Oscar winning director Guillermo del Toro returns to Hamilton to shoot “Nightmare Alley”
Guillermo del Toro is continuing his romance with Hamilton.
Famous for saying he loves Hamilton, the Oscar winning director filmed scenes for his new movie Nightmare Alley" at The Cotton Factory this month.
It's the third time he has filmed in the city, including The Shape of Water" which won him the 2017 Academy Award for best director as well as the Best Picture award (The film won a total of four Oscars out of 13 nominations).
The Mexican director was at The Cotton Factory with stars Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett on Dec. 3 and Dec. 7 filming night scenes for his latest dark, surrealistic film. The film, which also stars Mary Steenburgen and Willem Dafoe, is about a manipulative carny named Stan Carlisle (Cooper) who teams up with a psychiatrist (Blanchett) who also has a dark side.
Filming has wrapped and del Toro tweeted about it on the FoxSearchlight Pictures account on Monday. The film was also shot in Toronto.
Hi guys. Here on a cold Canadian night I want to say we finished the last day, night, photography of Nightmare Alley." We did it. See you next December 2021."
Del Toro's first film shot in Hamilton was Crimson Peak." It was released in 2015 and starred Mia Wasikowski and Tom Hiddleston. Scenes for the gothic romance were filmed at The Scottish Rite and Dundurn Castle.
The Shape of Water" has scenes filmed in city hall, outside city hall, in front of the former CFL Football Hall of Fame and on the waterfront. It is about a mute janitor who has a love affair with an amphibious creature in a top secret laboratory.
Del Toro scouted Hamilton for Pacific Rim" but did not shoot here.
I love Hamilton," del Toro told reporters at TIFF in 2017. I love it. It has some of the greatest stores, bookstores, restaurants. It's really a transforming city but also what I love is the energy and I think the city is incredibly generous with filmmakers. It really is and it makes a huge difference. If I have my way, I'll have a studio there soon."
The love goes both ways.
The nicest person you'd want to meet," says Rob Zeidler, co-owner of The Cotton Factory on Sherman Avenue North. The former Imperial Cotton Factory houses film studios as well as artists and small businesses.
He's a beautiful guy," said Glen Marshall, who does film liaison for The Cotton Factory.
First time I was introduced to him - this was before COVID-19 - he was a very warm type of person. He is a very social person. He always gave me an acknowledgment."
The film is a remake of a 1947 picture that starred Tyrone Power and Joan Blondell.
Del Toro's version started shooting earlier this year but shut down because of the pandemic. He spoke in July about returning to the set and trying to ensure the set will be a safe environment.
You have to be sterile," he said on a panel at Comic Con at Home. You have to have everybody in conditions that are almost clinical but you have to re-enact the carnival with the extras and everything.
The way you approach it is different. The way you stage with the extras, the way you stack them, the way you hire them, for example. Extras are hired by the day normally. Now you are going to buy them out for many, many weeks."
Marshall said he met with del Toro and his production team about four times and the involvement with The Cotton Factory grew.
It started off as just one scene but it expanded to a number of big scenes," he said. They used a number of our alleys."
Marshall said it took the crew about a month to create the sets for the movie. He also said a winter scene was filmed.
They had fake snow everywhere," he added. It was incredible."
Daniel Nolan is a freelance writer who writes about film for The Hamilton Spectator. He can be reached at dannolanwrites@gmail.com