Horror noir (sometimes referred to as noir horror, and less often as horror-noir (hyphenated); lit. 'black horror') is a film subgenre that blends elements of horror and noir genres. It is presented in a dark, brooding tone, style, or mood for the majority of the film while also providing terrifying sequences and prospects. Films described as part of this genre are primarily intended to play the audience through their darker and more fatalistic elements, to the point where the plotline is effectively turned negative due to its suspenseful and cynical atmosphere. Films with noir aspects may be considered akin to some that characterize gothic fiction in that their primary purpose is to create a sense of suspense and gloom.^[1][2][3]

The horror noir genre may be considered a subgenre of horror crime or crime horror films.

Films described as horror noir films include Among the Living,^[4] The Mask of Diijon,^[5] The Night of the Hunter,^[6] The Phantom Speaks, The Red House,^[7] The Spiral Staircase,^[8] or, more recently -among what may be called neo-noir horror films-, Blood Simple,^[9] Shutter Island, Lost Highway, and Mulholland Drive.^[10][11]

History[edit]

In the 1940s, horror and noir started to coexist in films. When the two genres first started to appear in films, it was thought that horror films and film noir were "virtually indistinguishable",^[12][13] which meant that the blending of both genres was all but uncommon and not well known to the public or the film business. Many horror films of the 1940s^[14] embraced cinema noir techniques from the beginning through the middle to the end of the decade, and most of them had modest budgets as well.^[12][15][16] The most popular form of noir that year was neo-noir, which elevated it to the level of contemporary films. Neo-noir is frequently combined with the action, crime, and thriller genres in films (or occasionally with drama), which are sometimes promoted as a single film genre. In the book Horror Noir: Where Cinema's Dark Sisters Meet by Paul Meehan, it is stated that "when it [film noir] first emerged as a genre during the 1940s, film noir derived its distinctive visual style from the horror film". In her additional statement, she said that "both horror and noir exist inside a haunted universe of night and fear first conjured by Germany's expressionist film-makers in the 1920s".^[17] Simply put, dark atmospheres in films increase the horror genre's sense of unease, dread, and doom—hence the combination of the two genres.^[18][19][20]

Films described as horror noir films[edit]

• The Night of the Hunter^[21]
• Les Diaboliques^[21]
• Across the Hall
• The Believers
• Lord of Illusions
• Dementia^[11]
• Angel Heart
• The First Power
• The Amazing Mr. X
• Aake
• Burning Kiss
• Singapore Sling

Directors and directors of photography associated with horror noir[edit]

Val Lewton[edit]

Beginning in the 1940s, a lot of early directors and producers of motion pictures debuted their works with a blend of noir and horror themes. One of these filmmakers was Val Lewton, who was also well-known and well-liked for his work in cinema, publishing noir horror flicks.^[22][23] His role as a film producer was in The Seventh Victim^[24] and The Leopard Man,^[25] two films that combine multiple different film genres—horror, noir, black-and-white, mystery, drama, supernatural, and thriller—into one subtly marketed as a single category.

Jacques Tourneur[edit]

Jacques Tourneur, who was most known for his contributions to early horror films, collaborated with Lewton in producing and helming darkly themed horror films. Lewton was hired by RKO Pictures, a film production business, while Tourner was hired by Lewton. Both were employees of RKO Pictures.^[26][27] Most of Tourner and Lewton's filmmaking efforts focused on creating ominous and subdued lighting environments, and this ultimately distinguished them as the top filmmaking team for their efforts in fusing noir and horror elements.

Nicholas Musuraca[edit]

A director of photography who was well recognized for his contribution to the noir crime film The Locket and was a member of RKO Pictures' board of directors. In the middle of the 1900s, Musuraca, Lewton, and Tourner all collaborated at the same film studio to produce a number of negative and frightening genre pictures, including horror and crime mixed with romance, as well as providing a noirish touch.

Mark Robson[edit]

An RKO Pictures member that oversaw the majority of the darkly toned horror films that the other members of the film crew hierarchy had contributed to. One of the directors of the noir horror film The Seventh Victim was Mark Robson. Val Lewton, who is referenced under the subheading "Val Lewton", was a person Robson knew and who he contacted to produce The Seventh Victim. Moreover, at Lewton's request, the individual who gave Robson's film crew its name transitioned to being a director.^[28][29] He also directed the black-and-white crime and horror movies The Ghost Ship and Isle of the Dead, both of which Lewton also produced and co-wrote.^[30][31]

Robert Wise[edit]

A director of films who had won accolades for his work. He directed The Body Snatcher (which Val Lewton also produced), a film that was based on a fictional short story of the same name. Films by Robert Wise that primarily fall under the horror and noir genres—either as distinct genres or as a combination of both—are well known. For instance, The Body Snatcher, a horror film, has dim lighting, so everything is only seen in the dark or in black and white. Wise also worked on RKO Pictures, finishing the project just before the film's debut. The Body Snatcher is a "noir thriller with style",^[32] and as such, it has a dark theme. Wise chose the color scheme specifically to match the horror and psychological genres of the movie and add an unnerving and unpleasant vibe by setting such occurrences in dark environments.

John Brahm[edit]

Hangover Square, a noir horror film directed by Brahm, was well-recognized. He was the director of a number of well-known horror and crime films with stories centered on romantically involved characters that show a point where one of the partners in the relationship turns strictly dangerous due to their love for the other. In Hangover Square, there are numerous bloody incidents that take place in a gloomy location, giving the plot a noirish horror-crime feel.^[33]

See also[edit]

• History of horror films
• Crime film
• Neo-noir
• Social horror (social thriller)
• Crime horror films

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• List of horror noir films at IMDb