With the spooky season officially over, some movie buffs have set aside November as the month for all things noir.

Known in certain circles as Noirvember, this month many moviegoers will celebrate quintessential film noir, a genre typically used to describe stylish crime dramas with a darker edge in themes or tone.

Noirvember has become an annual tradition for some, but selecting which films to watch can be a daunting task if you’re unfamiliar with the ins and outs of the genre. If you’re still struggling to pick, we’ve listed some essentials below, as selected by critics.

What are the best films for Noirvember?

If you want a comprehensive list of the best film noirs, Rotten Tomatoes compiled the 100 best films of the genre based on the site’s critics score.

For the cream of the crop, we’ve listed the top 10 movies in the list below.

1. laurel (1944)
2. Shadow of a doubt (1943)
3. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
4. The third man (1949)
5. Sunset Blvd (1950)
6. Sweet smell of success (1957)
7. Strangers on a train (1951)
8. Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
9. detour (1945)
10. Double compensation (1944)

of Otto Preminger laurel occupy the first place, with a rating of 100%. The film follows Manhattan detective Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) as he investigates the murder of Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney), only to find himself obsessed with the case. At the time of its release, it was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Director.

Alfred Hitchcock gets two top ten nods with Shadow of a doubt and Strangers on a train. The former is a psychological thriller starring Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten, while the latter is based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel of the same name.

The other director to get two films on the list is Billy Wilder, with the black comedy Sunset Blvd and Double compensation with Fred MacMurray.

Where can I transmit? laurel?

laurel is available for purchase and rental Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+.