Addicted to ‘Knives Out’? More movies to watch like the 2019 mystery

Rian Johnson’s Knives Out hit film fans like a candlestick to the head in 2019, as audiences flocked to theatres in droves as large as Thrombey family. Knives Out gave film fans an updated murder mystery for the ages with a galaxy of stars that earned the film three Golden Globe nominations and left audiences hungry for more.

Knives Out boasts an ensemble cast that puts other star-studded films to shame, featuring acting royalty from Michael Shannon to Toni Collette. Furthermore, the film showcases a curated vibe made up of detailed sets & elegant costume design. What comes together is a thrill ride with a more than dysfunctional family.

People soon got hooked on the 2019 hit, and now audiences are looking for more movies like Knives Out, and many wonder where to turn to catch a similar flick that’ll give them the same mystery fix Knives Out so aptly provides. We’ve put together the perfect film plan to follow for people who are dying for movies like Knives Out.

Ready or Not

Perhaps something was in the air in 2019, because the year brought us Ready or Not within two months of the release of Knives Out. The film features an ensemble cast playing a wealthy family as a beautiful wood-floored mansion provides a moody backdrop (sound familiar?).

Ready or Not is admittedly far edgier than Knives Out; Ready’s blood, guts, and dark humor earned it an R rating, while Knives Out sits at the kids table with a PG-13. Despite Ready’s rating, there is definitely a mystery involved; our suspects are all in the family, and we have the mood & setting of Knives Out in the same year it came out. 

If you’re looking for movies like Knives Out, you aren’t going to get closer than Ready or Not. Bonus: Ready or Not may be the best, funniest, and most well-rounded horror movie of 2019.

Devil in a Blue Dress

Before 1997’s L.A. Confidential wooed audiences with a 90s neo-noir harkening back the golden age of Hollywood murder mysteries of the 1940s, Devil in a Blue Dress hit theaters in 1995. 

Devil is oft compared to Confidential, and (surprising no one) the nearly all-black ensemble cast of Devil in a Blue Dress did it two years before & better than L.A. Confidential.

Devil in a Blue Dress presents a mystery sleuthed out by a young Denzel Washington (and his original teeth) with the help of the great supporting cast along the way, including Don Cheadle’s silver-toothed Mouse. Devil nods to the noirs of the 40s, has a great cast, and provides a head-scratching mystery: the three elements which make movies like Knives Out just that. 

Scream

Hear us out: Scream is just as much a murder mystery as Knives Out. Wes Craven’s 1996 masterpiece changed the game for slashers in the 1990s, kickstarting a flurry of copycats like Urban Legend, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and the spoof to end all spoofs Scary Movie. 

However, it’s a downright by the book murder mystery; all the characters are suspects, there’s plenty of red herrings, and the killer is introduced in the first few scenes. Many would argue a movie like Knives Out couldn’t exist without Scream.

Aside from being iconic in its own right, Scream is a perfect follow up for fans looking for movies like Knives Out; Scream is a moody character-heavy murder mystery that takes place in a small setting and we guarantee it’ll have you on the edge of your seat. 

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If you can’t get enough of Knives Out, we hope you’ll follow our list to fill the void. Our list may not feature Daniel Craig, but you might find these movies like Knives Out will top your former favorite murder mystery (Daniel who?).