Every January, when Frisco is at its darkest and dankest, the Noir City Film Festival comes to town with its world-weary tough guys and lethal dames; crisp, terse chitchat; and shadowy aesthetic. The brainchild of film noir authority Eddie Muller, the festival celebrates the lesser-known treasures and pleasures of the genre, which flourished in the decade of existential ennui brought on by WWII. Most film fests feature their fair share of turkeys, but these handpicked, time-tested cult classics (many of them unavailable on DVD) rarely disappoint. The festival attracts snappily attired devotees from across the country and around the world, as well as netherworld movie icons like Arlene Dahl, Farley Granger, and Marsha Hunt. All proceeds go toward film preservation.