Looking for thrilling Murder mysteries that keep you on the edge of your seat until the final reveal? Here are 25 great murder mystery movies that offer up plenty of twists and turns.
1. Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
Based on the 1934 novel by Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express takes place in December 1935. It follows detective Hercule Poirot attempting to solve a murder on a stranded transcontinental luxury train. The film was done in 1974 and again in 2017, and the consensus is the original is better by a landslide.
2. Clue (1985)
Based on the popular Hasbro board game of the same name, Jonathan Lynn's Clue is one of the greatest murder mystery films. It follows six unsuspecting guests anonymously invited to a mysterious mansion for dinner. After the host is murdered, they must work to determine the killer.
3. Gosford Park (2001)
Gosford Park is a satirical black comedy mystery set in the 1930s. It follows a pretentious group of eccentric famous and rich people coming together at a hunting resort for a weekend vacation. After someone is murdered, each of the characters becomes a suspect.
4. Murder by Death (1976)
Murder by Death is a spoof of the traditional country house whodunit films. It follows five renowned literary detectives and their sidekicks invited to a strange mansion to solve a bizarre mystery.
5. Double Indemnity (1944)
Double Indemnity is a fantastic crime film noir following a Los Angeles insurance representative who falls for a seductive homemaker who lures him into an insurance fraud scheme and murder. It's widely regarded as a classic and one of the greatest films of all time.
6. See How They Run (2022)
In the West End of 1950s London, See How They Run follows a cast performing Agatha Christie's play The Mousetrap as they celebrate its 100th performance. However, the murder of the film adaptation's director changes the course of production.
7. Crooked House (2017)
Based on Agatha Christie's 1949 novel of the same name, Crooked House follows a spy-turned-private detective seduced by his former lover. She lures him into catching the person who murdered her grandfather before dark family secrets are exposed by Scotland Yard.
8. Deathtrap (1982)
Based on Ira Levin's 1978 play of the same name, Deathtrap is a black comedy mystery film following a Broadway playwright. He plots murder to take credit for one of his student's plays.
9. And Then There Were None (1945)
Based on Agatha Christie's 1939 mystery novel of the same name, And Then There Were None follows ten people at a mansion on an isolated island. Unfortunately, their host is absent, and they are murdered one by one — so they must work together to discover the killer's identity.
10. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
Based on Agatha Christie's 1953 play of the same name, Witness for the Prosecution is a top-tier courtroom murder mystery. It follows a veteran British barrister defending his client in the murder trial of a wealthy woman and has surprise after surprise.
11. The Usual Suspects (1995)
The Usual Suspects is a neo-noir mystery thriller following a sole survivor as he explains the twisted details of the events leading up to a deadly gun battle on a ship. It starts with five criminals meeting at a seemingly random police lineup and ends as one of the biggest plot twists in film history.
12. Identity (2003)
Based loosely on Agatha Christie's whodunit And Then There Were None (1939), Identity follows ten strangers stranded in a desolate motel due to a horrific rain storm. After they begin being murdered one by one, they work together to discover something more sinister than imagined.
13. Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)
Bad Times at the El Royale is a neo-noir thriller set in the early 1970s. It centers around six strangers checking in at the El Royale Hotel, a deserted building with only a single desk clerk working. Each person has a dark secret, and some are not who they appear to be.
14. The Lady Vanishes (1938)
Alfred Hitchcock's British murder mystery, The Lady Vanishes, follows an affluent young woman traveling in continental Europe. She becomes invested when an elderly lady and her traveling companion seemingly disappear.
15. Knives Out (2019)
Knives Out follows detective Benoit Blanc as he investigates the death of a wealthy mystery novelist and the patriarch of an eccentric, combative family. It's a fantastic whodunit film and has quickly amassed a cult following.
16. Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
Bodies Bodies Bodies is a murder-mystery comedy-horror film following a group of affluent 20-somethings at a hurricane party in a remote family mansion. After a party turns deadly, the group works together to determine who the killer is in a humorous look at backstabbing with a twist ending.
17. Dead Again (1991)
Dead Again is a neo-noir romantic thriller following a woman with amnesia who hires a private detective to help track her identity. However, in a twisty tale, he discovers a possible past life connection to the woman, endangering her life.
18. Se7en (1995)
Seven is a classic crime thriller that follows a rookie and a veteran detective hunting a serial killer using the seven deadly sins as his motives behind the murders. Seven has one of the most notoriously infamous endings of all time.
19. The Cheap Detective (1978)
The Cheap Detective is a mystery comedy film starring Peter Falk as Lou Peckinpaugh, a parody of Humphrey Bogart. Set in 1940, San Francisco, Peckinpaugh must prove his innocence of his partner's murder while helping an eccentric group recover a lost treasure.
20. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Shane Black's directorial debut, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, is a neo-noir black comedy murder mystery. It follows a New York thief who is mistaken for an actor and sent to Hollywood for training under a private eye. However, a murder mystery on the train derails their initial plan.
21. The Nice Guys (2016)
In another Shane Black murder mystery action comedy, The Nice Guys follows a mismatched pair of private detectives investigating a missing girl and the mysterious death of an adult film star in 1970s Los Angeles.
22. The Batman (2022)
Based on the DC Comics character Batman, The Batman is a superhero film following a sadistic serial killer murdering critical political figures in Gotham City. At the same time, Batman investigates the city's hidden corruption and begins questioning his family's involvement.
23. Zodiac (2007)
Based on Robert Graysmith's non-fiction books Zodiac and Zodiac Unmasked, David Fincher's Zodiac follows a cartoonist-turned-detective in San Francisco obsessed with finding the Zodiac serial killer. The Zodiac Killer remains one of the United States' most infamous unsolved crimes.
24. Sleuth (1972)
Based on Anthony Shaffer's 1970 Tony Award-winning play, Sleuth is a British-American mystery comedy thriller. It follows a successful crime fiction author inviting his wife's lover to meet him at his home for an elaborate setup with potentially deadly consequences.
25. Rear Window (1954)
Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window is a mystery thriller classic following a wheelchair-bound photographer spying on his neighbors from his apartment window in Greenwich Village. Despite his girlfriend's skepticism, he becomes convinced that one of his neighbors committed murder.
Source: Reddit.
