20 Best Murder Mystery Movies Like ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’

Rian Johnson has made a name for himself as the director who is bringing back the whodunit. As of late, there haven’t been many murder mysteries that have been entertaining, but Knives Out became something truly special. When the first film was released, it became a force because of how many people went to go watch it and then recommended it to others.

Following another murder mystery movie with a brand-new cast for the sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, fans rejoiced to learn about the already-confirmed Knives Out 3. There have been plenty of murder mysteries (and movies like Glass Onion) over the years that have shown the brilliant minds of the detectives, while also poking fun at how plans have been executed. These great murder mystery films showcase the complexity and thrill that come with these movies.

20 ‘Werewolves Within’ (2021)

Director: Josh Ruben

Adapted from a virtual reality game version of the classic social deduction game, Werewolves Within follows a newly-arrived forest ranger as he attempts to keep the peace in a small town during a massive snowstorm. With nearly all the small town’s residents stuck in an old lodge, it doesn’t take long before a mysterious and terrifying werewolf begins picking them off one by one. It soon becomes up to the sheriff to not only keep the townspeople safe from the werewolf, but to also solve the identity of this killer fantasy creature.

While the original video game the film was based on was largely forgettable and underwhelming at best, Werewolves Within is a hilarious horror comedy thrill ride that takes full advantage of the original video game. Its wide cast of hilarious and memorable supporting characters, combined with the honest and rootable leading performance from Sam Richardson, immediately makes the film an underrated gem in the horror comedy space. – Robert Lee

19 ‘Vengeance’ (2022)

Director: B.J. Novak

Directed, written by, and starring B.J. Novak, Vengeance sees Novak as Ben Manalowitz, a journalist and podcaster who is looking for a genuine and hard-hitting story to break into the industry. He soon finds himself the unexpected story of a lifetime as he travels from safe and comfortable New York City to West Texas to investigate the death of a girl that he previously hooked up with. While logging and recording his investigation for a murder mystery podcast, he quickly gets a better sense of the community and begins to have second thoughts about his motives.

Especially considering the massive explosion and popularity of true crime podcasts in the digital era, it’s a shock that it took as long as it did for a film to truly understand and examine the ethical conundrum of the industry. Vengeance perfectly balances Novak’s style of humor with its genuine and effective messaging and themes surrounding the ethics and conundrums of his own story. The murder mystery at the center of it all is also highly engaging, with multiple brilliant layers revealed throughout the story to make it much more complex than simply finding the killer. – Robert Lee

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18 ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’ (2022)

Director: Halina Reijn

A wildly hilarious and unpredictable whodunnit and Gen Z satire, Bodies Bodies Bodies follows a group of young 20-somethings as they get trapped in a remote mansion during a hurricane. After a murder mystery party game goes wrong, a dead body on the premise quickly transforms their friend group against each other, with each one of them quick to blame one another for the murder. As the night continues and more bodies begin to pop up, it becomes a mad dash to figure out the culprit behind the murders.

Bodies Bodies Bodies fully embraces its satirical and comedic angle as a complete takedown of the privileged, rich kids of the digital era. The murder mystery at the center of it all, while deeply hilarious in its own right when fully revealed, only acts as the catalyst for all of these hilarious characters and archetypes to go at each other’s throats. Rachel Sennott especially gives an instantly iconic performance that steals the show as the comedic highlight in an already hilarious film. – Robert Lee

17 ‘Gosford Park’ (2001)

Director: Robert Altman

One of the last great films from the late legendary director Robert Altman, Gosford Park follows a large group of pretentious high-class guests at a luxurious weekend at a hunting resort in 1930s England. However, after a dastardly murder occurs, nearly all of the eclectic and interesting characters at the party become suspects, as they attempt to figure out the true identity of the killer as well as their dastardly motive.

It’s a shame that Gosford Park isn’t talked about nearly as much as Altman’s other masterpieces since it is chock-full of the same signature humor and wide-casting satirical lens. Gosford Park features a lot of the same strengths as Glass Onion, being a hilarious takedown of the rich while also featuring a gargantuan and highly memorable supporting cast of characters. Even if the film itself is mostly forgotten, it still has a surprisingly powerful legacy, as even the massively popular Downton Abbey was originally a spinoff of Gosford Park. – Robert Lee

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16 ‘The Kid Detective’ (2020)

Director: Evan Morgan

The Kid Detective follows the story of Adam Brody‘s Abe Applebaum who is a former kid-detective who used to be celebrated in his community for solving quirky, trivial mysteries. However, after being forced to solve a horrific real mystery of a missing young girl, he failed to solve the case and ended up falling into a pit of self-pity. Now, as a 31-year-old, a naive young teenage girl enters his offices and gives him a chance at redemption, asking him to find out who murdered her boyfriend.

The Kid Detective is a great, dark comedy twist on classic kid detective stories like Nancy Drew and Encyclopedia Brown, fully encapsulated in Brody’s terrific and self-deprecating performance. Even outside its ingenious premise, the core mystery and dynamic between Brody and co-star Sophie Nélisse make for a viewing experience that is as equally hilarious as it is engaging and unpredictable. It’s easily one of the most underrated murder mystery movies in recent memory, acting as a wholly original spin on the genre as a whole. – Robert Lee

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15 ‘The Pink Panther’ (2006)

Director: Shawn Levy

Like any other remake or revival, people were apprehensive about this version of The Pink Panther. After audiences saw how incredibly funny Steve Martin looked as Inspector Jacques Clouseau and how obscure his accent was, this easily became one of the most memorable comedies of the early 2000s. It follows the events following a French soccer coach’s death and the mysterious missing ring with a Pink Panther diamond on it.

Even though it sounds simple, the way The Pink Panther‘s is executed makes for a very engaging murder mystery with some hilarious moments. Director Shawn Levy brought a wonderful cast together, and they all bring their own comedic background which just adds to the film as a whole.

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14 ‘Murder Mystery’ (2019)

Director: Kyle Newacheck

When a New York cop and his wife go on a European vacation to reinvigorate the spark in their marriage, they end up getting framed, and they’re on the run for the death of an elderly billionaire. This fun Netflix original film brings Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston back together again in this funny murder mystery that also brings back slapstick comedy.

The script written by James Vanderbilt makes for one of the good murder mystery movies as an American cop uses his instincts and training to become a detective in his own right, but there’s a certain disconnect. This is what makes the mystery so fun to solve and the humor pretty sharp, especially between Aniston and Sandler. There are many people involved in Murder Mystery, and it becomes pure chaos in order to find out who the murderer is.

13 ‘Death on the Nile’ (2022)

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Death on the Nile is a star-studded mystery thriller based on the eponymous 1937 novel by Agatha Christie. Directed, co-produced by, and starring Kenneth Branagh as the fictional detective Hercule Poirot, the sequel to 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express follows Poirot as he investigates the murder of the wealthy heiress Linnet Doyle (Gal Gadot) during her honeymoon.

The film focuses on Poirot’s winding journey as he interrogates the passengers and crew on board the cruise ship, S.S. Karnak. Things get murky when he realizes that several of them have clear motives to murder the victim, but one hides the darkest secret of them all. While it’s undoubtedly a flawed adaptation of the classic novel and a weak follow-up to the first film, fans of the genre will likely still enjoy its twists and turns.

12 ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ (2017)

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Another film that adapts one of Agatha Christie’s acclaimed novels, Murder on the Orient Express takes place on the titular train, on which the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) happens to be on when a passenger is murdered. The detective embarks on the tedious quest of interrogating the passengers on board the train, most of whom have their own shady pasts and shocking motives.

What Murder on the Orient Express lacks in suspense, it more than makes up for with stellar performances from its talented cast members, which include Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Daisy Ridley. It’s a fun whodunit that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and audiences looking for a great recent example of the genre can start with this.

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11 ‘See How They Run’ (2022)

Director: Tom George

Thanks to Rian Johnson and Sir Kenneth Branagh, the brilliant mind of Agatha Christie is reworked and brought to the big screen with a fun cast of characters in See How They Run. In 1950s London, plans for a movie version of a smash-hit play come to an abrupt halt after a pivotal member of the crew is murdered. When a world-weary inspector and an eager rookie constable take on the case, they find themselves thrown into a puzzling whodunit.

This underrated whodunit has many layers to it and See How They Run‘s twist is placed in a different spot than audiences are used to. The reveal is incredibly well done and stays true to the story within a story narrative that is being presented as the play is being reworked into a movie.

10 ‘Fletch’ (1985)

Director: Michael Ritchie

In Fletch, investigative reporter Irwin “Fletch” Fletcher (Chevy Chase) might drive his editor (Richard Libertini) up the wall, but he always produces great pieces for the newspaper. When his next story is about the drug trade taking place on the beach, Fletch goes undercover as a homeless man. Unaware of Fletch’s true identity, businessman Alan Stanwyk (Tim Matheson) offers Fletch $50,000 to kill him.

It is considered a novel story about what happens on the receiving end as an investigator, and it’s interesting to watch Fletch battle with the idea. It’s a darker comedy, but the mystery of Alan Stanwyk is compelling enough to make this a fun blend of crime and comedy.

9 ‘Bad Times at the El Royale’ (2018)

Director: Drew Goddard

In order for a murder mystery to work, it needs to have a dynamic cast, and Bad Times at the El Royale has an unconventional one with some standout performances. The El Royale is a run-down hotel that sits on the border between California and Nevada. It soon becomes a seedy battleground when seven strangers – a cleric, a soul singer, a traveling salesman, two sisters, the manager, and the mysterious Billy Lee (Chris Hemsworth) – converge on a fateful night for one last shot at redemption before everything goes wrong.

First and foremost, this film is written and directed by Drew Goddard, so not only is the story compelling with rich dialogue and intriguing characters, but it’s also visually stunning thanks to director of photography Seamus McGarvey. Each character has their moment to shine as their stories begin to interweave leaving the audience to question all of them and why they’ve all come to the same place.

8 ‘Clue’ (1985)

Director: Jonathan Lynn

Clue is an American black comedy based on the board game of the same name, and is directed by Jonathan Lynn, who also collaborated on the script with John Landis. There are six blackmail victims who are invited to an isolated mansion by a man who knows a dark secret from each of their pasts. On arrival, each is given a pseudonym drawn from Cluedo before being introduced to the blackmailer.

Each is handed a weapon, at which point the lights are switched off and the blackmailer is killed. Clue is a classic whodunit that truly adapts the best aspects of the game and that’s why the concept is well-done. It has a wonderful cast who overplay their characters and make it campy and fun.

7 ‘The Nice Guys’ (2016)

Director: Shane Black

If you ever wanted to watch Ryan Gosling’s best performance, The Nice Guys is the movie to see. In this adventurous murder mystery directed by Shane Black, Holland March (Gosling) is a down-on-his-luck private eye in 1977 Los Angeles. Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) is a hired enforcer who hurts people for a living.

Fate turns them into unlikely partners after a young woman named Amelia (Margaret Qualley) mysteriously disappears. The script was well-written and highlighted what happened to many young women vying to become the next starlet when adult films were all the rage.

6 ‘Scream’ (1996)

Director: Wes Craven

Even though Scream is in the horror genre, Wes Craven expertly blends genre conventions to make a unique murder mystery. There are many layers to Scream, and it is one of the best murder mysteries, especially once you know who the killer is.

A year after the murder of her other, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is terrorized by a new killer, who targets the girl and her friends by using horror films as part of a deadly game. It has become a classic horror film that many others reference because of how it changed the genre.

5 ‘Sherlock Holmes’ (2009)

Director: Guy Ritchie

Apart from being Iron Man in the same year, Robert Downey Jr. also played Sherlock Holmes in Guy Ritchie’s adaptation. In this film, there is a string of brutal murders that terrorize London, and it doesn’t take long for Holmes and Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) to investigate. The suspect in question was Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) – who plays an incredible villain – as he is a devotee of the dark arts and has a bigger scheme in mind.

The game is naturally afoot once Blackwood rises from the grave, plunging Holmes and Watson into the world of the occult. Any iteration of Sherlock Holmes has been incredible because of the way writers and directors meticulously execute the investigation of the murder. They get into his mind for it to be broken down visually for audiences to understand his thought process.

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4 ‘Memories of Murder’ (2003)

Director: Bong Joon-ho

Before Parasite, director Bong Joon-ho gave audiences powerful social commentary through the black comedy crime film, Memories of Murder. Based on a true story, the film is centered on detectives Park Doo-man (Song Kang-ho) and Seo Tae-yoon (Kim Sang-kyung), who are investigating mysterious murders in a rural part of the country. Things spiral out of control as the pressure to solve these cases rises, and the detectives soon begin to question established methods.

Memories of Murder‘s intense yet darkly comedic atmosphere perfectly complements its hard-hitting commentary on inequality (a common theme in the director’s works), police violence, and class struggles. It also manages to raise questions about the justice system in an impactful and memorable way.

3 ‘Gone Girl’ (2014)

Director: David Fincher

A movie about a missing person that turns into a murder mystery film that turns into a mind-bending story full of lies, Gone Girl is a twisty psychological thriller that takes viewers on a wild ride. Directed by David Fincher and written by Gillian Flynn based on her eponymous 2012 novel, the film is centered on the bizarre disappearance of Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike), with the clues soon pointing to the prime suspect, her husband Nick (Ben Affleck).

The award-winning movie has a huge plot twist that most fans of the genre may know by now, but those who have never seen or heard of it should go into this viewing experience knowing as little as possible. It’s an exhilarating and genuinely unpredictable film that’s worth seeing at least once.

2 ‘Rear Window’ (1954)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Director Alfred Hitchcock‘s Rear Window is one of the great classics of the mystery genre. It follows L.B. Jeffries (James Stewart), the protagonist forced to stay in his apartment because of an injury. To avoid inevitable feelings of boredom, he picks up the camera and starts spying on his neighbors across the courtyard. Before he realizes what he’s watching one day, one of his neighbors has seemingly committed murder right before his eyes.

A timeless rewatchable classic by Hitchcock that’s still just as entertaining today, audiences can expect to feel just as trapped and desperate as the main character as he grapples with what to do about the murder mystery. More than this, the renowned film is known for its then-groundbreaking message about voyeurism, and the twisty, suspenseful, and innovative way it delivers this to viewers.

1 ‘Knives Out’ (2019)

Director: Rian Johnson

Writer-director Rian Johnson revived the genre in 2019 with the cinematic masterpiece Knives Out. It is the definition of a crowd-pleaser, and he even got nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. It takes a very special mind to reinvent the whodunit, but Johnson had a key player that the others did not, and that is Daniel Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc. This has Benoit Blanc investigating the death of Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) as his combative family all become suspects in his murder.

Once the murderer is revealed, it comes as such a shock because of how obvious the red herring was. But Johnson made all the pieces fit a certain way, so the anticipation would build, and the twist in the middle made an impact. This film made Chris Evans an incredibly fun supporting actor and Ana de Armas a star.

NEXT: The Best Whodunits Of The 21st Century