Last night I stumbled down a dark, mysterious corridor of the soul named Nightmare Alley.

I love it when you find something totally new that you did not even know existed. I just happened to be glancing at some DVDs for rent and noticed one starring handsome Tyrone Power: “Nightmare Alley”, directed by Edmund Goulding, also starring Joan Blondell, one of my faves, and two women unknown to me: Coleen Gray and Helen Walker. The movie turned out to be a shocker. A grim film noir classic that pulled no punches. A sordid tale of alcoholism, depravity, phony mentalism, hucksters and salvation.

My love of pulp fiction should have prepared me for the eerie atmosphere of the original story by William Lindsay Gresham, which was based on his own experiences observing carny life at Coney Island. He lived in a run-down hotel on the boardwalk while he soaked up atmosphere for his novel.

Later, after a somewhat checkered career, writing books on Houdini as well as bodybuilding, he committed suicide in the same hotel. Tragic irony or a writer’s need for a good ending?

Nightmare Alley is a fascinating, underrated masterpiece. Tyrone Power is mesmerizing as a huckster with psychic powers and stretches his acting range to new levels. Helen Walker is a revelation as the androgynous psychiatrist, dressed in tailored suits even a die-hard lesbian would find too mannish, who practices her own brand of grifting the rich. Joan Blondell has never been better either as the saucy seeress Zeena. People bandey about the term “film noir” too much these days, mispronouncing it as “film nuaw,” leaving off the “r,” which makes it less French than Brooklynese, but this dark, mysterious little gem is a perfect example of how lighting, costumes and set design conspire to weave a web of intrigue, suspense and corruption. The accompanying commentary by two experts in the genre is first-rate, much better than most of the blather tacked on by other productions. And anyone who’s ever wondered where the term “geek” comes from will find this tale of misery and magic not only a revealing source but a powerful message of personal destruction and redemption from despair.