Nightmare Alley Movie Quotes
[last lines]
Stanton Carlisle
Mister, I was born for it.
[laughs hysterically between bouts of sobbing]
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Clem Hoately
Step right up and behold one of the unexplained mysteries of the universe! Is he a man or beast? This creature has been examined by the foremost scientists and pronounced, unequivocally, a man. I am prepared to offer you folks one last chance to witness this supreme oddity. Where did it come from? Begotten by the same and threat that got us all walking on this earth, but gone wrong somehow in maternal womb. Not fit for living. Is it a beast, or is it a man? You're in luck, because tonight, you will see him feed! Come on in and find out. Is he a man... or beast?
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Pete
When a man believes his own lies, starts believing that he has the power, he's got shuteye. Because now he believes it's all true. And people get hurt. Good, God-fearing people. And then you lie. You lie. And when the lies end, there it is. The face of God, staring at you straight. No matter where you turn. No man can outrun God, Stan.
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Dr. Lilith Ritter
The thing you need to know is, if you displease the right people, the world closes in on you very, very fast.
[showing the scar on her body]
Stanton Carlisle
What happened to you?
Dr. Lilith Ritter
Life... Life happened to me.
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Stanton Carlisle
Sometimes you don't see the line until you cross it.
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Stanton Carlisle
Same grift different threads.
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Carny Boss
Oh Christ. You know what? One carny to another, let's have a snort. Come on. Sit. -Pours the two of them a drink- I don't like mentalism. It's too old-timey. Always gotta have something new these days. Sensational. -Pauses and thinks- I just happened to think of something. I might have one job that you can take a crack at. It ain't much and I'm not begging you to take it, but it's a job. It'll keep you in coffee and cakes, dry space to sleep, shot now and then. What do you say?
Stanton Carlisle
Ah, yes sir.
Carny Boss
It ain't much but it's a job, right? -Pause-pours Stan another drink- Course it's only temporary. Just until we get a real geek. You know what a geek is? -Stan nods, his eyes becoming crestfallen- So what do you say? You think you can handle it? -Stan takes the drink and exhales...
Stanton Carlisle
Mister, uh, -starts a mix of crying and laughing- I was born for it! -Intense maniacal laughing turns into sobs - cut to black...
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Dr. Lilith Ritter
Find out what they're afraid of and sell it back to them.
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Zeena the Seer
You're a maybe. And maybes... they're real bad for me.
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Zeena the Seer
You're gonna do just fine, honey. You got panache.
Zeena the Seer
Well, you're easy on the eyes, honey.
[chuckles]
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Stanton Carlisle
How do you ever get a guy to geek?
Clem Hoately
Oh, I ain't gonna crap you up. It ain't easy. You gotta pick up a broken drunk. A real alkie, a two bottle-a-day fool, see?
Stanton Carlisle
Pick him up from where?
Clem Hoately
Nightmare alleys, train tracks, flophouses, you name it. Lot of folks came back from the war addicted to the poppy, to booze. Now, opium really sinks its claws, but you reel 'em in with booze. You tell 'em, "I got a little job for you. It's a temporary job." Make sure you emphasize that. "Just temporary, until we get ourselves another geek." You spike it with that opium tincture. One drop per bottle, that's all. But, oh... oh, now, this is what he thinks is heaven. So, you say to him like this, you say to him, "Well, I gotta get me a real geek." He says, "Ain't I doing okay?" You say, "Like crap you're doing okay. "You can't draw a real crowd faking a geek. "You're through." And you walk off. Now, that night, you drag out the lecture, you lay it on thick. All the while you're talking, he's thinking about sobering up, getting the crawling shakes, the screaming, the terrors. You give him time to think that over while you're talking. Then, you throw him the chicken. He'll geek.
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Pete
You know, if you're good at reading people, it's mostly because you learned as a child, trying to stay one step ahead of whatever tormented you. Now, if they really did a number on you, then that crack, it's a hollow. And there'll never be enough. There's no filling that in.
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Zeena the Seer
Carny speak's like a song. We sound Southern to Southerners and Western to Westerners. You got a sweet little lilt. Just gotta lean on it. Talk of the soil. You drawl slow, but all the while, you're hustling fast.
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Pete
Stan, this book, it can be misused. Do you understand? It's why I stopped - doing the act. I got shut eye.
Pete
When a man believes his own lies, starts believing that he has the power, he's got shut eye. Because now he believes it's all true. And people get hurt. Good God-fearing people.
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