnival

about 20 miles down the road.

I'll give you the five, plus a nice hot meal when we get there.

Come on, fellas. I need help. Chop chop.

Hey, you. Radio Flyer, come here.

The Geek, he got loose.

If you see him, don't take him on your own.

Let's get this fucker.

Look under the truck.

No, keep going. To the fun house.

Hurry!

I'll let you in.

You go in there.

If you see him, push him through.

I'll meet you on the other side.

Hey, pal, everybody's looking for ya.

Well, I'm not gonna blow the whistle. You didn't do nothing against me.

Why don't you come on out?

Come on, I'm not gonna hurt you.

I am not like...

I'm not like this.

Easy.

Easy...

Hey!

Hey!

Hey, you're gonna kill him. Jesus, kid!

Aw, jeez, is he dead?

I don't need no shooflies in here, Clem. Get him out of here.

In the back.

The cage in the back.

Hell.

Jesus.

Out, out! Go, go, go!

Back!

Back, back, back!

Step right up and behold,

one of the unexplained mysteries of the universe.

Is he man or beast?

I'm not like this.

Folks will pay good money just to make themselves feel better.

Look down on this fucker,

grind some chicken gristle.

- How's your head? - Hmm.

Turn.

Oh.

You can find a mattress over there behind those jars.

You can sleep there tonight.

Stay out of the rain.

Go on, go on, around the corner.

Would a steady job be of interest to you, young buck?

Folks here,

they don't make no never mind who you are, or what you done.

Hey!

Yeah.

Mornin'.

Mornin'.

You got a tub?

Certainly do.

Just arrived last night, so I thought...

Of course you did.

Well, it'll be a dime to use it, and you get a cake of soap,

and, uh, hot water.

Leave the door open?

Sure. But put that dime on the table.

Sorry to wake you, sugar. I'm just getting a soak.

I gotta go into town anyway.

Morning.

And, uh, I'm going to see about getting some breakfast.

Now, sweetie, make sure it's breakfast, okay?

Promise Zeena you won't go into some blind pig.

Are you familiar with those cards?

Mm-hmm.

And, uh, tarot.

Very powerful stuff.

Well, maybe Zeena will read your fortune, uh,

if you're lucky,

after your bath.

You could take all your things off

and hang 'em over the chair there, nice and neat.

I'll have eggs à la Benedict, a croissant,

jus d'orange, café aulait, and, uh, ba-bum.

Au revoir, ma chérie.

Gonna be helping Clem out a bit.

Clem, huh?

Say, maybe you can hawk for me.

You know, work the audience.

We got a little mind reading show.

What would I have to do?

Ah, ain't nothin' to it. Carny speak's like a song.

We sound Southern to Southerners and Western to Westerners.

You got a sweet little lilt.

Just gotta lean on it. Talk of the soil.

You drawl slow, but all the while, you're hustling fast.

Yeah, you can peddle for me.

And on your down time, maybe Pete can show you a trick or two.

You're gonna do just fine, honey.

You got panache.

What is that?

Well,

you're easy on the eyes, honey.

Oh, you're trouble, ain't you, pup?

No, ma'am, I'm absolutely no trouble at all.

Oh, yes, you are.

Yes, you are. You're a "maybe."

And "maybes"...

They're real bad for me.

Well, ain't you the one.

- I better go. - Yeah.

Just try and get away, you dope.

Take over for me. My knees are shot to shit.

Always with the knees.

I am The Major!

The tiniest man on record,

master of the nami-jitsu, the secret technique from the Orient.

And $20 says I can beat any of you yahoos

in a wrestling match.

Don't be bashful, folks.

If there's any of you that have a question for me,

Mr. Carlisle will now be collecting your cards and envelopes.

Make sure to write your questions

and your name on a card inside the envelope.

All right, don't look at anybody else's.

Thank you.

Let's just all just mind our manners, and we'll stay out of trouble, now.

There are five senses we all possess.

- Miss Molly, you have a question for us? - No.

All right. Well, you're not gonna get an answer then.

We all can hear, see, touch, smell, and taste.

However, I have been blessed with a sixth one.

A natural connection, if you will, to the ether.

Thank you for the envelopes, Mr. Carlisle.

Choose your fate or the color of your curtains...

Zeena's cooking up a good crowd out there, Pete.

- You sauced? Come on, Pete. - Oh...

- Pete, Zeena's on. - Oh?

I'll read the first card.

She gonna need it soon.

Okay, Abigail. Write it down.