'Nightmare Alley' is a sinister, photo-negative of 'The Shape of Water'

In Depression-era America, Stan (Bradley Cooper) burns down his family home and takes up work as a carny as part of a travelling show. While there, he meets and falls in love with Molly Cahill (Rooney Mara) and eventually learns a mentalist act from Zeena (Toni Colette) and her alcoholic husband (David Straithairn). Eventually, Stan leaves and finds success as a charlatan mentalist, but soon runs afoul of a manipulating psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett) and a dangerous but exceptionally powerful patient (Richard Jenkins) of hers...