A great cozy mystery movie is like a perfectly brewed cup of tea: warm, satisfying, and best enjoyed from the comfort of your favorite spot on the sofa. These films deliver clever whodunits, charming characters, and delightful plot twists — all without the graphic violence or tension that makes you want to sleep with the lights on.
From modern blockbusters to timeless classics, here are the ten best cozy mystery movies ever made.
1. Knives Out (2019)
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+
Rian Johnson single-handedly revived the whodunit genre with this razor-sharp ensemble mystery. When wealthy crime novelist Harlan Thrombey is found dead after his 85th birthday party, the eccentric Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig, clearly having the time of his life) is called in to investigate. Every member of the Thrombey family has a motive, and the twists keep coming right until the final frame. It's funny, clever, and endlessly rewatchable.
2. Clue (1985)
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+
Based on the beloved board game, Clue is the cult classic that proves a mystery can be both hilarious and suspenseful. Tim Curry leads an extraordinary ensemble cast through a series of murders in a Gothic mansion, and the film's three alternate endings — each revealing a different killer — are legendary. It bombed at the box office but has since become one of the most quoted and rewatched comedies in history.
3. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
Where to watch: Netflix
Detective Benoit Blanc returns, this time investigating a murder among a group of friends gathered on a tech billionaire's private Greek island. Daniel Craig is even more fun the second time around, and Rian Johnson crafts a mystery that's somehow both more ambitious and more satisfying than the original. The ensemble cast — including Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, and Kate Hudson — is superb.
4. The Thursday Murder Club (2025)
Where to watch: Netflix
Based on Richard Osman's bestselling novel, this film follows four retirees in a peaceful English retirement community who meet weekly to investigate cold cases — until a real murder lands on their doorstep. Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie bring warmth and wit to a story that proves age is no barrier to brilliant detective work. It's the coziest mystery movie in years.
5. Enola Holmes (2020)
Where to watch: Netflix
Sherlock Holmes has a teenage sister, and she's just as brilliant. Millie Bobby Brown plays Enola, who sets out to find her missing mother and ends up solving a mystery that even her famous brother couldn't crack. It's charming, fast-paced, and refreshingly feminist — Enola breaks the fourth wall, outsmarts everyone around her, and does it all with infectious enthusiasm. The sequel is equally delightful.
6. Murder by Death (1976)
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+
Neil Simon wrote this hilarious spoof in which five famous literary detectives — thinly veiled parodies of Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Charlie Chan, Sam Spade, and Nick and Nora Charles — are invited to a mansion to solve a murder that hasn't happened yet. Peter Sellers, Peter Falk, Maggie Smith, and Alec Guinness lead a cast that's clearly having a blast. It's silly, sharp, and one of the great comedy mysteries.
7. Gosford Park (2001)
Where to watch: Peacock, Amazon Prime Video
Robert Altman's ensemble masterpiece set in a 1930s English country house, where a murder among the upper-class guests reveals the deep divides between upstairs and downstairs. The cast is staggering — Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren, Clive Owen, Michael Gambon, Kristin Scott Thomas — and the film inspired Downton Abbey. It's more sophisticated than most cozy mysteries, but the setting, period charm, and dry wit make it perfect for a cozy evening.
8. See How They Run (2022)
Where to watch: Hulu, Amazon Prime Video
Set in 1950s London's West End, this film follows a world-weary detective (Sam Rockwell) and an eager young constable (Saoirse Ronan) investigating a murder at the theater where Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap" is playing. It's a loving homage to the whodunit genre that's both a mystery and a commentary on mysteries — meta, stylish, and thoroughly entertaining.
9. Death on the Nile (1978)
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+
Peter Ustinov's first (and finest) outing as Hercule Poirot. A luxury cruise down the Nile turns deadly when a beautiful heiress is murdered, and Poirot must sift through a boatload of suspects. The cast — Angela Lansbury, Maggie Smith, Bette Davis, Mia Farrow — is extraordinary, the Egyptian locations are gorgeous, and the mystery is pure Agatha Christie perfection.
10. Wicked Little Letters (2023)
Where to watch: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video
Based on a true story from 1920s England, this film follows the investigation of a series of outrageously rude anonymous letters terrorizing a small seaside town. Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley are both brilliant — Colman as the prim neighbor who claims to be the victim, Buckley as the brash Irish immigrant who's accused. It's darkly funny, surprisingly feminist, and the ending is deeply satisfying.
Honorable Mentions
Also worth your time: Charade (1963, Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn at their sparkling best), Murder Mystery (2019, Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston on a yacht whodunit), The Wrong Trousers (1993, Wallace & Gromit's Oscar-winning animated caper), and the many Hallmark Mystery Movies — Aurora Teagarden, Garage Sale Mysteries, Crossword Mysteries, and more.
Ready for More?
Browse our Movies & TV page to find where to stream these films and discover even more cozy mystery movies. And if you'd rather read your mysteries, check out our book collection — many of these films were adapted from beloved cozy mystery novels.