As the Halloween season is in full swing, everyone is obviously going to be talking about their favorite scary movies, as well as which ones will be released soon. But honestly, as the leaves turn brown and the weather gets brisk, I like to settle down and watch myself a good mystery movie. Here are some of my favorites that I’d recommend to anyone interested in some mystery. (And don’t worry, if you like scary movies, there are certainly some creepy ones in here.)
The Sixth Sense (1999) [Directed by M. Night Shyamalan]
One of the creepier movies on this list (and one you might know due to a certain Kendrick interpolation on song of the summer “Not Like Us”) comes from one of my favorite directors. It follows child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) as he tries to help a unique patient (Haley Joel Osment) who can see the dead walking around as if they were normal humans. Crowe attempts to help this child alongside hoping to save his marriage with his wife (Olivia Williams) who refuses to talk to him. The entire narrative of the movie is incredible just as is the concept, and every detail absolutely matters.
Knives Out (2019) [Directed by Rian Johnson]
Knives Out is certainly a fun modern murder mystery movie. Renowned detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is hired anonymously to solve the mystery of the death of a famed author, Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). It’s assumed that the death is a suicide, but Blanc suspects foul play was involved. It turns out that almost all of Thrombey’s family are suspects, as the author has had strained relationships with most if not all of them. Blanc is reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s world-renowned detective character Hercule Poirot, and Blanc is very entertaining to watch. The movie is made very well, and it’s a modern classic in terms of murder mystery movies.
Moon (2009) [Directed by Duncan Jones]
Moon follows a man stationed at a lunar mining station named Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) whose three-year shift on the station is coming to an end. He has been on the station with only the company of personal assistance and maintenance robot GERTY, and so he looks forward to reuniting with his wife and young daughter, but all of the sudden his health begins to fall apart. He suffers headaches and hallucinations, and has a near-fatal accident while off-station. He soon discovers as he wakes that even though he awoke in the medical bay of the station, the crash site is left still as it was, everything still in place, including him, as he opens the hatch of the rover to what appears to be himself unconscious slumped in the seat of the vehicle. This movie is incredible in terms of psychological tropes and mystery, and delivers a really interesting and deep story, giving a fantastic new perspective on space-based science fiction and mystery.
A Haunting in Venice (2023) [Directed by Kenneth Branagh]
An adaptation of popular murder mystery writer Agatha Christie’s “Hallowe’en Party,” A Haunting in Venice delivers a classic yet extra creepy murder mystery tale. World famous detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) is enjoying his retirement, but after attending a seance in a supposedly haunted palazzo, he is thrust back into his job as a detective, forced to investigate when one of the attendees is murdered. It’s a haunting mystery novel adapted brilliantly onto the big screen, and anything written by or adapted from Agatha Christie is bound to be an interesting and entertaining watch.
The Village (2004) [Directed by M. Night Shyamalan]
Another creepy movie, and another directed by top quality director M. Night Shyamalan. This movie follows an 1800s community living in a large area surrounded by woods, supposedly haunted by creatures that they have a truce with. The creatures will not harm the people of the village if they do not venture into the woods. However, when a member of the village falls very ill, their lover decides to make the trek outside the borders of the village and past the woods to get them the medicine that they need. This movie has a great cast with actors such as Bryce Dallas Howard and Joaquin Phoenix, and they put on some great performances to tie together a wonderfully creepy mystery.
The Prestige (2006) [Directed by Christopher Nolan]
What is probably my favorite movie of all time including two of my favorite actors, The Prestige delivers on all fronts and is an all-around amazing movie. It stars two up-and-coming magicians in 1890s England, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale). They’ve become bitter rivals since Angier’s wife was killed in an accident with a trick onstage that Angier blames Borden for. The two take turns sabotaging each other’s acts, until Borden pulls off a trick in which he appears to teleport himself from one closed box to another, and Angier becomes obsessed with replicating it. The feud only ramps up between the two men after this. The movie has an incredible plot that runs along this storyline, and Christopher Nolan does incredibly well with his screenplay and direction in this film. If you’re going to watch any movie on this list, I highly recommend this one.