Little Hawk says Night of the Hunter is not a Film Noir. I have some lists that say it is, and a list that omits it. I tend to agree with LH, although it does have a noirish quality. I saw the film when it first came out, and it scared the bejeezus out of me!

Virtually every list includes The Maltese Falcon. About eighteen months ago I listed (at another site) reasons why it is not a Film Noir as I consider the genre. Unfortunately I cannot access that post. Needless to say, I was quite alone in my assessment, although a minor point or two was granted. The main reason for my interpretation is that I believe Sam Spade is virtually always in control of himself, and is pushing forward the narrative, although it seems otherwise. And he does the right thing. I had about six other reasons for my view on why it is not a Noir to go along with that.

As I noted above, the parameters of Noir are quite elastic. Quite a few of the films listed in various posts are not part of the Noir canon. But some of them have noirish qualities, and perhaps a case can be made for them.