14 Best Mystery Dramas for a Rainy Night In

By Vlad Zakh · August 19, 2026

United States Drama intense slow and atmospheric rainy night in

Knives Out and Gone Girl reward a rewatch once you know where they’re heading, Zodiac and Prisoners are slower and bleaker, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is as much about mood as the answer. If you’d like less bleakness, A Simple Favor is lighter and twistier. Fargo is cold, funny and quietly brutal, The Prestige hides its real mystery in plain sight, and Nightcrawler isn’t a traditional mystery but its slow unravelling suits the mood. The Usual Suspects, Rear Window, Se7en, Memories of Murder and Shutter Island round out the list.

A Simple Favor (2018)

TMDB ★ 6.8

A mommy-blogger investigates the sudden disappearance of her glamorous best friend.

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)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 95% Metacritic 88

A car salesman's botched kidnapping scheme spirals into a series of increasingly violent complications.

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)

IMDb ★ 8.5 RT 77% Metacritic 66

Two rival magicians engage in an escalating, obsessive competition with devastating personal costs.

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)

IMDb ★ 7.8 RT 95% Metacritic 76

A sociopathic freelancer builds a career filming increasingly staged crime-scene footage.

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)

IMDb ★ 8.5 RT 87% Metacritic 76

A small-time con man recounts the twisted events leading up to a deadly heist and a mysterious crime lord.

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)

IMDb ★ 8.5 RT 99% Metacritic 100

A photographer laid up with a broken leg becomes convinced he's witnessed a murder across the courtyard.

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)

IMDb ★ 8.6 RT 84% Metacritic 65

One of the most atmospheric detective films ever made, and still unnerving.

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)

IMDb ★ 8.1 Metacritic 82

A serial-killer procedural more interested in institutional failure than a tidy resolution.

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)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 69% Metacritic 63

A US Marshal investigating a disappearance at a remote psychiatric hospital uncovers disturbing truths.

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)

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)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 81% Metacritic 70

A desperate father takes matters into his own hands after his daughter and her friend vanish.

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)

IMDb ★ 7.7 RT 90% Metacritic 79

A cartoonist's obsession with an unsolved serial killer case consumes years of his life.

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)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 88% Metacritic 79

A husband becomes the prime suspect when his wife vanishes on their anniversary.

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)

IMDb ★ 7.9 RT 97% Metacritic 82

A rich family becomes a murder mystery's suspect list, and Marta is the one person who can't lie.

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.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

14 Best Mystery Dramas for a Rainy Night In

A Simple Favor (2018)

Fargo (1996)

The Prestige (2006)

Nightcrawler (2014)

The Usual Suspects (1995)

Rear Window (1954)

Se7en (1995)

Memories of Murder (2003)

Shutter Island (2010)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Prisoners (2013)

Zodiac (2007)

Gone Girl (2014)

Knives Out (2019)

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