True crime documentaries and podcasts have become incredibly popular in recent years. It's a lot of fun to watch, hear, or read about the real-life story about a mysterious crime that took place. Whether it was recent or some time ago, they're a ton of fun to watch and learn about and speculate about the details of the case. For people that are interested in the darker side of life, these documentaries can be a lot of fun to watch.
But, if you're not in the mood for a documentary, there are also a ton of fictional movies that have the same suspenseful feeling and will have viewers guessing about the ending until the credits roll. There are even some that were based on true events and have been adapted by Hollywood to be more interesting and suspenseful. Some are crime-based while others are just focused on some kind of a strange mystery that the main character is trying to solve.
To see 10 suspenseful movies for fans of true crime, keep reading!
Get Out (2017)
Get Out was released in 2017 and was directed and produced by Jordan Peele. On its surface, the movie seems like a run-of-the-mill romantic comedy about a man going to meet his girlfriend's parents for the first time. But, almost immediately, this movie shows that it's anything but average and that there's something deeply unsettling going on under the surface.
The movie follows Chris and his girlfriend Rose. Chris is understandably nervous about meeting her parents. But, when he starts to become suspicious of her overly friendly parents and their friends, things get scary.
Thoroughbreds (2017)
Thoroughbreds was released in 2017. This movie stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Olivia Cooke as Lily and Amanda, childhood friends who drifted apart as they grew up and their lives and social statuses became increasingly different from each other. But, the two of them reconnect following some issues that they've each been having in their personal lives.
As the two of them begin to grow close again, they realize that each of them has problems that the other didn't have any idea about. The two of them decide that they can work together to solve those issues in a way that turns dark.
A Simple Favor (2018)
A Simple Favor was released in 2018 and stars Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick as Stephanie and Emily, two moms who lead completely different lives and have different parenting styles, but still become best friends. Stephanie is a widowed single mother who has a YouTube channel targeted at fellow moms while Emily is a high-powered businesswoman with a glamorous life.
When Emily mysteriously disappears, Stephanie tries to find out where she went. Instead of simply finding out her friend's whereabouts, Stephanie discovers that there was a lot more going on in Emily's life than she could have ever imagined.
Capote (2005)
Unlike other films on this list that are complete works of fiction, 2005's Capote is loosely based on a true story, though it was adapted to be a more interesting film. This stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as novelist Truman Capote. The movie follows the events that inspired Capote's book In Cold Blood. The non-fiction tale is Capote's most famous and the final book that he ever finished.
The movie follows Capote after he reads about a murder that took place in a small town in Kansas. He travels there to cover the case and ends up getting to know the two men that were accused of committing the murder. He promises to help their legal defense in exchange for information from them and secretly writes a book about the crime they committed.
The Girl On The Train (2016)
The Girl on the Train came out in 2016 and is based on the novel of the same name. The film stars Emily Blunt as Rachel, a commuter who takes the train each day to work and gets glimpses into the world of a couple that she believes to have a perfect life. One day on her commute, Rachel witnesses something in this perfect couple's home and she begins to investigate what happened.
This movie is perfect for fans of the true crime genre because it follows an amateur trying to pursue her own investigation into what she believes may be a missing person case. While reading about and watching documentaries about these cases is fun, it's also fun to step into the shoes of someone who is trying to solve one.
Zodiac (2007)
Zodiac was released in 2007 and is loosely based on the real-life Zodiac Killer. This follows the infamous and still unidentified killer's crimes and the investigation that took place throughout the 1960s and 1970s to try to identify him.
The film primarily focuses on a reporter named Robert, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, as he slowly becomes obsessed with trying to find the identity of the Zodiac Killer. This is an interesting one for any fans of true crime and anyone who has heard of this mysterious figure because it gives an inside look into what the police and newspapers in the area were dealing with when these crimes were still taking place.
Nocturnal Animals (2016)
Nocturnal Animals is a psychological thriller that was released in 2016 and stars Amy Adams as Susan, a successful art gallery owner living in Los Angeles. Her life seems perfect, but she often struggles with the fact that her husband is regularly away.
During one of his trips away, Susan gets a mysterious manuscript delivered to her. The manuscript was written by her first husband and she's unnerved to find out that it details a truly horrifying story that forces Susan to take a closer look at her life and her past.
Searching (2018)
Searching was released in 2018 and stars John Cho as David Kim, a man who is living every parent's worst nightmare: his 16-year-old daughter has disappeared. The investigation turns up dry, so David decides to take matters into his own hands.
In order to try to figure out what happened to his daughter, David takes her laptop and starts searching through her history, conversations, and files to try to figure out if he can find any clues as to where his daughter might have gone. It will keep viewers guessing.
The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014)
The Town That Dreaded Sundown is a 2014 remake of a film by the same name that was released in the 1970s. It is a fictionalized account of the Texarkana Moonlight Murders, a series of heinous crimes that took place in Texarkana in 1946.
This movie has a pretty standard slasher movie plot, but the fact that it's somewhat based on a real series of crimes makes it extra interesting. It follows the people living in Texarkana that were being tormented by this masked killer - one that was never identified.
Gone Girl (2014)
What would a list of suspenseful movies be if we left off Gone Girl? This was released in 2014 and stars Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike as Nick and Amy Dunne, a couple that seems to have a perfect life. But, when Amy mysteriously disappears on their fifth anniversary, all eyes are on Nick as the main suspect.
This movie has so many twists and turns and gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look into the lives of the people that are front and center in a missing person's investigation.