A week ago, a test-screening reaction for Guillermo del Toro’s “Nightmare Alley” was posted here. I was told by Searchlight to take it down, which I did, but not without a message from del Toro himself. The film, he said, is still three weeks away from completion.
Del Toro is taking his much-earned time to put the finishing touches on his film, not to mention adding a brand new score from “Knives Out” composer Nathan Johnson. The film’s December release date does still give del Toro some much-needed wiggle room.
Back in late August, we learned that del Toro was rushing a final print for possible inclusion at the Venice Film Festival, but the movie just wasn’t ready on time. Back then, Alexandre Desplat was the composer before amicably dropping out this past month. Now, here we are, two full months later, and the 139 minute film is still awaiting final cut.
“Nightmare Alley” is set to be released on December 17th, and I’ve been hearing great things about it.