Spooky Mysteries
Rainstorm? Check. Flashlight? Check. Old neglected structure? Check. Hidden Passage? Check. Long-buried secrets? Check. Obnoxious Talking Dog? Hell no.
While a few of these films veer close to 'Thriller' or 'Horror' territory, I would describe each of them as a 'Mystery' that is spooky.
I'm putting in a few Giallo films, but only those that are more atmospheric mystery than bloody slasher.
MINOR SPOILER: I'm keeping this list strictly non-supernatural. Supernatural Mysteries go here.
Now, the problem with some of these supernatural fake-out mysteries is that once you accept that nothing supernatural is really happening, you can usually tell who the killer is right away. Because only one person could've set up the hoax/ claims to have been attacked by the monster/ had the opportunity to slip our protagonist hallucinogens. People need to make movies where anyone could be the hoaxer.
There is some overlap with my other list, Recycled plot twist #2b2.
While a few of these films veer close to 'Thriller' or 'Horror' territory, I would describe each of them as a 'Mystery' that is spooky.
I'm putting in a few Giallo films, but only those that are more atmospheric mystery than bloody slasher.
MINOR SPOILER: I'm keeping this list strictly non-supernatural. Supernatural Mysteries go here.
Now, the problem with some of these supernatural fake-out mysteries is that once you accept that nothing supernatural is really happening, you can usually tell who the killer is right away. Because only one person could've set up the hoax/ claims to have been attacked by the monster/ had the opportunity to slip our protagonist hallucinogens. People need to make movies where anyone could be the hoaxer.
There is some overlap with my other list, Recycled plot twist #2b2.
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- DirectorPaul LeniStarsLaura La PlanteCreighton HaleForrest StanleyRelatives of an eccentric millionaire gather in his spooky mansion on the 20th anniversary of his death for the reading of his will.
- DirectorRené ClairStarsBarry FitzgeraldWalter HustonLouis HaywardSeven guests, a newly hired secretary and two staff are gathered at a manor house on an isolated island by an unknown absentee host and are killed off one-by-one. They work together to determine who the killer is before it's too late.
- DirectorRobert SiodmakStarsDorothy McGuireGeorge BrentEthel BarrymoreIn 1916, a shadowy serial killer is targeting women with "afflictions"; one night during a thunderstorm, the mute Helen feels menaced.The father of all Giallo, grandfather of all slasher.
- DirectorAlejandro AmenábarStarsAna TorrentFele MartínezEduardo NoriegaWhile doing a thesis about violence, Ángela finds a snuff video where a girl is tortured until death. Soon she discovers that the girl was a former student in her faculty...
- DirectorSeth HoltStarsSusan StrasbergAnn ToddRonald LewisA wheelchair-bound young woman returns to her father's estate after 10 years, and although she's told he's away, she keeps seeing his dead body on the estate.
- DirectorJean-Jacques AnnaudStarsSean ConneryChristian SlaterHelmut QualtingerAn intellectually nonconformist friar investigates a series of mysterious deaths in an isolated abbey.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioEmily MortimerMark RuffaloTeddy Daniels and Chuck Aule, two US marshals, are sent to an asylum on a remote island in order to investigate the disappearance of a patient, where Teddy uncovers a shocking truth about the place.
- DirectorJames WhaleStarsBoris KarloffMelvyn DouglasCharles LaughtonSeeking shelter from a storm, five travelers are in for a bizarre and terrifying night when they stumble upon the Femm family estate.
- DirectorNathan JuranStarsRichard GreeneBoris KarloffStephen McNallyMan investigates the disappearance of two of his friends who were the guests of a sinister Austrian count.Boris Karloff. Swordfight. Alligator pit. If this doesn't pique your interest, you'd better leave this list.
- DirectorRoland WestStarsChester MorrisUna MerkelWilliam BakewellA master criminal terrorizes the occupants of an isolated country mansion.
- DirectorPete WalkerStarsVincent PriceChristopher LeePeter CushingAn American author finds a dilapidated Welsh manor perfect for writing until the residents host a bizarre family reunion.
- DirectorDelmer DavesStarsEdward G. RobinsonLon McCallisterJudith AndersonAn old man and his sister are concealing a terrible secret from their adopted teen daughter, concerning a hidden abandoned farmhouse, located deep in the woods.More of a twisted family melodrama, but it brings enough spooky and enough mystery that I'm counting it.
- DirectorTheodore GershunyStarsPatrick O'NealJames PattersonMary WoronovA man inherits a mansion which once was a mental home. He visits the place and begins to investigate some crimes that happened in old times, scaring the people living in the region.This one definitely crosses the line into slasher horror, I'm counting it anyway.
- DirectorPupi AvatiStarsLino CapolicchioFrancesca MarcianoGianni CavinaStefano, a young restorer, is commissioned to save a controversial mural located in the church of a small, isolated village.My favorite Giallo
- DirectorDario ArgentoStarsDavid HemmingsDaria NicolodiGabriele LaviaA jazz pianist and a wisecracking journalist are pulled into a complex web of mystery after the former witnesses the brutal murder of a psychic.The best Giallo
- DirectorDario ArgentoStarsTony MusanteSuzy KendallEnrico Maria SalernoAn American expatriate in Rome attempts to unmask a serial killer he witnessed in the act of an attempted murder - and is now hunting him and his girlfriend.
- DirectorDario ArgentoStarsJames FranciscusKarl MaldenCatherine SpaakTwo journalists try to solve a series of murders connected to a pharmaceutical company's secret experiments, becoming targets of the killer themselves.
- DirectorDario ArgentoStarsMichael BrandonMimsy FarmerJean-Pierre MarielleA musician is stalked by an unknown homicidal maniac, who blackmails him for the accidental killing of another stalker.
- DirectorLuigi BazzoniMario FanelliStarsFlorinda BolkanPeter McEneryNicoletta ElmiAfter being tormented by dreams about astronauts on the moon, a translator visits a deserted seaside town whose inhabitants know her, although she does not know them.
- DirectorLucio FulciStarsFlorinda BolkanStanley BakerJean SorelThe potentially unhinged daughter of a British politician is accused of killing her hedonistic neighbor after she witnesses the murder in a dream.
- DirectorLucio FulciStarsFlorinda BolkanBarbara BouchetTomas MilianWhen a southern Italian town is rocked by a string of child murders, the police and two urban outcasts search for the culprit amid scapegoating within the superstitious community.
- DirectorFred WaltonStarsDeborah ForemanGriffin O'NealClayton RohnerNine college students staying at a friend's remote island mansion begin to fall victim to an unseen murderer over the April Fool's Day weekend, but nothing is as it seems.It's Agatha Christie updated for 1980s teens with a slasher movie veneer. I love this one and I can't understand the 55% on Rotten Tomatoes.
- DirectorLynn ShoresStarsSidney TolerVictor Sen YungC. Henry GordonAn escaped convicted murderer hides out at a New York wax museum where he hopes to get plastic surgery, which will help him revenge himself on Charlie Chan.
- DirectorHarry LachmanStarsSidney TolerSheila RyanRobert WeldonA treasure map in four pieces, the ghost of a hanged pirate, a talking parrot, and a ship full of red herrings complicate Charlie's search for a murderer on board a docked ship.
- DirectorRoy William NeillStarsBasil RathboneNigel BruceDennis HoeyDuring WWII, several murders occur at a convalescent home where Dr. Watson has volunteered his services. He summons Holmes for help and the master detective proceeds to solve the crime from a long list of suspects including the owners of the home, the staff, and the patients recovering there.
- DirectorRoy William NeillStarsBasil RathboneNigel BruceGerald HamerWhen a gentlewoman is found dead with her throat torn out, the villagers blame a supernatural monster. But Sherlock Holmes, who gets drawn into the case from nearby Quebec, suspects a human murderer.
- DirectorRoy William NeillStarsBasil RathboneNigel BruceAubrey MatherSherlock Holmes investigates a series of deaths at a castle with each foretold by the delivery of orange pips to the victims.
- DirectorBrian MillsStarsJeremy BrettEdward HardwickeRaymond AdamsonWhen the latest heir to the Baskerville estate seems to be threatened by a family curse, only the master detective, Sherlock Holmes, can find out the truth.
- DirectorPaul McGuiganStarsBenedict CumberbatchMartin FreemanUna StubbsSherlock and John investigate the ghosts of a young man who has been seeing monstrous hounds out in the woods where his father died.Worth watching even if you're well familiar with 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'.
- DirectorCharlie PalmerStarsDavid SuchetAmelia BullmoreZoë WanamakerDuring a village's Hallowe'en party, a young girl boasts of having witnessed a murder from years before. No one believes her tale until her body is found later on in the evening, drowned in the apple-bobbing bucket.All of these TV episodes are from shows where you can just dive in and watch whatever episode.
(story arcs are usually only employed by crummy shows that need to trick you into tuning in each week because they know they can't consistently make good episodes that would make you actually want to tune in) - DirectorRenny RyeStarsDavid SuchetHugh FraserPhilip JacksonPoirot is drawn into a case where a man is found dead on the grounds of his estate, apparently frightened to death by the spirits that haunt it.
- DirectorJohn DaviesStarsJoan HicksonGeraldine AlexanderJohn Moulder-BrownWhen a young bride moves into a country manor, long repressed childhood memories of witnessing a murder come to the surface.
- DirectorPeter MedakStarsGeraldine McEwanChloe PenningtonOliver JordanMiss Marple joins forces with Tommy and Tuppence Beresford to find the murderer of Tommy's Aunt Ada.
- DirectorAndy HayStarsJulia McKenzieNicholas ParsonsLynda BaronMiss Marple's priest friend is battered to death after visiting a dying woman. Seeking justice, she becomes entangled in an organization centered around an inn run by purported witches.
- DirectorDavid MooreStarsJulia McKenzieTom HughesAneurin BarnardMiss Marple investigates the downfall of an optimistic young couple who ignored the warnings of a gypsy and built a dream home on allegedly cursed land.
- DirectorGiuseppe CapotondiStarsJack LaskeyShaun EvansSusy KaneThe death of an elderly gentleman with a specialism in heraldry and genealogy propels Morse to the Blythe Mount School for Girls.
- DirectorMartin HutchingsStarsStuart BunceMichele DotriceNeil DudgeonWhile visiting an old friend, Mrs. Bradley investigates the poisoning of the cook. And the strange behaviour of her friends.
- DirectorDavid RenwickStarsAndrew HavillJon CamplingPatrick PolettiStage magician Lance Gessler lives in a mansion known as Metropolis that has a deadly history. When another victim succumbs to an ominous presence in the attic room, it's up to Jonathan to unravel the mystery.
- 1997–20161h 30mTV-146.8 (442)TV EpisodeDirectorDavid RenwickStarsJoanna LumleyAnna BurnettLucie WolfmanJoey Ross draws Jonathan into a complex case involving a secret society, seemingly supernatural events at a girls' boarding school, and the miraculous disappearance of a body.I really hated the ending with all its unnecessary layers and silly complications. Up until then this episode is pure perfection. Secret passages and everything.
- DirectorSandy JohnsonStarsKen BonesGeorgie LordEmun ElliottJonathan Creek is called upon to try and uncover what happened to a young woman's family in her eerie childhood home, Daemons' Roost.
- DirectorMatt CarterStarsMark WilliamsLizzy McInnernyAndrew HavillCharlotte McKinley asks Father Brown to exorcise her house, which she believes is haunted by the ghost of her sister Elspeth, who disappeared nine years earlier. The priest believes somebody is fabricating a ghost but then Charlotte disappears from a locked room. Inspector Valentine suspects Charlotte's husband Victor, a former doctor struck off for irresponsible prescription and previously believed to have killed Elspeth. A skeleton is unearthed but it is not Elspeth's and a coded message in a book leads Father Brown to discover the fates of both sisters along with the legend of the family's hidden treasure.
- DirectorDavid BeauchampStarsToby LongworthMark WilliamsSorcha CusackFather Brown gets involved in the revenge of a crazy comedian.If only they'd filmed the 'locked in the museum' sequence at night, this one would've been perfect.
- DirectorMoira ArmstrongStarsJohn NettlesDaniel CaseyJane WymarkBarnaby and Troy, with an actor tagging along for research, investigate a slashed painting at a museum, which later turns out to be the site of a murder.These Midsomer episodes have an unfortunate tendency to suggest that the supernatural phenomena was actually real just before the credits roll. Boooooo!
- DirectorSarah HellingsStarsJohn NettlesJason HughesJane WymarkBarnaby finds connections between a supposedly haunted forest, the traceless disappearances of two couples and a gang of antiquity thieves.
- DirectorAlex PillaiStarsNeil DudgeonJason HughesFiona DolmanThe DeQuettevilles and the Fleetwoods have been enemies since the English Civil War. Now the DeQuettevilles are dying, each first seeing a headless horseman. Is the ancient feud to blame? Or is there a modern murderer at large?
- DirectorDavid CaesarStarsEssie DavisNathan PageHugo Johnstone-BurtAn outing to the theater as Dot's birthday present turns into a case involving murder, addiction, hatred and the supposed ghost of a long dead suicidal actress.
- DirectorJames Whitmore Jr.StarsScott BakulaDean StockwellMary Gordon MurraySam is a small-town sheriff whose young daughter has a suspicious connection to a mysterious death.OK, so I'm bending my rule about no supernatural stuff; Quantum Leap is held together by a sci-fi premise, but everything else in the average episode is strictly Drama/Action/Mystery.
- DirectorJames Whitmore Jr.StarsScott BakulaDean StockwellMelora HardinSam leaps back into the life of Abigail Fuller, this time as her fiancé, who must save her when she again is suspected of a killing.
- DirectorJames Whitmore Jr.StarsScott BakulaDean StockwellMelora HardinSam leaps into Abigail Fuller's attorney in a murder trial with personal implications.
- DirectorElliott NugentStarsBob HopePaulette GoddardJohn BealWhen an eccentric family meets in their uncle's remote, decaying mansion on the tenth anniversary of his death for the reading of his will, murder and madness follow.Comedy
Manages to add humor to the story without sacrificing atmosphere or intrigue. It may actually be better than the 1927 movie. - DirectorGeorge MarshallStarsBob HopePaulette GoddardRichard CarlsonA radio broadcaster, his quaking manservant and an heiress investigate the mystery of a haunted castle in Cuba.Comedy
Made one year after Cat and the Canary with the same stars, this one is not great and is for the aficionado only.
For a romantic comedy it's not especially funny or romantic, they don't get to the spooky house until the movie is more than half over, and it's terribly minstrelly racist.
If you can get past all that, it does get decent when they finally get to the house. You get what you were hoping for.
...No, I can't explain why it has the same star rating as 'Cat'. Maybe old people who like Bob Hope? - DirectorArthur LubinStarsBud AbbottLou CostelloRichard CarlsonAfter inheriting a fortune from a gangster, two dim-witted service station attendants find themselves stranded in a haunted house.Comedy
- DirectorRobert MooreStarsPeter FalkAlec GuinnessPeter SellersFive famous literary detective characters and their sidekicks are invited to a bizarre mansion to solve an even stranger mystery.Comedy
- DirectorJonathan LynnStarsEileen BrennanTim CurryMadeline KahnSix guests are anonymously invited to a strange mansion for dinner, but after their host is killed, they must cooperate with the staff to identify the murderer as the bodies pile up.Comedy
- DirectorLang ElliottStarsTim ConwayDon KnottsTrisha NobleScotland Yard sends a goofy pair to check on foul play at a mansion outside 1920s London.Comedy ...of sorts.
Worth a viewing mainly for the plot, which does not disappoint. - DirectorAlan RafkinStarsDon KnottsJoan StaleyLiam RedmondA timid typesetter hasn't a ghost of a chance of becoming a reporter - until he decides to solve a murder mystery and ends up spending a fright-filled night in a haunted house.Comedy
I can't really say I liked this one, but it certainly fits the bill. - 1994–1997TV-PG8.3 (64)TV EpisodeDirectorPeter AvanzinoStarsJason AlexanderBeverly ArcherGregg BergerAfter Duckman and Cornfed are evicted, they become plumbers, and are hired to work during a high-society party for the unveiling of a jewel said to be cursed.Comedy
- DirectorDominic PolcinoJames PurdumPeter ShinStarsSeth MacFarlaneAlex BorsteinSeth GreenThe residents of Quahog are invited to James Woods' house, where a murder mystery takes place.Comedy
Probably the last good episode of Family Guy, a show that is somehow still on. - DirectorJennifer CoyleBernard DerrimanStarsH. Jon BenjaminDan MintzEugene MirmanWhen a vicious storm strikes during the Belcher family's vacation at a beach house in Craggy Neck, they find themselves staying with the mysterious owner.Comedy
- DirectorEarl BellamyStarsAndy GriffithRon HowardDon KnottsBarney and Gomer try to retrieve a baseball from a supposedly haunted house and find some strange goings on inside.Comedy ...I guess.
- DirectorTim FordStoney SharpStarsGrant BacioccoTrace BeaulieuFrank ConniffThe Dean family patriarch has died and left a fortune to his children and servants. The occasion soon turns grim when they discover they must all must spend an entire week at the family estate - together. It's all the same old family routine: backbiting, billiards, rumors and innuendo, canings, pantsuits and ham - until one by one, they start turning up dead.Comedy
The Gang watch a terrible 'And Then There Were None' ripoff from 1971. - DirectorJean YarbroughStarsFerlin HuskyJoi LansingDon BowmanA trio of country singers becomes stranded at a haunted mansion and gets mixed up with spies.Comedy
This stinker is riffed by the comedians at Rifftrax.com. You can watch a preview here.
http://www.rifftrax.com/hillbillys-in-a-haunted-house