History Film / NightmareAlley2021

* DarkerAndEdgier: The 1947 film was forced to tone down some of the book's more salacious and lurid content due to UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode. This film has no such restriction, with del Toro promising an [[UsefulNotes/RestrictedRating R]] rating, which it received[[note]]for "strong/bloody violence, some sexual content, nudity and language"[[/note]]. Notably, in the 1947 movie, Zeena turns down Stan's advances and remains faithful to Pete, while in this movie, she throws herself at Stan within minutes of meeting him. Ezra Grindle is also made a fair bit darker than he was in the book. There are also situations in the movie that are darker and edgier than the book itself (the deaths of the Kimballs, the use of opium on likely geeks, Stan [[spoiler: murdering his father and later Grindle]]).

* PstandardPsychicPstance: Pete (and his subsequent apprentice Stan) does this while doing his mediunic act. He explains to Stan (and the audience) that the "hand-next-to-the-temple" stance is code and the way he moves his fingers during it is a way to communicate with his assistant about what he's supposed to say.

* DarkerAndEdgier: The 1947 film was forced to tone down some of the book's more salacious and lurid content due to UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode. This film has no such restriction, with del Toro promising an [[UsefulNotes/RestrictedRating R]] rating, which it received[[note]]for "strong/bloody violence, some sexual content, nudity and language"[[/note]]. Notably, in the 1947 movie, Zeena turns down Stan's advances and remains faithful to Pete, while in this movie, she throws herself at Stan within minutes of meeting him. Ezra Grindle is also made a fair bit darker than he was in the book. There are also situations in the movie that are darker and edgier than the book itself (the deaths of the Kimballs, the death of Grindle, the use of opium on likely geeks, Stan murdering his father).

* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler:Ezra Grindle is killed by Stan in the climax, as opposed to him surviving the original novel and marrying Ritter.]]

* DarkerAndEdgier: The 1947 film was forced to tone down some of the book's more salacious and lurid content due to UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode. This film has no such restriction, with del Toro promising an [[UsefulNotes/RestrictedRating R]] rating, which it received[[note]]for "strong/bloody violence, some sexual content, nudity and language"[[/note]]. Notably, in the 1947 movie, Zeena turns down Stan's advances and remains faithful to Pete, while in this movie, she throws herself at Stan within minutes of meeting him. Ezra Grindle is also made a fair bit darker than he was in the book.

* CoolOldGuy: Pete is a barely functional drunk and a hustler but he is a kind and intelligent man who has standards he won't cross and clearly likes Stan. [[spoiler: The whole carnival is devastated by his death.]]

** The geek's attempt to escape from the Hell-themed haunted house, screaming [[{{Irony}}"I'm not like this!"]]. [[spoiler: Stan is effectively looking at his own future, the difference being that, having been stripped away of all his artifice and pride, he is ''exactly'' like that.]]