Whether you’re Self-Quarantining or practicing preventative Social Distancing, there’s no doubt that right now, with the spread of COVID-19, the newest Coronavirus to satiate its wanderlust with an around-the-world trip, we all already, or may have shortly, a bit of time at home to enjoy!
Mystery lovers get it. There’s nothing more satisfying than a check-out of reality with a tantalizing who-dun-it. And in our world of binge-able TV series on streaming channels, there’s a charm to having the big pay-off for your time invested come at the end of a short 2 (ish) hours. (But don’t worry – if you’re more into mystery series’, we’ve got you covered in our post on our top mystery series recommendations here!)
So, here is a list of mystery movie recommendations for list of things to do during self-quarantine, social distancing or, just any time you feel like slipping into an intriguing mystery plot!
We will be updating this list daily for 21 days, so keep checking back on this page, as well as our recommendations for the best binge-able mystery series HERE!
1. Identity
“When I was going up the stairs
I met a man who wasn’t there
He wasn’t there again today
I wish, I wish he’d go away”
This mystery from 2003 is one of the most interesting plots we have seen in a long time. Right from the first scene, as the characters start to come together at a motel, you are gripped. About 3/4 of the way through though, what you think is new take on And Then There Were None takes a stark turn. Do yourself a favour – don’t read anything about the plot, just cue it up and form your own opinions as the thriller unfolds.
Warnings: Gory Violence, Swears
2. The Usual Suspects
This is the quintessential movie with a twist-ending that we are all still reeling over 25 years later. If you haven’t yet seen it, your life is not truly complete – don’t read anything about it ahead of time, just enjoy the ride. If you have, you know there’s no doubt you need to see it again, so cue this up on your streaming system of choice, sit back and be prepared to have your life changed forever.
3. Rear Window
Jimmy Stewart is laid up with a broken leg, a pair of binoculars and a courtyard full of neighbours. But when he thinks he sees a murder, he and his girlfriend, who just so happens to be Grace Kelly, try to put together what happened by spying on their neighbours through their windows. Being confined inside and yet still solving a murder mystery? Sounds like what we should ALL be doing right now! (wink wink)
4. LA Confidential
You name it, it’s happening in this movie from the 90s set in the early 50s with a star-studded cast. A bunch of detectives find themselves investigating a shoot up at a local diner where no one was left alive, and what they uncover is – well – watch the movie and find out! Bodies are dropping all over the place – like… 30 by the time the credits roll. Check it out, then hit up our Murder at the Bourbon Club for a murder mystery party with a similar feel!
5. Sherlock Holmes
It’s a day of Sherlock recommendations (on our Mystery TV Series recommendations blog we hit up BBC’s Sherlock Series today! So, for our movie recommendation, we are talking about the movie, Sherlock Holmes, with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. While we are, of course, forever and for all eternity devoted to Benedict Cumberbatch’s portrayal of the quintessential sleuth, this movie was a lot of fun. It scored major points with us for being true to the fact that Sherlock was, in the books, a very accomplished boxer – something all of the other portrayals seem to overlook. A Sherlock who can hold his own in the ring or in a back alley, is just fine in our books.
6. Knives Out
Watching this new release was highly anticipated at SHOT headquarters. A few of us were supposed to go watch it in the theatre, but when we arrived, the theatre was surrounded by emergency vehicles and had been evacuated. By the time we got to watch it again, it was after the COVID-19 Pandemic put us all inside… so we FINALLY got the chance to see it.
It was a good who-dun-it. I really enjoyed the set the most honestly, and the trick window, and kind of wished there was more of this type of thing involved in the plot – but that could be my Clue-loving, secret passageway-fanatic coming out. They introduced what happened really early on, which left me expecting a bit of a bigger twist at the end, however I did enjoy this mystery, and watching the whole plot unfold. Definitely worth checking out!
