Which noir term describes a seductive woman who leads men into danger?

The noir term for a seductive woman who leads men into danger is femme fatale.

The French expression femme fatale literally means “fatal woman” or “deadly woman.” In storytelling, it describes a character whose allure, intelligence, or manipulation draws others—often men—into betrayal, crime, ruin, or death. The archetype predates cinema and has roots in older stories about figures such as Circe, Medea, Salome, and Cleopatra.

The femme fatale became especially prominent in American film noir during the 1940s and 1950s. These characters often exploit masculine confidence and desire, turning romance into a trap. Barbara Stanwyck’s Phyllis Dietrichson in the 1944 film Double Indemnity is one of the classic examples: she persuades an insurance salesman to help kill her husband for financial gain.

The term is broader than “villainess.” A femme fatale may be criminal, desperate, self-protective, or morally ambiguous, and later films have questioned the stereotype itself. “Final girl” belongs to horror, while “scream queen” describes a performer or character associated with horror roles; neither is a noir archetype.