From ‘Vertigo’ to ‘Nightmare Alley’, Noirvember shines a spotlight on classic crime dramas

And you thought Halloween was scary… Noirvember takes us deep into the trap of bad women, worse men, double crosses, deceit and dark deeds. Here you can indulge in film noir in the city and online.

“Vertigo,” Nov. 2 and 3, Somerville Theater

The original ‘it’ll keep you guessing until the last minute’ thriller ‘Vertigo’ is Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece and Jimmy Stewart’s most unhinged role. Follow an ex-police detective through his obsession with a woman with a haunted past – played by an equally intense Kim Novak. Film nerds, this is a new 70mm print! somervilletheatre.com

‘In a Lonely Place’, November 8, Brattle Theatre, Cambridge

Did someone say untethered? Humphrey Bogart takes his acting to a new level in this underrated gem – if not his best role, then certainly his best character name, Dix Steele. Steele, a Hollywood screenwriter on the decline in his career, definitely didn’t kill the hat girl in a nightclub. Or wait, huh? Well, he’s certainly not going to kill his neighbor. Or wait, right? Sorry to reuse the phrase already, but it’s another one of those “it’ll keep you guessing until the last minute.” brattlefilm.org

“Nightmare Alley,” Nov. 27, Coolidge Corner Theater

Dreamy matinee star Tyrone Power reinvents his image by going dark, as dark as Hollywood in 1947 would allow anyone. Power shines in a simple carny with charisma who wants to take his career to the next level. He becomes a medium to contact spirits for gullible rich people. Ambition and evil eventually assert their seriousness and things become – you guessed it – murky. Shocking in its time, the film remains downright creepy. coolidge.org

Columbia Noir series, all month, online

The Criterion Channel delves into the Columbia Picture archive for a wealth of noir classics and cult favorites to celebrate the studio’s centennial. If you want a movie where you don’t care about the plot, the theme or the rest of the actors because one star is so gripping, watch Rita Hayworth in “Gilda” – smoldering people, smoldering! If you want pulp, the kind of movie with snappy lines like “Your big problem, baby, is that you’re attacking yourself from all sides like Jersey mosquitoes,” “The Big Heat” delivers, while still managing to to subvert the tropes of the time. genre. Find this and a dozen more noirs on criterium.com

‘The Stranger’, online all month

Orson Welles can be a very good actor. Edward G. Robinson is an absolute master of the craft. Watch a very fine Welles meander as a man with a hidden past while an absolutely excellent Robinson plays a government agent trying to overtake him. The best part is that you can stream it for free with your local library card. Details at kanopy.com