14 Best Mystery Dramas for a Rainy Night In

By Vlad Zakh · August 19, 2026

United States Drama intenseslow and atmospheric rainy night in

Knives Out and Gone Girl reward a rewatch once you know exactly where they’re headed. Zodiac and Prisoners lean slower and bleaker, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is as much about mood as the actual answer. In Se7en (1995): Still one of the most atmospheric detective films ever made. Just as strong is Rear Window (1954): Hitchcock at his most confined and most effective.

A Simple Favor (2018) 01

A Simple Favor (2018)

TMDB ★ 6.8

A lighter, twistier watch if you want less bleakness with your mystery.

Directed by Paul Feig · 1h 57m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd
Fargo (1996) 02

Fargo (1996)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 95% Metacritic 88

Cold, funny, and quietly brutal, a genre standout.

Directed by Joel Coen · 1h 38m · Rated R

Won 2 Oscars84 wins & 59 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Hulu, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd
The Prestige (2006) 03

The Prestige (2006)

IMDb ★ 8.5 RT 77% Metacritic 66

A magician rivalry that hides its real mystery in plain sight.

Directed by Christopher Nolan · 2h 10m · Rated PG-13

Nominated for 2 Oscars6 wins & 44 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd
Nightcrawler (2014) 04

Nightcrawler (2014)

IMDb ★ 7.8 RT 95% Metacritic 76

Not a traditional mystery, but the slow unraveling makes it fit the mood perfectly.

Directed by Dan Gilroy · 1h 58m · Rated R

Nominated for 1 Oscar46 wins & 126 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Sundance Now, Netflix Standard with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd
The Usual Suspects (1995) 05

The Usual Suspects (1995)

IMDb ★ 8.5 RT 87% Metacritic 76

The kind of ending that changes how you watch the rest of it on a rewatch.

Directed by Bryan Singer · 1h 46m · Rated R

Won 2 Oscars37 wins & 17 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, Cinemax Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Cinemax Apple TV channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd
Rear Window (1954) 06

Rear Window (1954)

IMDb ★ 8.5 RT 99% Metacritic 100

Hitchcock at his most confined and most effective.

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock · 1h 53m · Rated PG

Nominated for 4 Oscars7 wins & 14 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: YouTube TV · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd
Se7en (1995) 07

Se7en (1995)

IMDb ★ 8.6 RT 84% Metacritic 65

Still one of the most atmospheric detective films ever made.

Directed by David Fincher · 2h 07m · Rated R

Nominated for 1 Oscar29 wins & 44 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd
Memories of Murder (2003) 08

Memories of Murder (2003)

IMDb ★ 8.1 Metacritic 82

Korean procedural cinema at its best, tense and quietly devastating.

Directed by Bong Joon Ho · 2h 11m

34 wins & 13 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd
Shutter Island (2010) 09

Shutter Island (2010)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 69% Metacritic 63

A rewatch completely changes how the first hour reads.

Directed by Martin Scorsese · 2h 18m · Rated R

11 wins & 66 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) 10

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

TMDB ★ 7.8

Cold Swedish atmosphere with a genuinely unsettling central mystery.

Directed by David Fincher · 2h 38m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Apple TV, Netflix Standard with Ads, Apple TV Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd
Prisoners (2013) 11

Prisoners (2013)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 81% Metacritic 70

Bleak, tense, and one of the better modern examples of the genre.

Directed by Denis Villeneuve · 2h 33m · Rated R

Nominated for 1 Oscar10 wins & 38 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd
Zodiac (2007) 12

Zodiac (2007)

IMDb ★ 7.7 RT 90% Metacritic 79

A slow-burn procedural that's less about the killer than the obsession of finding him.

Directed by David Fincher · 2h 37m · Rated R

3 wins & 71 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Philo, Paramount+ Amazon Channel · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd
Gone Girl (2014) 13

Gone Girl (2014)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 88% Metacritic 79

Cold, precise, and endlessly rewatchable once you know where it's going.

Directed by David Fincher · 2h 29m · Rated R

Nominated for 1 Oscar64 wins & 189 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd
Knives Out (2019) 14

Knives Out (2019)

IMDb ★ 7.9 RT 97% Metacritic 82

A modern whodunit that's genuinely clever without ever feeling like homework.

Directed by Rian Johnson · 2h 11m · Rated PG-13

Nominated for 1 Oscar52 wins & 114 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

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Vlad Zakh

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix, built to fix a specific annoyance: most recommendation sites are just algorithm-driven noise. Our lists are researched and organized by who's in a film, where it's from, and the mood you're actually in tonight.