Skip to content
Rotating Banner

Moria

The Science Fiction Horror and Fantasy Film Review

  • Home
  • All Titles – A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • Q
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • U
  • V
  • W
  • X
  • Y
  • Z
  • Film Themes
  • Annual Best and Worst Lists
  • Directors
  • Actors

Theme: Film Noir


Film Noir is a term given to a series of stylistically distinctive films to emerge from Hollywood between the early 1940s and the late 1950s. Film noir was always shot in black-and-white and features highly stylised lighting effects. These were usually crime stories and created a distinctive world of heroes (who are frequently world-weary private detectives outfitted in trench coat and fedora) investigating crimes in a morally ambiguous world. There are a series of familiar tropes from the voiceover dialogue to the Femme Fatale.

Film Noir is not in itself a fantastic genre but there are a number of works that overlap and later pastiches that blend fantastic elements such as occult detectives, voodoo, deals with The Devil and hologram/VR recreations. Blade Runner (1982) began the idea of quoting noir in a future setting.

For more detail and an overview of the genre see the Theme Essay Film Noir.


Alphaville (1965)

3 May 199925 October 2019

Rating: ★★★

French New Wave/Intergalactic Detective

Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Actors: Eddie Constantine, Anna Karina, Akim Tamiroff, Howard Vernon, …
Category: Science Fiction

American Fetish (2009)

10 January 201130 June 2025

Rating: ★

Thriller Set in the World of Fetish

Director: Michael Simmons
Actors: Matt Jones, Marek Matousek
Category: Horror

Among the Living (1941)

6 January 20019 July 2024

Rating: ★★

Disturbed Twin Psycho-Thriller

Director: Stuart Heisler
Actors: Albert Dekker, Susan Hayward, Frances Farmer, Harry Carey, …
Category: Horror

Angel Heart (1987)

8 June 19993 July 2025

Rating: ★★★★

Film Noir/Pact with The Devil

Director: Alan Parker
Actors: Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet, Elliott Keener, …
Category: Horror

The Animatrix (2003)

26 November 20054 July 2025

Rating: ★★★½

Compilation of Matrix Anime Shorts

Director: Andy Jones, Mahiro Maeda, Shinichiro Watanabe, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, …
Actors: Carrie-Anne Moss, Melinda Clarke, Pamela Adlon, Kevin Michael Richardson, …
Category: Science Fiction

Blade Runner (1982)

8 January 200024 October 2024

Rating: ★★★★★

Cyberpunk Future/Hunt for Escaped Androids

Director: Ridley Scott
Actors: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Daryl Hannah, …
Category: Science Fiction

Clonehunter (2009)

20 June 201330 April 2020

Rating: ★★½

Interstellar Detective Story

Director: Andrew Bellware
Actors: Ben Thomas, Angela Funk, David Ian Lee, Thomas Rowen, …
Category: Science Fiction

Dark City (1998)

7 June 19994 September 2021

Rating: ★★★★★

Reality Manipulation

Director: Alex Proyas
Actors: Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, William Hurt, …
Category: Science Fiction

The Dead Don’t Die (1975)

30 January 201921 March 2024

Rating: ★★★

Film Noir/Voodoo Resurrected Dead

Director: Curtis Harrington
Actors: George Hamilton, Ray Milland, Ralph Meeker, Reggie Nalder, …
Category: Horror

A Double Life (1947)

13 March 201031 August 2020

Rating: ★★½

Mad Shakespearean Actor

Director: George Cukor
Actors: Ronald Colman, Edmond O'Brien, Shelley Winters, Signe Hasso, …
Category: Horror

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (2010)

24 August 201129 June 2020

Rating: ★★

Supernatural Private Investigator

Director: Kevin Munroe
Actors: Brandon Routh, Sam Huntington, Anita Briem, Taye Diggs, …
Category: Horror

Equinox (1992)

28 May 20101 February 2024

Rating: ★★

Futuristic Film Noir

Director: Alan Rudolph
Actors: Matthew Modine, Lara Flynn Boyle, Marisa Tomei, Fred Ward, …
Category: Science Fiction

Fatal Instinct (1993)

16 August 201030 August 2018

Rating: ★★½

Psycho-Thriller & Film Noir Spoof

Director: Carl Reiner
Actors: Armand Assante, Sean Young, Sherilyn Fenn, Kate Nelligan, …
Category: Horror

The Gene Generation (2007)

27 May 20206 June 2023

Rating: ★★½

Cyberpunk Future/Genetic Hacking

Director: Pearry Teo
Actors: Bai Ling, Alec Newman, Parry Shen, Robert David Hall, …
Category: Science Fiction

The Killer Inside Me (2010)

17 November 201019 August 2024

Rating: ★★★

Psycho Deputy

Director: Michael Winterbottom
Actors: Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, Elias Koteas, …
Category: Horror

Let Me Die Quietly (2009)

31 December 200911 January 2024

Rating: ★★★

Clairvoyance Thriller

Director: Mitchell Reichler
Actors: Charles Casillo, Dana Perry
Category: Fantasy

The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)

16 November 20015 January 2025

Rating: ★★★

Film Noir Thriller/UFOs

Director: Coen Brothers
Actors: Billy Bob Thornton, Scarlett Johansson, Frances McDormand, Michael Badalucco, …
Category: Science Fiction

Mute (2018)

3 March 201826 January 2020

Rating: ★★

Future-Set Neo-Noir

Director: Duncan Jones
Actors: Alexander SkarsgÃ¥rd, Paul Rudd, Justin Theroux, Robert Sheehan, …
Category: Science Fiction

Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948)

2 April 20252 April 2025

Rating: ★★½

Film Noir/Medium Gains Real Clairvoyant Powers

Director: John Farrow
Actors: Edward G. Robinson, Gail Russell, Virginia Bruce, Jerome Cowan, …
Category: Fantasy

The Night Has Eyes (1942)

1 April 20036 December 2024

Rating: ★★½

Gothic Psycho-Thriller

Director: Leslie Arliss
Actors: James Mason, Joyce Howard
Category: Horror

Nightmare (1956)

9 August 20058 May 2024

Rating: ★★★

Film Noir/Precognitive Dream

Director: Maxwell Shane
Actors: Kevin McCarthy, Edward G. Robinson, Virginia Christine, Gage Clark, …
Category: Fantasy

Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King (2006)

16 December 200828 July 2021

Rating: ★★★

Stephen King Anthology

Director: Brian Henson, Mark Haber, Rob Bowman, Mikael Salomon, …
Actors: William Hurt, Bruce Spence, Mia Sara, Claire Forlani, …
Category: Horror

The Outsider (1996)

17 February 20039 January 2020

Rating: ★½

Android Amusement Park Amok

Director: David Bishop
Actors: Gabriel Dell Jr, Xavier DeClie, Bridget Flanery, David Leisure, …
Category: Science Fiction

Poison (1991)

3 December 201327 January 2023

Rating: ★★

Anthology/Mad Scientist Homage

Director: Todd Haynes
Category: Horror

A Prairie Home Companion (2006)

19 February 202419 February 2024

Rating: ★★★

Backstage at a Radio Variety Show

Director: Robert Altman
Actors: Garrison Keillor, Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Woody Harrelson, …
Category: Fantasy

Reminiscence (2021)

4 September 202130 October 2022

Rating: ★★★

Memory Retrieval Device/Future Noir

Director: Lisa Joy
Actors: Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, Thandie/Thandiwe Newton, Cliff Curtis, …
Category: Science Fiction

Renaissance (2006)

10 November 200623 December 2019

Rating: ★★★½

Animation/Futuristic Film Noir

Director: Christian Volckman
Actors: Daniel Craig, Catherine McCormack, Ian Holm, Jonathan Pryce
Category: Science Fiction

Secret Beyond the Door (1948)

20 December 200923 March 2020

Rating: ★★

Film Noir Psycho-Thriller

Director: Fritz Lang
Actors: Joan Bennett, Michael Redgrave, Anne Revere, Natalie Schaefer, …
Category: Horror

Shock (1946)

17 January 201013 March 2025

Rating: ★★★

Film Noir Psycho-Thriller

Director: Alfred Werker
Actors: Vincent Price, Lynn Bari, Reed Hadley, Charles Trowbridge
Category: Horror

Sin City (2005)

20 August 20053 August 2021

Rating: ★★★★★

Graphic Novel Adaptation/Ultra-Violent Film Noir Tales

Director: Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez
Actors: Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Josh Hartnett, …
Category: Horror

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014)

23 August 20148 March 2025

Rating: ★★★½

Graphic Novel Adaptation/Ultra-Violent Film Noir Tales

Director: Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez
Actors: Josh Brolin, Eva Green, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mickey Rourke, …
Category: Horror

The Singing Detective (1986)

10 June 202410 June 2024

Rating: ★★★★★

Meta-Fiction/Detective Story Daydreams

Director: Jon Amiel
Actors: Michael Gambon, Joanne Whalley, Patrick Malahide, Bill Paterson, …
Category: Fantasy

The Singing Detective (2003)

8 November 200522 October 2020

Rating: ★

Detective Story Daydreams

Director: Keith Gordon
Actors: Robert Downey Jr, Robin Wright, Mel Gibson, Katie Holmes, …
Category: Fantasy

Sparks (2013)

5 September 20145 March 2020

Rating: ★★

Superhero Film

Director: Todd Burrows, Christopher Folino
Actors: Chase Williamson, Ashley Bell, Clancy Brown, Jake Busey, …
Category: Science Fiction

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

9 March 201919 December 2024

Rating: ★★★½

Animation/Comic-Book Superhero

Director: Bob Perschietti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman
Actors: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Maherashala Ali, …
Category: Science Fiction

The Spirit (2008)

11 January 200917 July 2019

Rating: ★★★½

Comic-Book Superhero

Director: Frank Miller
Actors: Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Eva Mendes, Scarlett Johansson, …
Category: Fantasy

Stranger on the Third Floor (1940)

7 June 201528 March 2025

Rating: ★★★½

Film Noir Psycho-Thriller

Director: Boris Ingster
Actors: Peter Lorre, John McGuire, Elisha Cook Jr, Charles Halton, …
Category: Horror

Sufferrosa (2011)

18 October 20111 April 2025

Rating: ★★

Interactive Film/Sinister Rejuvenation Institute

Director: Dawid Marcinkowski
Actors: Ryszard Ronczewski, Beata Tyszklewicz, John Edmonson
Category: Science Fiction

The Thirteenth Floor (1999)

16 June 199926 October 2019

Rating: ★★

Virtual Reality

Director: Josef Rusnak
Actors: Craig Bierko, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Gretchen Mol, Vincent D'Onofrio, …
Category: Science Fiction

Trancers (1985)

5 May 20039 July 2019

Rating: ★★★

Time-Travelling Detective

Director: Charles Band
Actors: Tim Thomerson, Helen Hunt, Michael Stefani, Art La Fleur, …
Category: Science Fiction

Trouble in Mind (1986)

31 May 20104 August 2023

Rating: ★★

Futuristic Film Noir

Director: Alan Rudolph
Actors: Kris Kristofferson, Lori Singer, Robert Carradine, Genevieve Bujold, …
Category: Science Fiction

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)

9 May 20016 November 2020

Rating: ★★★★

Toon Detective Story

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Actors: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy, Stubby Kaye, …
Category: Fantasy

Zone 414 (2021)

30 October 202230 October 2022

Rating: ★★

Future Film Noir/Androids

Director: Andrew Baird
Actors: Guy Pearce, Matilda Lutz, Travis Fimmel, Jonathan Aris, …
Category: Science Fiction

Recent Posts

  • Bring Her Back (2025)
  • Linkeroever (2008)
  • Jug Face (2013)
  • Cathy’s Curse (1977)
  • 666: The Child (2006)
  • Asterix and Obelix Vs. Cesar (1999)
  • Tune Into the Future (2020)
  • Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms (2023)
  • The Ritual (2025)
  • Long Distance (2024)
  • To the Solitary Me Who Loved You (2022)
  • Parallel World Love Story (2019)
  • The Loch Ness Horror (2023)
  • Planetquake (2024)
  • Earthtastrophe (2016)
  • It Lives Inside (2023)
  • Subservience (2024)
  • Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025)
  • The Assessment (2024)
  • The Mighty Gorga (1969)
  • Empire of the Apes (2013)
  • The Holy Virgin Versus the Evil Dead (1991)
  • Swarmed (2005)
  • Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo (1977)
  • Incantation (2022)

Contact Moria

  • Send Email
  • Facebook Follow Moria on Facebook

Theme Essays

  • Films About Atlantis
  • Werewolf Films
  • Virtual Reality
  • Imprisonment Thrillers
  • Films Depicting NASA and the Space Program
  • Human Bloodsports and Death Games
  • Animals Attack Films
  • Films About Plague and Pandemic
  • Disaster Movies
  • Steampunk Films
  • Documentaries
  • Films About Halloween
  • Films About Prophecy
  • Magicians and Sorcerers
  • Secret Societies
  • Real-Life People in Fiction
  • Techno-Thrillers
  • Twins in Fantastic Cinema
  • Asylums
  • Possession Films
  • Films About Imaginary and Magical Lands
  • Religion in Fantastic Cinema
  • Romantic Comedies
  • Film Noir
  • Spy Films
  • Jekyll and Hyde Films
  • Films That Make Dubious Claims to Being True Stories
  • Coming of Age Stories in Fantastic Cinema
  • Films About Cryogenics and Suspended Animation
  • Alternate History Films
  • Disturbed Psychology as Portrayed on Film
  • Law Enforcement in Fantastic Cinema
  • Weird Westerns
∧

Copyright Richard Scheib 1999-2025

Jump to top Moria