Whodunit Heaven: How to Watch the Knives Out Movies and Films Like It

Knives Out (2019)

A bestselling mystery author invites his family to his New England mansion to celebrate his 85th birthday. When he’s found dead, his throat slit, Detective Benoit Blanc is on the scene to root out the killer.

Entitled grown children clambering for their inheritance? You couldn’t get a juicier lineup of suspects. Everyone in this cast is a delight to watch, whether it’s Craig with his “Foghorn Leghorn drawl” or Chris Evans as the cocky playboy bachelor. And the labyrinthine plot is one that armchair detectives won’t likely predict. It feels straight-up Agatha Christie, down to all the wood-paneled interiors.

Where to stream Knives Out

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

A tech billionaire (Ed Norton) invites a group of friends to his private island for a murder mystery game, but things get real when someone actually gets murdered. Luckily, Detective Blanc is on the invite list to help get to the bottom of things.

This has a wildly different setting from the first Knives Out film, but the mystery is just as complex and the characters are just as fun to watch. A tech titan, a fashion designer, a game-streaming influencer, and a state governor? Let the finger-pointing begin.

Where to stream Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025)

The story unfolds in upstate New York, where Detective Blanc is dispatched to investigate the murder of a small-town priest. The prime suspects include a young priest who was recently sent to assist the late monsignor, and a roster of parishioners with various motives.

Glass Onion took place on a luxurious Greek island estate, so this movie marks a return to the darker undertones of the first Knives Out installment. Think Gothic architecture, stone churches, and old cemeteries.

Where to stream Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Clue (1985)

This whodunit list would not be complete without Clue. Adapted from the board game, the movie features Colonel Mustard, Miss Scarlet, Mrs. White, Professor Plum, and company trying to figure out who killed who, with what, and in which room. Tim Curry presides as the butler.

It’s fun watching a whodunit that doesn’t take itself too seriously (it is based on a board game, after all). Clue offers a wallop of nostalgia for anyone who watched the movie or played the game as a child, plus it has everything you want in a whodunit—a group of uppity strangers trapped together in a mansion, each with a strong murder motive. Curry, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, and the rest of the cast all nail the comedic timing.

Where to stream Clue

Gosford Park (2001)

In this Robert Altman classic, lords, countesses, ladies, and sirs gather for a hunting party at a country estate circa 1932. When the host is murdered, an investigation brings secrets and scandals to light.

This is the quintessential whodunit—a fancy estate, lavish gowns, aristocrats, servants, and so many secrets just waiting to bubble to the surface. Julian Fellowes won an Oscar for Best Screenplay before creating Downton Abbey nearly a decade later, so this is right up your alley if you’re a fan of stories that cover upstairs and downstairs class dynamics.

Where to stream Gosford Park

An Inspector Calls (2015)

The year is 1912, and a wealthy English family gathers to celebrate a daughter’s engagement. The evening takes an unexpected turn when an inspector informs them of a local woman’s death.

This BBC TV movie plays like a whodunit, from the drawing room interrogations to the secrets drawn out by a single-minded investigator. But there are unconventional twists along the way that make the movie stand out from others in the genre. Plus, David Thewlis is perfectly cast as the inspector, with his unnerving, slightly unhinged gaze. You’re never quite sure what’s going through his head—which, for reasons I won’t spoil, is just what you want for this role.

Where to stream An Inspector Calls

Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

On a train en route to London, a man is stabbed twelve times in the middle of the night. Detective Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney) interrogates fellow passengers when the train becomes snowbound.

Plenty of Agatha Christie’s books have been adapted into movies, so it’s hard to single out just one. But there’s something irresistible about snowbound suspects stuck in the ultra-confined space of a train, especially when those suspects are played by (get ready) Lauren Bacall, Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman, Vanessa Redgrave, and other Hollywood luminaries. Kenneth Branagh directed a more recent adaptation of the story, but nothing beats this 1974 version directed by Sidney Lumet.

Where to stream Murder on the Orient Express

The Hateful Eight (2015)

Eight strangers hole up in a lodge during a snowstorm. As luck would have it, the crew turns out to be a mix of bounty hunters, outlaws, and other violent types—fun bunch! And cue the paranoia.

This one’s a bit of an outlier when it comes to whodunits—not to mention murder mystery is not the first genre that comes to mind when you think of Quentin Tarantino. But beyond the monologues and over-the-top violence, this really is a murder mystery at heart. As the strangers get to know each other, they realize they have all the more reason to fear each other—but there’s no escaping when there’s a blizzard outside.

Where to stream The Hateful Eight