Who doesn’t love a good mystery? There’s nothing quite like the feeling of being completely absorbed in a movie - the kind that keeps you guessing until the credits roll, leaving you on the edge of your seat and eager to see how it all plays out. Some films have a plot twist; others have plot twists. Whether by playing with and subverting viewer expectations, changing narrative directions, or making you doubt the reality of what you’re seeing, the movies on this list each conjure intense feelings of curiosity and anticipation. Put simply, you just can’t wait to see how it all plays out. If this sounds like something right up your alley, here are 10 movies that keep you guessing from start to finish.
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10 Memento (2000)
Summit Entertainment
Memento is a psychological thriller film directed by Christopher Nolan. The film tells the story of Leonard, a man suffering from anterograde amnesia, which means he can’t form any new memories following a traumatic head injury. Leonard is on a mission to find his wife’s killer - no easy task when he forgets things that have just happened to him. Memento is noteworthy for its nonlinear narrative structure, which tells the story in a series of flashbacks and flash-forwards. You’ll be puzzling out the truth of its story from start to finish.
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9 Donnie Darko (2001)
Newmarket Films
Donnie Darko follows the story of its titular protagonist, a troubled teenager who begins to experience strange hallucinations and visions after a freak accident. Donnie’s journey takes him on a convoluted path as he confronts the disturbing events happening around him and tries to make sense of the mysterious figure known as “Frank,” who appears to him in his dreams. Be ready to Google explanations when the credits roll.
8 Gone Girl (2014)
20th Century Fox
Gone Girl, directed by David Fincher and based on the best-selling novel by Gillian Flynn, is a study in relationships that takes a wildly dark turn. It centers on Nick and Amy Dunne, a couple that seems happy enough at first. But when Amy goes missing on their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick becomes the prime suspect in her disappearance. As the investigation digs deeper, it becomes clear that both Nick and Amy are hiding some pretty big secrets. With twists that are impossible to see coming, Gone Girl is a masterpiece of the mystery genre.
7 Perfect Blue (1997)
Rex Entertainment
This Japanese animated film, directed by Satoshi Kon, tells the story of Mima, a former pop idol turned actress who begins to experience strange occurrences and a loss of identity as she struggles to leave her past behind and adapt to her new career. As Mima’s world starts to unravel and the lines between reality and fiction become blurred, you can’t help but wonder if she’s imagining things that aren’t really there. But when she becomes the target of a stalker and begins to receive threatening messages, the film takes a turn towards horror. Perfect Blue is a mind-bending psychological thriller and one of the best animated movies ever made.
6 Shutter Island (2010)
Paramount Pictures
A film by the great Martin Scorcese, Shutter Island follows Teddy Daniels, a U.S. Marshal sent to investigate the disappearance of a patient at a psychiatric hospital located on (you guessed it) Shutter Island. As Teddy delves deeper into the mystery, he begins to uncover disturbing secrets about the hospital and its patients, and soon finds himself questioning his own sanity - and we might question ours, too. According to Hollywood Insider, the film exhibits a mind control-like power over its audience. We won’t spoil it here, but be ready for some shocking developments.
5 The Vanishing (1988)
Argos Films
Not to be confused with the American remake of the same name released in 1993, The Vanishing is a Dutch thriller whose name gives away the man thrust of the story. A Dutch couple vacationing through France stops at a rest area, and the girlfriend, Saskia, enters the gas station while her boyfriend, Rex, waits outside. Somehow, Saskia never returns, and Rex spends the next several years searching for her. Piecing together this elusive, existential mystery will leave you stunned.
4 Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Warner Bros.
Stanley Kubrick’s final film, Eyes Wide Shut released in 1999 after being in production for a whopping 400 days. The results of such hard work paid off, as it’s one of the greatest movies of the ’90s and an all-time great conspiracy thriller. Starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, it showcases one man’s encounter with the strange, cultish underworld of the American elite. Part mystery, part psychological thriller, and part conspiracy theory, Eyes Wide Shut is a complex and masterfully suspenseful work of film art.
3 Zodiac (2007)
Paramount Pictures
David Fincher’s Zodiac draws much of its intrigue from the real-world “Zodiac Killer” mystery on which it is based. It’s the closest thing to a detective movie on this list, and the way it toys with viewer expectations is simply diabolical. What begins as standard investigative journalism becomes tinged with paranoia as the film moves towards its tricky conclusion. Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo offer stellar performances, making this modern, star-studded spin on the “whodunnit” believable.
2 Diabolique (1955)
Cinédis
A classic French horror-mystery, Diabolique is a twisted tale of deception and murder. What begins as a plot by two women, Christina and Nicole, to kill Christina’s abusive husband, takes an eerie turn when his body goes missing and strange events begin to unfold. The film revolves around the question of whether Michel is alive or dead, and you can’t help but wonder if supernatural forces are at play. Fans of black-and-white movies won’t want to miss this one.
1 Vertigo (1958)
Long considered to be one of the greatest films ever made, Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo is his most complex, psychologically charged thriller (per the BFI’s Sight and Sound list). At once maddeningly mysterious and subtly erotic, it’s a movie that feels like three full-fledged mysteries in one package. When a former detective suffering from vertigo is hired to tail a friend’s wife, he falls in love with his target and the consequences are tragic. Don’t let its simple set-up fool you - this movie has layers. Shot in gorgeous color, it’s also a visual treat, with some of the best cinematography of Hitchcock’s illustrious career.
