“ Constable, there’s been a murder!”

A list of my favorite mysteries and whodunit

In this blog I’ll be telling you all about my favorite movie mysteries. Some of them are just plain mysterious, some of them are cozy, and of course, a good deal of them contain murder.

1: See How They Run

See How They Run is an intriguing whodunnit, taking twists and turns, some I was able to predict, and some came right out of the blue. It follows an Inspector and Constable as they investigate the murder of a writer. A writer who is writing a murder mystery who was killed in a theater performing a murder mystery play. Not too pungent in the respects of language and violence, but of course, there is some seeing as it is a murder mystery. I would say it’s for middle school, or a sturdy primary schooler and of course adults.

2 Nodor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose

What to say about this movie? It is intriguing, philosophical, and slightly disturbing, but not with gore, for there is none, nor is there bad language. The questions that the “talking mongoose” asks are endlessly stimulating. I would say it’s for middle schoolers and older simply, because I think to really understand it you need to be slightly more mature. But very intriguing movie, wonderfully made.

3: Knives Out

You’ve probably heard about Knives Out and its sequel Glass Onion, though I’ve only seen Knives Out, its characters are interesting, and it has excellent use of  Chechov’s Gun. Again, middle schoolers and up.

4: Clue (preferably the one with multiple endings)

I’m going to get down to brass tacks: this one’s just a classic. It’s funny, it’s interesting, it’s good for pop-culture references and of course the game! If you like murder mysteries and whodunit, you have to watch Clue. It's just a fact. I watched it fairly young, so I would say fourth, fifth grade and up depending on your preference.

5: To Catch a Thief

To Catch a Thief is a Hitchcock film, which sort of guarantees its goodness, but it also has plenty of great actors like Carrie Grant and Grace Kelly. The movie takes place when a retired cat burglar is called on to help a case and catch a criminal. The movie has no or very little violence and no to very little language.  I’d say older elementary and above.

6: Strangers on a Train

Strangers on a Train is very suspenseful and another Hitchcock film.  Always leaving you with tension and wondering what will happen next. It is far from gory, and there is no foul language, but like I said before, it is packed full with charged  moments. This film is about two complete strangers who meet on a train. Both of them have enemies they want to get rid of and one of them suggests that they trade each other‘s murders.

And while we’re talking about Hitchcock films I would like to drop a few more names, I do implore you to give Rear Window and Charade a try. Rear Window is about a journalist who thinks he witnesses a murder from across the way of his apartment complex, and the entire film is shot in that one apartment. Charade is just quite amazing with its twists and turns; you'll never see them all coming. All of these I’d say upper elementary and older.

Thanks for reading through this list of my favorite mysteries & whodunits. I hope you try a few, maybe watch a few, and see how the older one holds up. Watch them with families and hot cocoa, but whatever you choose to do or not do, I still hope you enjoyed this blog.

A big thank you to my parents for showing me all of these wonderful films. Lots of them I probably wouldn’t have watched at all, but they are some of the most delightful I’ve recently seen and as always thank you to you.