The Best Mystery Movies Of 2021
UPDATE: Check out the top mystery movies of 2022!
The best 2021 mystery movies will have you scratching your head (in a good way) right up until the end credits begin to roll. Keep an eye out for Denzel Washington as he stars in The Little Things alongside Rami Malek and Jared Leto. You'll also find hybrid genres such as a sci-fi and dramatic mysteries on the list this year. With so many good mystery movies coming out this year it's hard to pick the best one. But we can solve the mystery of the best 2021 whodunit with the help of your votes.
Vote up your favorite mystery films of 2021 to help decide which one should top the list. Maybe it will be a murder mystery or an intense investigative thriller. It's really up to you and other movie fans. Be sure to check back as new and upcoming 2021 mysteries as they are released in theaters on a streaming service.
- 1Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, Indya MooreSix people unwittingly find themselves locked in another series of escape rooms, slowly uncovering what they have in common to survive -- and discovering they've all played the game before.
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- 2Valene Kane, Shazad Latif, Christine AdamsAn undercover British journalist risks her life by infiltrating militant extremist groups online.
- 3
Flashback
Dylan O'Brien, Maika Monroe, Hannah GrossFredrick Fitzell starts having horrific visions of a girl who vanished in high school. He reaches out to old friends with whom he used to take a mysterious drug but soon realizes the only solution lies deep within his own memories. - 4Jon Huertas, Isabella Gomez, Lindsay LaVanchyDuring a university's pledge week, the carefree partying turns deadly serious when a star athlete is found impaled in his dorm. The murder ignites a spree of sinister social media messages, sweeping the students and police into a race against time to uncover the truth behind the school's dark secret.
- 5
The Little Things
Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared LetoDeputy Sheriff Joe "Deke" Deacon joins forces with Sgt. Jim Baxter to search for a serial killer who's terrorizing Los Angeles. As they track the culprit, Baxter is unaware that the investigation is dredging up echoes of Deke's past, uncovering disturbing secrets that could threaten more than his case.More The Little Things- #14 of 17 onThe Best Rami Malek Movies And TV Shows That Prove He Has The Range
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- 6Eric Bana, Genevieve O'Reilly, Keir O'DonnellThe Dry is a 2020 Australian mystery drama thriller film directed by Robert Connolly, based on the 2016 book by Jane Harper.. Federal Agent Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) returns to his home town Kiewarra after an absence of over twenty years to attend the funeral of his childhood friend, Luke (Martin Dingle Wall), who allegedly killed his wife Karen and child Billy before taking his own life.More The Dry
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- 7Megan Fox, Bruce Willis, Emile HirschTwo FBI agents cross paths with Crawford, a Florida cop who's investigating a string of murders that appear to be related. When an undercover sting goes horribly wrong, Crawford soon finds himself in a twisted game of cat and mouse with the killer.
- 8Frank Grillo, Naomi Watts, Mel GibsonA retired military operative finds himself in a never-ending time loop on the day of his death.
- 9Deon Lotz, Erica Wessels, Masasa MbangeniA relentless detective finds common ground with a killer systematically targeting the perpetrators running a powerful child-trafficking ring.More I Am All Girls
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- 10Madeline Wise, Dean Imperial, Ivory AquinoIn a parallel present, delivery man Ray Tincelli takes a job in the gig economy. He begins pulling cable to link together the new quantum trading market.
- 11Yahya Abdul-Mateen, Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-JarrettCandyman, the 2021 spiritual sequel to the 1992 horror classic, directed by Nia DaCosta and produced by Jordan Peele, delves back into the urban legend of a supernatural killer haunting Chicago's Cabrini-Green housing projects. The film follows visual artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), as he becomes obsessed with the Candyman mythos, unwittingly unleashing a wave of violence. The film also features Anthony's girlfriend, Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris), an art gallery director. The film explores themes of gentrification and racial injustice. Candyman creates a chilling narrative that questions the role of art in society - and the cyclical nature of trauma.More Candyman
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- 12
Till Death
Megan Fox, Eoin Macken, Callan MulveyEmma is stuck in a stale marriage to Mark and is surprised when he whisks her away to their secluded lakehouse for a romantic evening on their 10th anniversary. But everything changes the next morning when she finds herself handcuffed to Mark's dead body. Trapped and isolated in the dead of winter, Emma learns this is only the beginning of Mark's twisted plan, and to survive, she must fight the hired killers coming to finish her off. - 13Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, Thandiwe NewtonNick Bannister, a private investigator of the mind, navigates the darkly alluring world of the past by helping his clients access lost memories. Living on the fringes of the sunken Miami coast, his life is forever changed as he uncovers a violent conspiracy while trying to solve the mystery behind a client who disappeared.More Reminiscence
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- 14
Endangered Species
Rebecca Romijn, Philip Winchester, Jerry O'ConnellStranded in a wilderness park in Kenya, a man, his family and a friend find themselves in a desperate fight for survival when they encounter a vicious leopard and a pack of hyenas.More Endangered Species- #33 of 56 onThe Best Vacation Horror Movies, Ranked By Fans
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- 15
False Positive
Ilana Glazer, Justin Theroux, Pierce BrosnanIn the psychological thriller False Positive, Lucy (Ilana Glazer) and Adrian (Justin Theroux) are a couple desperate to conceive. They put their trust in the charismatic and renowned fertility specialist Dr. Hindle (Pierce Brosnan). As Lucy successfully becomes pregnant with a seemingly healthy baby, she begins to notice unsettling and suspicious behavior around her. Her concerns grow as she uncovers a sinister truth about Dr. Hindle and his practices. The film delivers a chilling take on the horrors of gaslighting, the manipulation of modern medicine, and the dark side of the quest for the perfect pregnancy, tapping into deeper fears surrounding bodily autonomy and trust in healthcare professionals.More False Positive- #129 of 168 onThe 160+ Scariest Psychological Thrillers
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- 16
Bloodthirsty
Lauren Beatty, Greg Bryk, Katharine King SoBloodthirsty is a 2020 Canadian mystery horror film directed by Amelia Moses. Grey is an indie singer who is having visions that she is a wolf. When she gets an invitation to work with notorious music producer Vaughn Daniels at his remote studio in the woods she begins to find out who she really is. - 17Marc Menchaca, Cristina Rodlo, Victoria AlcockDesperate and without documentation, a woman from Mexico moves into a rundown Cleveland boardinghouse. Then the unsettling cries and eerie visions begin.
- 18
The Vault
Freddie Highmore, Astrid Berges-Firsbey, Sam RileyWhen an engineer learns of a mysterious, impenetrable fortress hidden under the Bank of Spain, he joins a crew of master thieves who plan to steal the legendary lost treasure while the whole country watches the World Cup. With thousands of soccer fans cheering in the streets, and security forces closing in, the crew has just minutes to pull off the score of a lifetime. - 19Don Cheadle, Benicio del Toro, David HarbourIn 1954 Detroit, small-time criminals are hired to steal a document. When their heist goes horribly wrong, their search for who hired them -- and for what purpose - sends them wending through all echelons of the race-torn, rapidly changing city.
- 20Nicole Schalmo, Jack Campbell, Dominic StoneDisaster unfolds when a meteor strikes a small town, turning the environment uninhabitable and killing everything in the surrounding area. Exobiologist Lauren Stone is called to find answers to the unearthly event. As she begins to uncover the truth, imminent danger awakens and it becomes a race against time to save mankind.
- 21Chad Michael Murray, Holland Roden, Greer GrammerDetective Kathleen McChesney and rookie FBI profiler Robert Ressler search for a vicious serial killer in the 1970s.
- 22
Infinitum: Subject Unknown
Tori Butler-Hart, Ian McKellen, Conleth HillJane is trapped in an unknown world with endless possibilities. She must discover a way to access them and alter her reality before she is destined to repeat the same test over and over again. - 23Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, Anthony MackieAgoraphobic Dr. Anna Fox witnesses something she shouldn't while keeping tabs on the Russell family, the seemingly picture perfect clan that lives across the way.
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- 24Clayne Crawford, Sepideh Moafi, Chris CoyA man desperately tries to keep his family of six together during a separation from his wife. They both agree to see other people, but he struggles to come to terms with her new relationship.
- 25Joel McHale, Kerry Bishé, Stephen RootAfter 14 years of marriage, Tom and Janet still can't keep their hands off each other. When they discover their friends are resentful of their constant public displays of affection, the couple start to question the loyalty of everyone around them. Then, a visit from a mysterious stranger thrusts them into an existential crisis, leading to a dead body, a lot of questions and a very tense vacation.
- 26Jack Kilmer, Frank Grillo, Melissa LeoBrought to Los Angeles for treatment, a recovering junkie soon learns that the rehab center is not about helping people -- it's merely a cover for a multibillion dollar fraud operation that enlists addicts to recruit other addicts.
- 27Dilan Gwyn, Linus Wahlgren, Henrik NorlénNew to her stepmother role, Shirin moves into a duplex with her partner, Fredrik, and his son. The home feels like the right place to start becoming a family. However, when Fredrik leaves, strange things are heard from the other, uninhabited side.
- 28Kate Siegel, Jason O'Mara, Dulé HillHypnotic is a 2021 psychological thriller that delves into the dark side of mind control. The film follows Jenn (Kate Siegel), as she seeks to improve her life through hypnotherapy. Jenn's reality starts to unravel, as the sessions with the charming and mysterious therapist Dr. Meade (Jason O'Mara) become more intense. Jenn must revisit her harrowing sessions to uncover a trail of victims left behind by Dr. Meade's dangerous treatments. She must also piece together her fragmented memories before becoming entrapped in his manipulative game. With her sanity at stake, Hypnotic investigates themes of trust and the perils of seeking help from the wrong places.
- 29
Every Breath You Take
Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Sam ClaflinA psychiatrist's life gets turned upside down when a patient takes her own life and he introduces her brother to his own family. - 30Gingle Wang, Meng-Po Fu, Jing-hua TsengIn 1962 Taiwan, a group of students join an underground book club hosted by their counselor. One day, the counselor vanishes into thin air, and the student's search for him takes them to a realm dominated by ghosts and spirits.
- 31Jill Awbrey, Bart Johnson, Rez KemptonA couple's ailing marriage gets put to the test when they are held hostage in an isolated vacation rental by an unseen voice that commands their every move and threatens harm if they don't obey.
- 32Siobhan Fallon, Robert Patrick, Jake WearyWhen an Irish Catholic mother's son is involved in a tragic fraternity hazing incident at his university, she takes justice into her own hands, proving that hell hath no fury like a mother scorned.
- 33Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Masumi, Tsuyoshi IharaAn orphan discovers she is the heiress to half of the Yakuza crime syndicate. Forging an uneasy alliance with an amnesiac stranger, the orphan must wage war against the other half of the syndicate who wants her dead.More Yakuza Princess
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- 34Kelsey Grammer, Julia Stiles, Janeane GarofaloMedicine, money and morality clash when a hospital committee must decide which one of three patients will receive a heart transplant.
- 35
The Virtuoso
Anthony Hopkins, Abbie Cornish, Eddie MarsanThe Virtuoso is a 2021 American action crime thriller film directed by Nick Stagliano. A lonesome stranger, secure, nerves of steel, must track down and kill a rogue Hitman to satisfy an outstanding debt.More The Virtuoso- #23 of 48 onScope Out The Best Sniper Movies Ever Made
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- 36
First Date
Tyson Brown, Shelby Duclos, Jesse JanzenConned into buying a shady '65 Chrysler, shy teen Mike's eagerly anticipated first date with the girl next door, Kelsey, implodes as he finds himself targeted by criminals, cops and a crazy cat lady. A night fueled by desire, bullets and burning rubber makes any other first date seem like a walk in the park. - 37
Undine
Paula Beer, Franz Rogowski, Maryam ZareeA woman works as a historian who specializes in the urban development of modern-day Berlin. When the man she loves betrays her, she must kill him and return to the water in a reimagining of the ancient myth of Undine. - 38
Bad Tales
Elio Germano, Gabriel Montesi, Justin KorovkinAn apparently normal small community on the outskirts of Rome hides the sadism of the fathers, the passivity of the mothers and the desperation of the children. - 39Baoqiang Wang, Liu Haoran, Tachakorn YeerumDetectives investigate a mysterious murder in Tokyo.
- 40Morgan Freeman, Ruby Rose, Patrick MuldoonA retired cop forces a former drug courier to do his bidding by holding her daughter hostage. Armed with guns, guts and a motorcycle, she must now take out a series of violent gangsters -- or never see her child again.
- 41Michael Greyeyes, Evan Assante, Kody BurnsMakwa, a young Anishinaabe boy, likes to escape his troubled life by playing with his friend Ted-O. One day, Makwa shockingly murders a schoolmate, and the two boys cover it up. Now as adults, the two men must come to terms with what happened.
- 42Daniel Gillies, Erik Thomson, Miriama McDowellComing Home in the Dark is a 2021 New Zealand psychological horror-thriller film directed by James Ashcroft, based on the 1995 short-story by Owen Marshall. A school teacher is forced to confront a brutal act from his past when a pair of ruthless drifters takes him and his family on a nightmare road-trip.
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- 43Richard Dreyfuss, Mira Sorvino, D.W. MoffettA former mob boss embarks on a deadly rampage of revenge after he becomes the target of a home robbery. However, when his family gets caught in the crossfire, he must finally face the consequences of his dark past.
- 44Lee Sung-min, Park Hae-joon, Kim Yoo-JeongWith prayer beads in one hand and an ax in the other, a monk hunts down a millennia-old spirit that's possessing humans and unleashing hell on Earth.More The 8th Night
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- 45Dylan Sprouse, Sam Quartin, Nekhebet Kum JuchA woman and a drug dealer distribute stolen, life-saving medication to desperate people during a pandemic.
- 46Niki Koss, Zachary Gordon, Travis BurnsA masked killer terrorizes a disc jockey and a group of friends at a drug-fueled underground music festival.More Dreamcatcher
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- 47Lambert Wilson, Olga Kurylenko, Riccardo ScamarcioNine translators hired to work on a top-secret manuscript soon find themselves inside a living nightmare when the first 10 pages of the book mysteriously appear online.
- 48Shea Whigham, Olivia Munn, Frank GrilloA down-on-his-luck social worker finds himself in over his head when he tries to protect a client from her recently paroled husband -- a maniacal drug dealer out to reclaim his priceless stash.
- 49Suki Waterhouse, Madisen Beaty, Ella-Rae SmithCamille Meadows is the new girl at the prestigious Edelvine Academy for Girls. Soon after her arrival, six friends invite her to join them in a late-night ritual, calling forth the spirit of a dead former student who reportedly haunts the halls. But before morning, one of the girls is dead, leaving the others wondering what they may have awakened.More Seance
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