Ten mystery films that set blueprints for the genre

Collider compiled a list of ten mystery films it says established enduring templates for the genre, tracing influences from early noir to contemporary whodunits. The article highlights titles including The Naked City (1948), praised as a pioneering police procedural shot on location; Psycho (1960), credited as a progenitor of slasher technique and psychologically complex villains; Knives Out (2019), described as a modern, comedic whodunit that skewers wealth; Citizen Kane (1941), noted for its non-linear, puzzle-like structure and technical innovations; And Then There Were None (1945), called an early cinematic whodunit; Rear Window (1954), identified as the first single-location mystery; M (1931), cited for laying groundwork for serial-killer dramas; Murder on the Orient Express (1974), credited with reframing the whodunit as spectacle; Chinatown (1974), said to have rejuvenated noir for modern cinema; and The Maltese Falcon (1941), ranked as the most influential, establishing hard-boiled tone and noir visuals.

The piece spans films released from 1931 through 2019 and explicitly notes that Knives Out is the most recent entry on the list, "by almost 50 years to be precise." It frames these movies as templates that subsequent filmmakers and genres have drawn upon.

Key Topics

Culture, Psycho, Knives Out, Citizen Kane, Chinatown