Horror noir

Horror noir (also called noir horror or hyphenated as horror-noir; lit. 'black horror') is a subgenre of horror film that blends elements of horror with the visual style and narrative conventions of film noir. The subgenre typically combines the dark atmosphere, moral ambiguity, and shadow-heavy cinematography associated with noir with supernatural or horrific themes such as monsters, psychological terror, or occult forces. Stories in horror noir often center on morally conflicted protagonists, urban settings, and fatalistic plots in which characters confront both external threats and their own inner corruption.

Like traditional noir, horror noir frequently employs low-key lighting, stark contrasts between light and shadow, and themes of paranoia, guilt, and existential dread. These stylistic features help create a bleak or oppressive mood while intensifying the horror elements of the narrative. Scholars note that the blending of the two genres became especially prominent in mid-20th-century cinema, when filmmakers experimented with combining the detective-driven structure of noir with supernatural or macabre subject matter.

Films frequently discussed in relation to horror noir include works such as Cat People, The Seventh Victim, Night of the Demon, and Angel Heart, which merge noir-influenced visual style and themes with psychological or supernatural horror. More recent scholarship has also applied the term to films that incorporate noir aesthetics alongside modern horror storytelling.

The term has been used retrospectively by film critics and scholars to describe a range of films from the mid-20th century to the present that blend stylistic and thematic aspects of both genres.

Films described as horror noir films include Among the Living, The Mask of Diijon, The Night of the Hunter, The Phantom Speaks, The Red House, The Spiral Staircase, or, more recently (among what may be called neo-noir horror films), Blood Simple, Shutter Island, Lost Highway, and Mulholland Drive.