Nightmare Alley ( 1947 )

Mesmerised by the dark allure of the carnival world, rapaciously ambitious opportunist Stanton clings to supposed prophetess Mademoiselle Zeena to learn the tricks of the trade. And then, a catastrophic accident and pure chance favour Stanton. As a result, the unscrupulous, fake mind-reader starts using and abusing every woman who crosses paths with him, bent on greasing his path to stardom as a spiritual advisor. Now, Chicago's gullible rich swear by the Great Stanton's unsurpassed psychic powers. However, when deceit, lies, and hubris pave the way to success, who can deny that there's no place to go but down?—Nick Riganas