The 15 Best Mystery Movies On Netflix Right Now
Sometimes, an ordinary drama just doesn't cut it and you find yourself looking for a story with a few more surprises, a tale that has you trying to figure out the ending before the characters themselves get there. If that's the case, you probably want a good mystery, a film with clues sprinkled throughout that will keep you guessing right up until the big reveal. There are plenty of them out there, but not all mysteries are created equal.
From classic whodunits and murder mysteries to psychological thrillers and gritty crime fiction, there's potential in every genre to make a great mystery. With that in mind, you might be struggling to find the best mystery movies to watch on Netflix. If you have no idea where to start, don't worry — we've got you covered. The streaming service has a good mix of mystery movies to choose from, and we've found 15 of the best, from all-time classics to obscure indie flicks.
The Pale Blue Eye
"The Pale Blue Eye" is a chilling period film based on the murder mystery book of the same name by Louis Bayard. The film centers on a 19th-century investigator named Augustus Landor. He's a washed-up detective languishing in retirement when he is called in following a murder on the grounds of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. It's no ordinary murder, though: The victim is found hanged and his body has been subjected to a strange post-mortem surgery of sorts, with the heart missing.
When he discovers a mysterious note on the victim's body, Landor recruits the help of a West Point cadet named Edgar Allan Poe. That's right – the Edgar Allan Poe. The author of classics like "The Raven" and "The Tell-Tale Heart" was indeed a cadet at West Point in the 1830s, and "The Pale Blue Eye" sees Poe aiding the beleaguered detective in a bizarre case that may involve black magic and the occult, subjects he'll eventually become famous for writing about. There are some differences between the "Pale Blue Eye" movie and the novel, but this film is still a very compelling period mystery that will dazzle fans of multiple genres.
Cast: Christian Bale, Harry Melling, Gillian Anderson
Director: Scott Cooper
Year: 2022
Rating: R
Runtime: 130 minutes
Disappearance at Clifton Hill
The critically acclaimed Canadian film "Disappearance at Clifton Hill" follows a woman named Abby, who grew up in the Niagara Falls region. As a child, Abby witnessed the abduction of a little boy in some nearby woods. Years later, when Abby's mother passes away, she and her sister become the owners of The Rainbow, the once-bustling roadside motel where they grew up. While her sister wants to sell The Rainbow, Abby becomes increasingly connected to the property, stirred by memories of the abduction.
Determined to finally unearth the truth about what she witnessed as a child, Abby sets out to discover who the boy was and what happened to him. Finding kinship with a local who has long had his own theories about the boy's disappearance, she discovers that a powerful family in the region may be tied to the crime. A beautifully-shot noir-ish thriller with a rare acting appearance from David Cronenberg (he plays a local podcaster and historian), "Disappearance at Clifton Hill" is well worthy of a watch for those looking for an intriguing murder mystery.
Cast: Tuppence Middleton, Hannah Gross, David Cronenberg
Director: Albert Shin
Year: 2019
Rating: Not rated
Runtime: 100 minutes
The Guilty
A remake of the 2018 Danish crime thriller film of the same name, "The Guilty" is a hair-raising mystery movie that unfolds in the confines of a 911 call center during a night shift. LAPD officer Joe Baylor has been assigned here while he prepares for a court hearing for an on-the-job shooting that left a teenager dead. When he receives a panicked call from a woman named Emily, who claims she's been abducted, Joe decides to get a little too involved.
Joe is told to let the officers in the field handle the situation. However, when said officers refuse to search the home of the man Joe believes may have abducted Emily, he decides to take matters into his own hands. The question is, can Joe really be trusted to find out the truth on his own, and could his judgment be clouded by the court case that hangs over him? Just when you think you know what's going on, the ending of "The Guilty" pulls the rug out from under you.
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Ethan Hawke, Riley Keough
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Year: 2021
Rating: R
Runtime: 91 minutes
It's What's Inside
The critically acclaimed indie film "It's What's Inside" deftly blends mystery elements with science fiction and comedy. It brings together a group of old college friends for a night of intrigue. One of them is about to get married, but the celebratory reunion takes an odd turn when one member of the party — who hasn't been seen in years — brings out a strange device that will allow them to swap bodies.
They use the device to play a series of games, but when a terrible accident befalls the group and two of them are left dead, some begin to wonder if it was murder. If it was, who committed it? And who was in control of which body at the time? It's a unique premise that's mined perfectly by writer-director Greg Jardin, who was inspired by a real-life game of Werewolf that he took part in.
Cast: Brittany O'Grady, James Morosini, Alycia Debnam-Carey
Director: Greg Jardin
Year: 2024
Rating: Not rated
Runtime: 103 minutes
Rear Window
After suffering a serious injury that leaves him requiring a wheelchair, photographer L.B. Jefferies (James Stewart) is hopelessly bored. He takes to peering at his neighbors from the rear window of his New York City apartment to pass the time, a habit that leads to him becoming involved in a head-scratching mystery. When he hears a woman scream (and subsequently disappear from his limited field of observation), Jefferies believes she's been murdered. But with minimal mobility and little in the way of hard evidence, it's an uphill battle for our voyeuristic protagonist to prove the crime.
Renowned director Alfred Hitchcock was no stranger to so-called chamber pieces, a term used to describe films set entirely in a single, often claustrophobic location. But even when competing with titles like "Lifeboat" and "Dial M for Murder," "Rear Window" is the best of the lot. Its unique setting, unorthodox plot, and ever-present tension make it one of the many Hitchcock movies that all film fans should watch.
Cast: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Year: 1954
Rating: PG
Runtime: 111 minutes
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
The first "Knives Out" film isn't on Netflix at the moment, but the good news is that the sequel "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" was produced for Netflix, so it probably isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Once again starring Daniel Craig as the studious investigator Benoit Blanc, the film boasts a star-studded cast that makes for one of the best mystery movies of the past decade.
This time around, Blanc is invited to a private Greek island owned by an eccentric billionaire tech mogul who is hosting a gathering of his oddball friends during the COVID-19 pandemic. He's brought them together to take part in a murder mystery game, but when one of the group is poisoned and dies at the dinner table, it sets off a very real murder mystery, and everyone is a suspect. Now it's up to Blanc to find out who did the deed — even as the others wonder if Blanc himself can be trusted. It's a stirring battle of wits, and while "Glass Onion" does leave a handful of unanswered questions, it's a very satisfying watch.
Cast: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson
Director: Rian Johnson
Year: 2022
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 139 minutes
The Buckingham Murders
Out of India comes the crime thriller "The Buckingham Murders," which tells the story of British-Indian detective Jass Bhamra. When we meet her, Jass is still grieving the loss of her young daughter after she was murdered by a deranged gunman. In the wake of the tragedy, Bhamra takes on a new role, transferring to the English county of Buckinghamshire. There, she is assigned the case of a missing Indian child and partnered with a veteran cop, Detective Inspector Hardy Patel.
When Patel discovers the person responsible for the child's disappearance and death, the case appears to be closed. But Jass gets suspicious when she learns that both the killer and the victim had connections to Patel. Despite what appears to be an open-and-shut case on the surface, Bhamra can't shake the feeling that somehow Patel was involved, so she sets out to prove it. She'll have to defy orders and break every rule in the book to uncover the truth.
Cast: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Brar, Keith Allen
Director: Hansal Mehta
Year: 2023
Rating: Not rated
Runtime: 107 minutes
The Wonder
Not all mystery movies are about a murder. "The Wonder," starring Florence Pugh, centers on a curious case involving a possible religious miracle. Set in the 1800s not long after what has become known as the Great Irish Famine (a period of mass starvation and disease in Ireland that led to increased anti-British sentiment due to the U.K. government's callous handling of the crisis), the film follows a young English woman named Elizabeth Wright, who served as a nurse during the Crimean War.
Wright is sent to a rural Irish village (where she's met with skepticism by the deeply religious community) to observe Anna, a young girl who claims she has been fasting for four months but who doesn't seem to be suffering any ill effects. Investigating what appears to be a true gift from God, Wright and a local journalist set out to uncover what's really going on. Pugh turns in one of the best performances of her career in this moody, atmospheric mystery movie that will keep you guessing from start to finish.
Cast: Florence Pugh, Tom Burke, Kíla Lord Cassidy
Director: Sebastián Lelio
Year: 2022
Rating: R
Runtime: 103 minutes
Vertigo
James Stewart would again collaborate with Alfred Hitchcock for "Vertigo," taking on the role of morally gray detective-turned-private eye John "Scottie" Ferguson. After being forced to leave his old job due to a debilitating fear of heights and a nasty case of vertigo, Ferguson finds himself investigating the increasingly erratic, potentially supernatural behavior of an old friend's wife. But with Ferguson's condition eating away at his own sanity, it becomes increasingly difficult to pin down what's real and what's an illusion.
He released many unmissable films throughout his career, but "Vertigo" is often named as the best Hitchcock movie of all time in rankings. It's definitely among his most influential works, introducing audiences and filmmakers to new cinematic techniques like the dolly zoom. This striking camera shot, which was famously copied by Steven Spielberg in "Jaws," was used to give us a taste of Ferguson's dizzying condition. But the best thing about "Vertigo" is the mystery at the heart of the film, which is why Netflix subscribers looking for a satisfying yarn to unravel should check it out.
Cast: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Year: 1958
Rating: PG
Runtime: 128 minutes
Svaha: The Sixth Finger
A couple of years before he starred in "Squid Game," Lee Jung-jae fronted the South Korean film "Svaha: The Sixth Finger." At the heart of the story is Jung-jae's Pastor Park, who has made a career out of investigating and exposing insidious cults that prey on the vulnerable. Park is on the trail of a newly-emerged group called Dongbanggyo (Dear Mountain) when he uncovers a sinister conspiracy that may be connected to a series of murders.
During Park's investigation, we also learn about a young girl born with a demonic evil twin who has been kept locked away since she was born. But what connection is there between the Dear Mountain cult and this devilish girl? To get answers, Park must examine his own faith and will be forced to question everything he believes in. "Squid Game" fans will no doubt get a kick out of seeing Lee playing a totally different kind of character in this absorbing mystery thriller film.
Cast: Lee Jung-jae, Park Jeong-min, Lee Jae-in
Director: Jang Jae-hyun
Year: 2019
Rating: Not rated
Runtime: 122 minutes
Colors of Evil: Red
"Colors of Evil: Red" is a Polish mystery thriller that begins when the body of a young woman washes up on a shore, her lips torn from her face in a horrific display of cruelty. She's soon identified as the daughter of a local judge, Helena Bogucka. With the help of prosecutor Leopold Bilski, Helena discovers it may be the work of a notorious murderer who was recently released from prison after serving a 20-year sentence.
The supposed killer's name is Jakubiak, but before they can get a confession, he ends his own life, seemingly closing the case with the presumption of his guilt. But Bilski isn't entirely convinced that Jakubiak's death is the end of the case. He soon uncovers evidence that it may have been someone else entirely. While there's no rush to watch this one (it's a Netflix original so won't be going anywhere else), mystery fans definitely won't regret giving "Colors of Evil: Red" a chance.
Cast: Maja Ostaszewska, Jakub Gierszał, Zofia Jastrzębska
Director: Adrian Panek
Year: 2024
Rating: Not rated
Runtime: 112 minutes
Copycat
The 1990s gave us some of the best thrillers of all time. One hugely underrated film from the period is "Copycat," a crime mystery flick starring Sigourney Weaver that's been largely forgotten about. Weaver plays Dr. Helen Hudson, a criminal psychologist whose field of research is serial killers. Following an attack by one of her previous subjects, Hudson vanishes and becomes something of a recluse.
Years later, she's brought out of semi-retirement by Inspector Mary Jane Monahan, who is on the trail of a new serial killer who may be connected to Hudson: His methods are copycat crimes, mimicking the killers that Hudson studied. "Copycat" and the Netflix original horror movie "Woman in the Window" have basically the same plot, so if you liked the latter film, you'll definitely enjoy this underseen '90s gem.
Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Holly Hunter, Dermot Mulroney
Director: Jon Amiel
Year: 1995
Rating: R
Runtime: 123 minutes
The Good Nurse
"The Good Nurse" is told from the perspective of Amy, a struggling single mother and hospital nurse who is afraid of revealing her own life-threatening medical diagnosis out of fear of losing her job. Feeling isolated and alone, she befriends a nurse named Charles Cullen, but as their friendship blossoms, something about the young man begins to eat at her.
Charles begins displaying odd behavior and making questionable decisions, leading Amy to wonder about who he really is. When a number of their patients drop dead, she can't help but suspect that Charles could somehow be responsible. A gripping mystery and tense thriller, "The Good Nurse" is all the more compelling because it's based on the frightening true story of a real-life serial killer who is suspected of committing around 400 murders.
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Eddie Redmayne, Nnamdi Asomugha
Director: Tobias Lindholm
Year: 2022
Rating: R
Runtime: 121 minutes
1922
"1922" is based on a story by Stephen King, so you probably won't be surprised to learn that it's a horror movie, but it leans more into psychological terror than jump scares. It tells the story of Wilfred James, a disgruntled husband and father who plots to murder his wife with the help of his teenage son, Henry, in an effort to stop her from selling their home. Following the deed, the lives of Wilfred and Henry begin to spiral out of control, with odd occurrences leading to horrific consequences.
This isn't your traditional mystery movie, but it's one that will keep you on the edge of your seat like any good murder story. With its blend of chills, thrills, and moral messaging — not to mention its Poe-like levels of nightmarish torment — "1922" is a cut above many similar titles on Netflix, transcending mystery to become one of the streamer's best original movies.
Cast: Thomas Jane, Neal McDonough, Molly Parker
Director: Zak Hilditch
Year: 2017
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 101 minutes
Compliance
Inspired by a disturbing true story, "Compliance" begins with fast food manager Sandra receiving an upsetting phone call: It's someone claiming to be from the local police, and they tell her that one of her employees has stolen money from a customer in the restaurant. Sandra brings the employee, Becky, into her office for questioning, but is told by the officer on the line that she must hold her there while they wait for detectives to arrive.
What unfolds over the rest of the film is a shocking series of events. The officer instructs Sandra and others to subject Becky to various humiliating acts, all supposedly in an effort to prove her innocence. But who is the supposed officer on the line, and what is really going on? It's a gripping story that's difficult to watch, made all the more horrifying because it really happened.
Cast: Ann Dowd, Dreama Walker, Pat Healy
Director: Craig Zobel
Year: 2012
Rating: R
Runtime: 90 minutes