Christmastime is that special time of year when everything is bright and merry. It's also when things are at their darkest and coldest. While families are cozying up and putting on their favorite yuletide movies or perhaps a Christmas episode of their favorite sitcom, there's another seasonal selection of films that appeal to the darker side of the holiday. Film noir combines hard-boiled crime stories with visuals heavily influenced by German expressionism for a classic genre that is still alive and well in modern cinema.
Christmas noir mixes the merry visuals of the holiday season with a cynical tone that makes for a perfect cocktail that's equal parts sweet and spice. Whether viewers need some bitter counter-programming to the saccharine holiday specials or the whole holly and jolly thing isn't their bag, these ten noir films are the best to watch while sipping on a spiked eggnog.
10 'Lady in the Lake' (1946)
Directed by Robert Montgomery
Image via MGM Studios
Lady in the Lake adapts Raymond Chandler's novel of the same name featuring his famed private detective character Phillip Marlowe. The film, which is set during the Christmas season, may not be the best Philip Marlowe adaptation, but it does have one aspect that makes it stand out among other film noir. Almost the entire film is shot from the POV of the lead character, played by director Robert Montgomery.
It's a fairly novel concept, and one that this film did decades before any other, though fellow forgotten noir Dark Passage would employ the technique for its entire first act only one year later. Ultimately, the camera perspective comes off more as a gimmick than anything else, and the camera technology at the time didn't provide much pliability. Fans of the character or unique cinematography should add this to their Christmas watch list.
Lady in the Lake is available to rent on Prime Video in the U.S.
Mr. Arkadin, the oft-overlooked film noir of Orson Welles' directorial career, was marred by a disastrous editing process. Welles' creative control was taken away, and it resulted in several different versions of the final film. While any version of the film can't reach the cinematic heights of Citizen Kane or Touch of Evil, there is still enough of Welles' talent on display to make it worth watching.
The twisty plot involves a smuggler who, after attempting to blackmail the wealthy Mr. Arkadin (played by Welles), finds himself investigating the man's past on his behalf. A Christmas party is also featured prominently within the film, making this one a perfect gift under the tree for any cynical cinephile.
Release Date October 2, 1962
CastOrson Welles , Michael Redgrave , Patricia Medina , Akim Tamiroff , Mischa Auer , Paola Mori , Peter van Eyck , Grégoire Aslan
Runtime 107 Minutes
8 'The Night of the Hunter' (1955)
Directed by Charles Laughton
Image via United Artists
From underwhelming and overlooked to an absolute classic. The Night of the Huntercomes from actor turned director Charles Laughton, who would sadly never direct another film after the initial negative reception that this film received. It's a film noir by way of southern gothic, with Robert Mitchum at the center with one of the best villain performances of the 1950s. Mitchum is spellbinding and terrifying as the serial murdering preacher Harry Powell, who sets his sight on two unsuspecting children while in search of a hidden fortune.
While Christmas only comes into the film at the very end, it adds an almost fable-like ending to what is a very dark story of murder and greed. The real Christmas miracle was the resurrection of this film's reputation after critics initially dismissed it upon release, but it is now lauded as an absolute masterpiece and has been referenced in the cinema of filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, and the Coen Brothers.
Release Date August 26, 1955
Director Charles Laughton
Cast Robert Mitchum , Billy Chapin , Shelley Winters , Lillian Gish , James Gleason , Evelyn Varden , Don Beddoe , Peter Graves , James Griffith , Gloria Castillo , Gloria Pall , Paul Bryar , Cheryl Callaway , Alexander Campbell , Michael Chapin , Roy Engel , Kay Lavelle , Frances Morris
Runtime 93 Minutes
The Night of the Hunter is available to watch on the Criterion Channel in the U.S.
This underrated neo-noir black comedy went almost completely unnoticed upon its release. The Ice Harvest, which details a group of Kansas criminals and their dark dealings on Christmas Eve, was directed by Harold Ramis, an 80's comedy legend behind some of the decade's most iconic films. Despite his comedic pedigree, Ramis was operating here in much darker territory than he ever had before, and the film ends up as ruthless as it is funny.
The cast includes John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, Connie Nielsen and Randy Quaid, giving a performance that's relatively hinged in comparison to the actor's real life. This sharply written piece of Midwest noir would make a perfect stocking-stuffer alongside Fargo.
Release Date November 23, 2005
Director Harold Ramis
Runtime 88
6 'Christmas Holiday' (1944)
Directed by Robert Siodmak
Image via Universal Pictures
Christmas Holiday is a crime film set through the eponymous holiday as a jilted Army officer meets a mysterious singer in New Orleans who has a past with a murderous ex-husband. Director Robert Siodmak, who would later be nominated for an Academy Award for the noir The Killers, infuses the film with a Christmas atmosphere in music and visuals that sharply contrast its dark subject matter. The script, by supposed Citizen Cane writer Herman Mankiewicz, is also filled with the best kind of terse noir dialogue.
If Christmas noir is all about the dark side of joy, then Christmas Holiday has the best personification of that in song and dance man Gene Kelly, best known for Singin' in the Rain, playing very against type as a Southern silver-tongued psychopath. This is the Secret Santa gift that's perfect for any crime cinema connoisseur looking to expand their library.
Release Date July 31, 1944
Director Robert Siodmak
Cast Deanna Durbin , Gene Kelly , Richard Whorf , Dean Harens , Gladys George , Gale Sondergaard , David Bruce , Ruth Cherrington , Minor Watson , Neal Dodd , Robert Homans , James Flavin , Charles McMurphy , Cy Kendall , Eddie Dunn , Charles Cane , Charles Jordan , Larry Steers , Heinie Conklin , Cyril Ring , Arthur Stuart Hull , Frank Austin , Jim Farley , Jack C. Smith , John Hamilton
Runtime 93 minutes
Christmas Holiday isnot currently streaming in the U.S.
5 'The Silent Partner' (1978)
Directed by Daryl Duke
Image via Pan-Canadian Film Distributors
This Canadian neo-noir thriller features Christmas as a part of its heist plot, complete with Christopher Plummer as a Santa-suited bank robber. When a bank teller, played by Elliot Gould, skims some stolen cash for himself and blames the robber, it sets off a dark chain of events as both men attempt to outwit the other.
Yet another noir that has flown under the radar, the film makes good use of its chilly Canadian setting, and features strong performances from Gould, who was in the better known 70's noir The Long Goodbye, and Plummer, who is plain terrifying. There's also a rather shockingly violent murder late into the film that is sure to get one's blood pumping after a heavy Christmas dinner.
Release Date September 7, 1978
Director Daryl Duke
CastChristopher Plummer , Elliott Gould , Susannah York , Céline Lomez , Michael Kirby , Ken Pogue , John Candy , Gail Dahms-Bonine , Michael Donaghue , Sean Sullivan , Jack Duffy , Nancy Simmonds , Nuala Fitzgerald , Guy Sanvido , Charlotte Blunt , Aino Pirskanen , Michele Rosen , Ben Williams , Sandy Crawley , Jan Campbell , Jimmy Davidson , Eva Norman , John Kerr , Sue Lumsden , Harry Amey
Runtime 102 minutes
The Silent Partner is available to rent on Prime Video.
Curtis Hanson, who wrote the script for The Silent Partner, directed this Academy-Award winning adaptation of James Ellroy's crime novel, which was a part of his famous L.A. Quartet. The film isn't afraid to be unfaithful to the novel, but it distills the themes of corruption, celebrity, and exploitation into a potent two-hour thrill ride.
Christmas only features at the beginning of the film where, like the novel, it depicts a fictionalized version of the real-life Bloody Christmas Riot. The rest is as fine a crime film as offered by any other decade. The casting is perfection, featuring then up-and-coming stars Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce, and a career comeback for Kim Basinger, who Santa left an Oscar under the tree for the following year.
Release Date September 19, 1997
Director Curtis Hanson
Runtime 138 minutes
L.A. Confidential is available to watch on Prime VIdeo in the U.S.
The Thin Man, as adapted from Dashiell Hammett's novel, is a cozier and funnier noir, which makes its holiday season setting far less dissonant with its tone. There's still plenty of murder and intrigue on display as the plot follows mystery solving couple Nick and Nora Charles as they get pulled in a mysterious case involving embezzlement, blackmail, and the disappearance of the titular thin man. As played by William Powell and Myrna Loy, the on-screen couple have the kind of white-hot chemistry that could melt a snowman down to a carrot.
Cast Myrna Loy , William Powell , Maureen O'Sullivan , Nat Pendleton , Minna Gombell , Henry Wadsworth , Porter Hall , William Henry , Harold Huber , Edward Brophy , Cyril Thornton , Natalie Moorhead , Cesar Romero , Edward Ellis , William Augustin , Polly Bailey , Arthur Belasco , Brooks Benedict , Tui Bow , Raymond Brown , Jack Cheatham , Ruth Channing , Clay Clement , Pat Flaherty , Douglas Fowley
Runtime 91 minutes
2 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' (2005)
Directed by Shane Black
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
If there is one filmmaker who has become synonymous with the 25th of December, it's Shane Black. In his early work as a screenwriter he wrote the alternative Christmas action classic Lethal Weapon, and he helmed the MCU's only Christmas film in Iron Man 3. His best Christmas film by a frozen mile was also his debut as director for the neo-noir Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Featuring Robert Downey Jr., in a role that reignited his career, and Val Kilmer, as a thief and private investigator, respectively, who team up to solve a conspiracy involving Hollywood power players and wannabes.
The film bristles with Black's signature witty dialogue, and Downey and Kilmer make for a dynamic pairing. From stolen gifts to holiday parties in the Hollywood hills, Christmas is plastered all over the film. The L.A. setting substitutes falling bodies instead of snow, and the film's sardonic take on the noir genre has only grown in popularity in the wake of Downey's tenure at Marvel.
Release Date November 11, 2005
Director Shane Black
Runtime 103 Minutes
1 'Blast of Silence' (1961)
Directed by Allen Baron
Image via Universal Pictures
They don't get much darker or more depressing than this 1961 noir that follows a hitman as he spends the holidays in New York, killing time until he needs to kill his target. Blast of Silence was directed by Allen Baron, who also plays the lead role, and raised the funds for the independent production himself. The gritty black and white cinematography paints a bleak portrait of a cold-blooded man drifting through an even colder city. The film also employs an unusual second-person narration which accentuates the hitman's seemingly tenuous grasp on his sanity.
Between the setting and the anti-heroic lead, Blast of Silence feels like a gift-wrapped precursor to Taxi Driver. Released after what is generally considered the end of the classic noir period, the film fell through the cracks and its unavailability on any streaming platform means it still hasn't gotten its proper due. It's an essential film noir that should be counted among the genre's best, and one that shows that not every Christmas spent in New York City is a fairytale.
Blast of Silence is not currently streaming in the U.S.
Custom Image by Federico Napoli
Image via MGM Studios 
Image via Warner Bros. 
Image via United Artists 
Image via Focus Features 
Image via Universal Pictures 
Image via Pan-Canadian Film Distributors 
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures 
Image via Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures 
Image via Universal Pictures 
English (US) ·