November becomes Noirvember, as the month’s viewing habits are dedicated to film noir for many cinephiles. The loosely defined genre emerged in the ‘40s, linked to the cynicism that followed World War II. Audiences embraced the dark moodiness of the films. Noir tends to be characterized by its fatalistic outlook, highly stylized imagery, down on their luck and morally ambiguous protagonists, urban settings, shadows, corruption, narration, and the femme fatale.
The most prominent trait attributed to film noir is the hard-boiled detective, a figure of isolation who works apart from the law. All of which can and does lend well to horror.
What better way to ring in Noirvember 2020 than with movies that blur the lines between noir and horror? Here are ten essentials to get you started.
The Seventh Victim
Director Mark Robson begins this noir film like a classic dark mystery; a young woman learns her older sister has gone missing and hasn’t paid her tuition in months. She departs her boarding school and begins her search, meeting several characters along the way that’ll aid and hinder her investigation. Robson weaves in horror ever so slowly, building toward a nihilistic finish as the older sister is revealed to have gotten mixed up in a Satanic cult. Considering The Seventh Victim was produced by Val Lewton, the “Man Behind the Shadows,” the veer into horror should surprise no one. Other Lewton films, The Leopard Man and Cat People, also seamlessly blend horror with noir.
Nightmare Alley
Based on the 1946 novel, Nightmare Alley sees a manipulative carnival barker get in over his head when he woos a psychiatrist far more dangerous than he. Its psychological horror meets noir, with a fierce femme fatale to boot. Nightmare Alley is considered a gem now, but it proved far too nihilistic and creepy for the audience upon its 1947 release. If the name sounds familiar, that might be because Guillermo del Toro is currently working on a new adaptation of the source novel. Between the upcoming new take and Noirvember, there’s no better time than now to catch up on this one.
Diabolique
Henri-Georges Clouzot’s twisty thriller is a must. The frail wife and the mistress of a vile school headmaster conspire and plot the perfect murder that will free them both of his abuse. Of course, such a plan rarely goes off without a wrinkle or two, creating a web of lies and paranoia. Clouzot’s thriller begins like a hard-boiled noir before segueing into a tense psychological horror movie, full of nightmarish sequences. This influential film inspired both Alfred Hitchcock and Robert Bloch, the author of the novel Psycho.
The Night of the Hunter
Part noir, part gothic fairy tale, part horror, The Night of the Hunter is a melting pot of genres. Charles Laughton’s first and only directorial effort didn’t land with critics and audiences upon release but has since become one of the most influential films. Robert Mitchum stars as Harry Powell, a self-appointed preacher and serial killer that marries a gullible widow to steal her deceased husband’s hidden cash. That the woman’s children only know its location puts them in a dangerous cat and mouse game with the Reverend. Highly stylized and eerie, The Night of the Hunter is a gorgeous, chilling entry in noir.
Psycho
Much like the film that served as an inspiration, Psycho starts as a crime thriller noir before transitioning into full-blown proto-slasher. At the start of the film, femme fatale Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) steals a large sum of money from her boss and flees, effectively setting her up as the protagonist. More importantly, it distracts the audience from realizing that they’re watching a horror movie, making that iconic twist so viscerally potent. In other words, Hitchcock brilliantly uses noir as misdirection for his horror masterpiece.
Wolfen
The year 1981 brought not one but three theatrical releases centered around werewolves. Between The Howling, An American Werewolf in London, and Wolfen, the latter tends to be forgotten compared to its more showy, horror-centric brethren. It probably didn’t help that Wolfen refuses easy categorization. Former NYPD Captain Dewey Wilson (Albert Finney) is enlisted to help solve a string of grisly murders that indicate a sizeable predatorial animal is to blame. It’s a hard-boiled crime thriller mystery, complete with the world-weary detective, set in the urban jungle of New York. The werewolf elements are atypical and kept a secret for as long as possible.
Angel Heart
When you think of horror noir titles, Angel Heart tends to pop in mind more than any other, for a good reason. It’s a full-blown neo-noir film with horror inextricably in its DNA. Hard-boiled detective Harry Angel (Mickey Rourke) gets sent to New Orleans by Louis Cyphre (Robert De Niro) to track down a singer. Still, the investigation takes several murderous and Satanic twists and turns. That drawn-out mystery makes the shocking reveal land with tangible impact, leaving the viewer reeling as hard as Harry Angel.
Cast a Deadly Spell
This made-for-cable movie is more of a loving send-up, marrying comedic horror-fantasy to noir. Set in an alternate 1940s where magic and magical creatures exist, Detective Harry Philip Lovecraft (Fred Ward) is hired to track and retrieve the stolen Necronomicon. That job leads to a much bigger conspiracy involving femme fatales, hitmen, ancient evils, and a bid to bring about Armageddon. It’s a charming creature feature steeped in noir convention, with a stacked cast too.
Lord of Illusions
Clive Barker infuses crime-noir with the supernatural occult in this adaptation of his short story “The Last Illusion.” Private detective Harry D’Amour (Scott Bacula) gets drawn into a battle between good and evil when the wife of a famous stage magician hires him to protect them from assassination by a fanatical cult. For a good stretch, Barker walks the line between the two genres without veering too far into either, until the full-blown horror finale anyway. Lord of Illusions has it all; the femme fatale, conspiracy-filled mystery, the hardened detective, and Barker’s unique horror brand.
Se7en
David Fincher’s neo-noir digs deep into the horror sandbox to create a nightmarish, gritty world for the detectives on the case of a serial killer that uses the seven deadly sins as inspiration for his murders. It’s in these crime scenes that the horror presents itself; few things in ‘90s cinema are as terrifying as the moment in which the Sloth victim revealed he wasn’t dead. While noir’s reputation for pessimism is well represented here, it also bolsters the horror of it all.