10 Movies Like “Gone Girl” With Captivating Mystery Plots

Back in 2014, movie-goers were left in shock when “Gone Girl” premiered. The film told a story that had viewers at the edge of their seat, waiting for the next twist to be revealed.

“Gone Girl” starred Ben Affleck as the prime suspect in the disappearance of his on-screen wife, portrayed by Rosamund Pike. Affleck’s character, Nick, soon comes to realize he never really knew his wife after years of marriage.

After over two hours, “Gone Girl” made viewers ask themselves “how?” and “why?” The ending made my jaw drop and made me talk about the movie for days.

For fans of movies like “Gone Girl” or the infamous detective game of “Clue,” I invite you to check out the movies listed below. See if you’re able to connect the dots of their mysteries.

1. “A Simple Favor”

Released in 2018, “A Simple Favor” throws a family-oriented vlogger into the world of mystery, crime, and investigation. Starring Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick, the movie follows the unlikely friendship between two Connecticut mothers: Stephanie Smothers and Emily Nelson.

Stephanie is single and widowed, spending her time volunteering at her son's school, while also running a somewhat successful online blog where she delivers tips and tricks for other moms. Emily is another mother at the school, but due to her high profile job in New York City, rarely has time for all the school’s extracurriculars.

When their sons begin a friendship outside of school, the two women also begin to bond. Stephanie is in awe of Emily’s glamorous lifestyle and seemingly perfect relationship at home.Stephanie often picks up Emily’s son after school whenever Emily is unavailable.

One day, Emily asks Stephanie for another favor. But, what should have been a few hours of childcare, turns into days with no word from Emily. Emily’s mysterious disappearance leads Stephanie to break away from her small and quiet Connecticut life. “A Simple Favor” makes the list of movies like “Gone Girl” as Emily embarks on an adventure that uncovers secrets about her best friend.

The film holds an 85 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was highly praised by critics for a plot filled with twists.

You can stream, buy, or rent “A Simple Favor” on Hulu, iTunes, Amazon Prime and Vudu.

2. “The Girl on the Train”

Starring Emily Blunt, “The Girl on the Train” was released in 2016 and tells the story of Rachel Watson as her life continues to unravel due to her alcoholism.

Still reeling from a divorce and the loss of her job, Rachel spends her days aimlessly riding the train from her neighborhood into the city. During her rides she spies on the lives of her ex-husband and his neighbors, Megan and Scott.Most days, Rachel experiences blackouts due to her alcohol abuse and can rarely distinguish the past from the present.

When Megan disappears, Rachel contacts the authorities, claiming she saw something happen at the home from her seat on the train. As the investigation continues, Rachel turns into the prime suspect for Megan’s disappearance and possible death.The journey takes shape as Rachel tries to prove her innocence, stumbling through her memories from the days prior.

You can rent or buy “Girl on the Train” on iTunes, Amazon Prime, and Vudu.

3. “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”

Based on the 2005 novel of the same name, the 2011 U.S. version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” was first approached with hesitation, as the 2009 Swedish adaptation was met with high critical acclaim. But the U.S. rendition did not fall short by any means.

The film stars Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist, a disgraced journalist recovering from a recent libel lawsuit.When a new job arises, Mikael jumps at the opportunity to redeem his credibility and career.

Mikael teams up with Lisbeth Salander, portrayed by Rooney Mara, a no-bullshit computer hacker, to solve the 40-year-old disappearance of Harriet, the niece of a wealthy industrialist.As they work together, Mikael must learn to earn Lisbeth’s trust as she hides her own years of torture, including emotional and sexual abuse.

The two find themselves in a dangerous situation as they continue to investigate Harriet’s case, with the prime suspects for her disappearance being members of her own family.The film makes our list of movies like “Gone Girl” with an 86 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was praised for its cast, tone, and overall cinematography.

You can buy or rent “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” on iTunes, Amazon Prime, and Vudu.

4. “Flightplan”

Easily one of my favorite movies, “Flightplan” stars Jodie Foster as Kyle Pratt, a recently widowed airplane engineer.Having just lost her husband, Kyle travels with her six-year-old daughter, Julia, from Berlin to the U.S. with her husband's body, with plans of burying him in New York.

On the flight, Kyle falls asleep and when she wakes up hours later, Julia is missing from her seat. As she asks the passengers around her if they have seen her daughter, no one can provide an answer.As Kyle grows more frantic, the flight crew, including the Captain, claims she boarded the flight without her daughter.

Determined to find her daughter, Kyle searches the double-decker jumbo aircraft while evading capture from the onboard Air Marshall and other flight crew.

You can buy or rent “Flightplan” on iTunes, Amazon Prime, and Vudu.

5. “Everybody Knows”

Also titled “Todos Lo Saben,” “Everybody Knows” is a Spanish language film that can be enjoyed by anyone, as long as you don’t mind subtitles. The film stars Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem.

Cruz portrays Laura, a mother living with her two children in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As her sister's wedding approaches, Laura and her children travel back to her hometown in Spain to attend the family event.

What should be a trip to celebrate, turns into an unexpected mission for Laura to get back her daughter after she is mysteriously kidnapped. Forced to work without help from the authorities, Laura must turn to her family for help. But she quickly learns that her family may not be so trustworthy as secrets from the past come back to haunt her.

You can stream, rent, or buy “Everybody Knows” on Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Prime, and Vudu.

6. “Tell No One”

“Tell No One” joins our list of movies like “Gone Girl” with a 94 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating. It is a French film released in 2006 starring Francois Cluzet as Alexandre Beck and Marie-Josée Croze as Margot Beck. The film focuses on Alexandre Beck, eight years after the murder of his wife Margot, a crime where he was the main suspect.

In the present, crime seems to follow Alexandre. Near his home, the police discover a double homicide with a plethora of evidence pointing to Alexandre as the main suspect, again.

That same day, Alexandre receives an email with the message “Tell no one.”—and video evidence that his wife has been alive all these years.With someone clearly trying to frame Alexandre, he goes on the run in search of answers.

You can buy or rent “Tell No One” on iTunes, and Vudu.

7. “Gone Baby Gone”

“Gone Baby Gone” is Ben Affleck’s directorial debut and stars his brother, Casey Affleck, as a Boston private detective.

Affleck portrays Patrick Kenzie, one of two detectives hired to find young Amanda McCready who was abducted from her home. The police chief, portrayed by Morgan Freeman, doesn’t believe Amanda will be found since she has been missing for about 76 hours already.But, the girl’s family hires Kenzie and Angie Gennaro, his partner and girlfriend, because they don’t trust the police.

The abductee’s aunt also hopes the two will find Amanda, due to them knowing the neighborhood personally...despite their little experience with this type of case.As Kenzie and Gennaro dig into the case and their neighborhood, they find themselves face-to-face with drug dealers, gangs, and pedophiles.

You can buy, rent, or stream “Gone Baby Gone” on Starz, iTunes, Amazon Prime, and Vudu.

8. “A Perfect Murder”

Loosely based on Alfred Hitchcock’s “Dial M for Murder,” “A Perfect Murder” stars Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow as an unhappy married couple, Steven and Emily Taylor.

Emily begins an affair with David, a painter, who pushes her to leave her husband.When Steven finds out about the affair, he digs into David’s past finding out he’s a con artist who targets rich women.

As Steven’s businesses begin to crumble, he comes up with a plan to murder his wife and keep her personal fortune to continue living his extravagant life. As a personal twist, he hires David, her lover, to commit the murder.But, as much as Steven plans the perfect murder, there’s no guarantee the hit will go as planned.

You can buy or rent “A Perfect Murder” on iTunes, Amazon Prime, and Vudu.

9. “Prisoners”

With an 80 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, “Prisoners” was named one of the top ten films of 2013 by the National Board of Review.The film stars Hugh Jackman as Keller Dover, a father who will go to extreme means to find his missing daughter.

The film is based in Pennsylvania and focuses on the disappearance of two young girls. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Detective Loki, who arrests a suspect, Alex; but due to lack of evidence is forced to release him.Dover takes matters into his own hands and decides to kidnap Alex and torture him in hopes of him confessing to the kidnapping.

Alex, who has the IQ of a ten year old, will prove hard to crack, and Dover will have to decide how far he is willing to go to protect his family.

You can buy or rent “Prisoners” on iTunes, Amazon Prime, and Vudu.

10. “The Loft”

Released in 2014 as a remake of a 2008 Dutch film, “The Loft” tells the story of five men who share a penthouse loft in the city where they can escape their lives at home and primarily cheat on their wives.The film stars Karl Urban, James Marsden, Wentworth Miller, Eric Stonetreet, and Mathias Schoenaerts.

At first, everything is perfect. But when a naked dead woman is found in the loft, all the men point at each other as the main suspect. Unable to contact the police without making the situation worse, the men try to uncover the crime themselves.

Many parts of the film are told in flashback as secrets are revealed, and the men begin to realize they may not have been as safe in the loft as they always thought.

You can stream, buy, or rent “The Loft” on Tubi, iTunes, Amazon Prime, and Vudu.

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Movies like “Gone Girl” provide us with intriguing stories full of mystery, whether it’s trying to prove your own innocence in a crime or forging a plan to commit one.

The game of “who done it?” will always be a timeless classic.So, gather your friends, choose a movie, and see who can figure out the mystery first!