Read a script page from Guillermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley

Screenwriter and journalist Kim Morgan can quote Double Indemnity and a zillion other noirs by heart. Lately, though, she's been immersed in the extra-cynical world of William Lindsay Gresham, the esteemed but haunted novelist whose 1946 Nightmare Alley she and director Guillermo del Toro (also her husband) adapted into a new movie, one that leans less on the 1947 Tyrone Power version. The setting: the luxe, imposing office of Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett), "consulting psychologist," as her card says. Into it steps Stanton "Stan" Carlisle (Bradley Cooper), a carny hustler coming up in the world. The room is wired for sound with microphones everywhere. Still, he thinks he has her number.

1. Head Games

"The reason I thought this was a good scene to choose was because you're going to seethe power dynamic between them. It also sets up Stanton's stock in trade, which is selling fear. He's showing off a little bit to impress her."

2. Talking Shop

"He's unfulfilled. He's a striver. He wants more. She's what he thinks of as a high-class dame. He's got to talk to her in a different way, but also convey: 'I know what you're made of.' He's reading her in the way she would read one of her clients."

3. In Charm's Way

"There's a back-and-forth seduction going on here. He's obviously attracted to her and noting here that she is someone who would perhaps be attracted to him, someone who goes to 'lower places.' It's definitely a flirtation."

4. Who's On the Couch?

"There's lots going on here. He's showing her how he manipulates people, and yet he's telling on himself at the same time. He's not aware that he is, but he is. Even if he's hiding and bragging, he's trusting her to understand."

Nightmare Alley is now in theaters.

A version of this story appears in Entertainment Weekly's February issue, on newsstands Friday and available to order here. Don't forget to subscribe for more exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW.

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