Geek shows were an act in traveling carnivals and circuses of early America and were often part of a larger sideshow. The billed performer's act consisted of a single geek, who stood in the …

Feb 23, 2022 · Guillermo del Toro's most recent film, Nightmare Alley, about a drifter with a dark past who learns the art of the con while discovering the darkest corners of carnival culture and …

May 5, 2023 · But what exactly is a carnival geek, and where did the tradition come from? In this we'll explore the history and evolution of carnival geeks, going through interesting examples & …

A seedy traveling carnival's barker, Stanton "Stan" Carlisle, is fascinated by everything there, including a grotesque geek, who prompts an observation from Stanton that he "can't …

Dec 8, 2016 · The term carnival “geek” was popularized by Gresham’s novel, but they were a real sideshow act in the old days. The glomming geek was a “wild man” who would bite the heads …

Jan 25, 2016 · A typical geek show in the mid nineteenth century would have a person on stage biting the head off of an animal and drinking its blood. Often dragged out, the act of biting off …

Dec 16, 2021 · And then there was the feral geek, whose mysterious and repugnant presence looms large over “Nightmare Alley.” The carnival, and more specifically the sideshow, has …

Stanton "Stan" Carlisle burns down his Midwestern home and takes a job as a carny with a traveling carnival. When the carnival geek becomes sick, carnival owner Clem enlists Stan to …

In the United States in the early 20th century, geek primarily referred to a circus or carnival performer who would bite the heads off of live animals (often a chicken or a snake) to shock …

May 25, 2021 · The geek is a tragic down-and-outer, an alcoholic or drug addict tricked into this nightmarish job, biting the heads off chickens, and now sticking to it to get his daily allotment …