Down Dark Alleys and Through Darker Minds...

What, I hear you ask, is EOFFTV doing giving away a film noir box Set? What does this hard-boiled crime genre have to do with the sort of films we cover here? More than you might think...

Film noir and the horror film in particular have much in common - not only did they share many of the same writers and directors [Edgar G. Ulmer, Fritz Lang, Irving Pichel et al] but also shared many of the same concerns. Both genres hold a mirror up to the society in which they were made and reflects back some of the more unhealthy and unpalatable truths that society would rather remained repressed. Both are far better equipped to deal with the seamier and more confrontational side of modern society than any other genre which probably goes some way to explaining the longevity of their popularity - despite claims to the contrary, noir still gets made though its tropes and techniques have generally been subsumed into other genres.

Film noir is often discussed as though it were a genre in itself and has become a useful - if often mis-used - label to hang on a certain type of film. But it's probably more useful to consider noir as a collection of themes, techniques and styles that have proven themselves remarkably adaptable, able to be applied to films of other genres to give them that unmistakable noir feel. We've can science fiction noir [Alphaville [1965], Soylent Green [1973] and most notably Blade Runner [1982]] and the whole cyberpunk movement channelled the greats of literary noir into a whole new form of science fiction literature; animation noir [watch either of the Ghost in the Shell films and you'll see many of the noir tropes in anime form]; even, arguably, film noir westerns [Lust For Gold [1949], The Return of Jesse James [1950], Dead Man [1995]].

Quite often, the most interesting films are those born when genres collide and the fusion of horror and film noir in particular has spawned some truly impressive and unique films. The cross-pollination of the two genres began early - in 1943, Reginald LeBorg directed Lon Chaney Jr in Calling Dr Death which displayed many of the iconic techniques associated with noir and many of the low budget 40s offerings from Poverty Row specialists PRC employed the same style PRC of course made one of the seminal 40s noirs, Edgar G. Ulmer's wonderful Detour [1945]].

The first truly great horror film to make use of noir's signature look, feel and attitude was Charles Laughton's still extraordinary The Night of the Hunter [1955] which drew heavily on German Expressionism, another of the factors that unites horror and noir - both genres have solid roots in the form and drew many of their early practitioners from adherents of Expressionism.

Curiously, more horror films have made use of noir in the years since the form's heyday - the TV movie Cast a Deadly Spell [1991] is a deliberate pastiche of film noir in a horror setting; Lord of Illusions [1995], based on the Clive Barker novel, and Alan Parker's extraordinary Angel Heart [1987] both mix the hard-boiled detective genre with noir styles and horror themes; even higher profile, more mainstream horrors got in on the act - Fatal Attraction [1987], Se7en [1995] and Silence of the Lambs [1991] all called on the noir tradition to varying degrees. And on the small screen, The X Files [1993 - 2002] directors were clearly well versed in the history of film noir.

So horror and film noir are no strangers to one another and anyone interested in horror should do at least a superficial delve into the murky, sordid world of noir. The box set we're giving away at the moment contains four of the best, particularly Billy Wilder's classic Double Indemnity [1944] which would be as good a place as any to start of you haven't tried noir yet. Convinced? Then why not enter our Film Noir competition here - and if you can't wait, the Classic Cuts: Film Noir collection is available to buy from 26 March 2007.
KEVIN LYONS