Mystery backdrop

Mystery movies

Suspenseful puzzles and 'whodunnits' that keep you guessing until the final, shocking revelation.

Subgenres include: Whodunit, Locked-Room Mystery, Investigation Mystery.

Wild Things

1101. Wild Things

Mystery Thriller Drama
6.6

19981h 48min

United States

Director: John McNaughton

When teen-socialite Kelly Van Ryan and troubled bad girl Suzie Toller accuse guidance counselor Sam Lombardo of rape, he's suspended by the school, rejected by the town, and fighting to get his life back. One cop suspects conspiracy, but nothing is what it seems...


The Interview

1102. The Interview

Crime Mystery Drama
7.0

19981h 44min

Australia

Director: Craig Monahan

A duel between a suspected murderer and a detective pressed by people who want results. But whose skin is really wanted?


Dark City

1103. Dark City

Mystery Science Fiction Dystopian Sci-Fi Unreliable Perspective Mystery
7.6

19981h 41min

Australia, United States

Director: Alex Proyas

The protagonist wakes up in a hotel room with no memory of who he is or how he got there. He soon learns that the police suspect him of a series of brutal murders, while the city he has found himself in seems disturbingly unnatural: the sun never shines here, and time and reality itself feel as if they are controlled by someone.

Themes

Memory transfer ethics, Urban gothic mood, Parallel world anxiety, Dystopia under pressure, False memory manipulation, Serial killer motif

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Palmetto

1104. Palmetto

Crime Mystery Thriller
6.1

19981h 54min

United States, Germany

Director: Volker Schlöndorff

After being released from prison on a bum charge, Harry Barber is out for payback to regain his lost two years. He's hired by Mrs. Malroux to fake the kidnapping of her stepdaughter (the daughter of a dying millionaire). He discovers that he is being set up on multiple levels and will soon face a longer sentence if he doesn't prove the truth.


Sphere

1105. Sphere

Science Fiction Mystery Thriller
6.1

19982h 14min

United States

Director: Barry Levinson

A spacecraft is discovered on the floor of the Pacific Ocean, presumed to be at least 300 years old and of alien origin. A crack team of scientists and experts is assembled and taken to the Habitat, a state-of-the-art underwater living environment, to investigate.


Affliction

1106. Affliction

Crime Drama Mystery Thriller
6.9

19981h 54min

United States

Director: Paul Schrader

A small town policeman must investigate a suspicious hunting accident. The investigation and other events result in him slowly disintegrating mentally.


Zero Effect

1107. Zero Effect

Comedy Crime Drama Mystery
6.9

19981h 56min

United States

Director: Jake Kasdan

Daryl Zero is a private investigator and—along with his assistant, Steve Arlo—he solves impossible crimes and puzzles. Although Daryl's a master investigator, he doesn't know what to do with himself when he's not working; he has no social skills, writes bad music and drives Steve crazy.


Cure

1108. Cure

Crime Thriller Horror Mystery
7.5

19971h 52min

Japan

Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa

A detective starts spiraling out of control when a wave of gruesome murders with seemingly similar bizarre circumstances is sweeping Tokyo.


Scream 2

1109. Scream 2

Horror Mystery
6.3

19972h

United States

Director: Wes Craven

Two years after the Woodsboro murders, Sidney Prescott acclimates to college life while someone donning the Ghostface costume begins a new string of killings.


Amistad

1110. Amistad

Drama History Mystery
7.3

19972h 35min

United States

Director: Steven Spielberg

In 1839, the slave ship Amistad set sail from Cuba to America. During the long trip, Cinque leads the slaves in an unprecedented uprising. They are then held prisoner in Connecticut, and their release becomes the subject of heated debate. Freed slave Theodore Joadson wants Cinque and the others exonerated and recruits property lawyer Roger Baldwin to help his case. Eventually, John Quincy Adams also becomes an ally.