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    Home/Browse/1980s Movies/1980s Mystery Movies

    1980s Mystery Movies

    The 40 most popular 1980s mystery movies, ranked. Click any film for ratings, reviews, trailers, and where to watch.

    40films
    10rated by members
    Top ratedClue5.0
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    The Thing
    TMDB4.0
    FF4.8

    The Thing

    1982 · 1h 49m · US

    A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.

    The Name of the Rose
    TMDB3.7

    The Name of the Rose

    1986 · 2h 10m · FR

    14th-century Franciscan monk William of Baskerville and his young novice arrive at a conference to find that several monks have been murdered under mysterious circumstances. To solve the crimes, William must rise up against the Church's authority and fight the shadowy conspiracy of monastery monks using only his intelligence; which is considerable.

    Halloween III: Season of the Witch
    TMDB2.6
    FF4.0

    Halloween III: Season of the Witch

    1982 · 1h 38m · US

    After a terrified toy salesman is mysteriously attacked and brought to the hospital clutching the year's most popular Halloween mask, Dr. Daniel Challis sets out to investigate the strange events and finds himself thrust into a nightmarish conspiracy.

    Blue Velvet
    TMDB3.8
    FF4.0

    Blue Velvet

    1986 · 2h · US

    The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child.

    The Great Mouse Detective
    TMDB3.5
    FF4.0

    The Great Mouse Detective

    1986 · 1h 14m · US

    When the diabolical Professor Ratigan kidnaps London's master toymaker, the brilliant master of disguise Basil of Baker Street and his trusted sidekick Dawson try to elude the ultimate trap and foil the perfect crime.

    The Vanishing
    TMDB3.7
    FF4.5

    The Vanishing

    1988 · 1h 46m · NL

    Rex and Saskia, a young couple in love, are on vacation when they stop at a busy service station. Saskia is abducted in broad daylight and three years pass with no answers or closure surrounding her disappearance. Rex has nearly given up all hope when he suddenly begins receiving letters from her abductor.

    Dressed to Kill
    TMDB3.5

    Dressed to Kill

    1980 · 1h 45m · US

    After witnessing a mysterious woman brutally slay a homemaker, prostitute Liz Blake finds herself trapped in a dangerous situation. While the police thinks she is the murderer, the real killer is intent on silencing her only witness.

    Midnight Matinee
    TMDB2.5

    Midnight Matinee

    1989 · 1h 31m · CA

    Even though a devastating murder took place during a small town's horror film festival two years earlier, townspeople want another festival.

    Clue
    TMDB3.6
    FF5.0

    Clue

    1985 · 1h 34m · US

    Clue finds six colorful dinner guests gathered at the mansion of their host, Mr. Boddy -- who turns up dead after his secret is exposed: He was blackmailing all of them. With the killer among them, the guests and Boddy's chatty butler must suss out the culprit before the body count rises.

    Mississippi Burning
    TMDB3.8

    Mississippi Burning

    1988 · 2h 8m · US

    Two FBI agents investigating the murder of civil rights workers during the 60s seek to breach the conspiracy of silence in a small Southern town where segregation divides black and white. The younger agent trained in FBI school runs up against the small town ways of his partner, a former sheriff.

    Videodrome
    TMDB3.6
    FF4.5

    Videodrome

    1983 · 1h 28m · CA

    As the president of a trashy TV channel, Max Renn is desperate for new programming to attract viewers. When he happens upon "Videodrome," a TV show dedicated to gratuitous torture and punishment, Max sees a potential hit and broadcasts the show on his channel. However, after his girlfriend auditions for the show and never returns, Max investigates the truth behind Videodrome and discovers that the graphic violence may not be as fake as he thought.

    Body Double
    TMDB3.4

    Body Double

    1984 · 1h 54m · US

    After losing an acting role and his girlfriend, Jake Scully finally catches a break: he gets offered a gig house-sitting in the Hollywood Hills. While peering through the beautiful home's telescope one night, he spies a gorgeous woman dancing in her window. But when he witnesses the girl's murder, it leads Scully through the netherworld of the adult entertainment industry on a search for answers—with porn actress Holly Body as his guide.

    The Final Conflict
    TMDB2.9

    The Final Conflict

    1981 · 1h 48m · US

    Damien Thorn has helped rescue the world from a recession, appearing to be a benign corporate benefactor. When he then becomes U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Damien fulfills a terrifying biblical prophecy. He also faces his own potential demise as an astronomical event brings about the second coming of Christ.

    Angel's Egg
    TMDB3.9
    FF4.5

    Angel's Egg

    1985 · 1h 11m · JP

    In the ruins of a strange city, a young girl takes care of a large egg she holds carefully in her arms. She bonds with a boy who is searching for a bird he saw in a dream.

    Day of the Dead
    TMDB3.5

    Day of the Dead

    1985 · 1h 41m · US

    As the world is overrun by zombies, scientists and military personnel in an underground Florida bunker must decide on how they should deal with the undead.

    Angel Heart
    TMDB3.6

    Angel Heart

    1987 · 1h 53m · UK

    A down-and-out Brooklyn detective is hired to track down a singer on an odyssey that will take him through the desperate streets of Harlem, the smoke-filled jazz clubs of New Orleans, and the swamps of Louisiana and its seedy underworld of voodoo.

    The Entity
    TMDB3.4

    The Entity

    1982 · 2h 5m · US

    A single mom is raped by an invisible force. Her psychiatrist believes the experience stems from childhood trauma, while she knows something supernatural is at play.

    Blow Out
    TMDB3.7
    FF4.3

    Blow Out

    1981 · 1h 48m · US

    While recording sound effects for a slasher flick, Jack Terry stumbles upon a real-life horror: a car careening off a bridge and into a river. Jack jumps into the water and fishes out Sally from the car, but the other passenger is already dead — a governor intending to run for president. As Jack does some investigating of his tapes, and starts a perilous romance with Sally, he enters a tangled web of conspiracy that might leave him dead.

    Signé Furax
    TMDB2.5

    Signé Furax

    1981 · 1h 30m · FR

    The notorious and mysterious criminal Furax steals France's famous monuments, replacing them with replicas.

    The Secret of NIMH
    TMDB3.7

    The Secret of NIMH

    1982 · 1h 23m · US

    A widowed field mouse must move her family -- including an ailing son -- to escape a farmer's plow. Aided by a crow and a pack of superintelligent, escaped lab rats, the brave mother struggles to transplant her home to firmer ground.

    Prom Night
    TMDB2.9

    Prom Night

    1980 · 1h 33m · CA

    At a high school senior prom, a masked killer stalks four teenagers who were responsible for the accidental death of a classmate six years prior.

    Maldicion Maya
    TMDB3.4

    Maldicion Maya

    1987 · 1h 30m · MX

    No overview available

    Psycho II
    TMDB3.3
    FF4.5

    Psycho II

    1983 · 1h 53m · US

    Norman Bates is declared sane and released from the facility in which he was being held, despite the complaints of Lila Loomis, sister of his most famous victim. Is he really cured, or will he kill again?

    Cocoon
    TMDB3.3

    Cocoon

    1985 · 1h 57m · US

    When a group of trespassing seniors swim in a pool containing alien cocoons, they find themselves energized with youthful vigor.

    Deadly Circuit
    TMDB3.0

    Deadly Circuit

    1983 · 2h · FR

    A P.I. is obsessed with a cute woman, who seduces and kills rich men around W. Europe.

    Inspector Lavardin
    TMDB3.0

    Inspector Lavardin

    1986 · 1h 40m · FR

    Inspector Lavardin is called to a provincial village to investigate a murder – only to find that one of his ex-lovers is the victim’s widow.

    American Gigolo
    TMDB3.1

    American Gigolo

    1980 · 1h 57m · US

    Julian makes a lucrative living as an escort to older women in the Los Angeles area. He begins a relationship with Michelle, a local politician's wife, without expecting any pay. One of his clients is murdered and Detective Sunday begins pumping him for details on his different clients, something he is reluctant to do considering the nature of his work. Julian begins to suspect he's being framed. Meanwhile Michelle begins to fall in love with him.

    Opera
    TMDB3.4

    Opera

    1987 · 1h 47m · IT

    A young opera singer is stalked by a deranged fan bent on killing the people associated with her to claim her for himself.

    Evil Under the Sun
    TMDB3.5

    Evil Under the Sun

    1982 · 1h 57m · UK

    An opulent beach resort provides a scenic background to this amusing whodunit as Poirot attempts to uncover the nefarious evildoer behind the strangling of a notorious stage star.

    Frantic
    TMDB3.4

    Frantic

    1988 · 2h · US

    The wife of an American doctor suddenly vanishes in Paris. To find her, he navigates a puzzling web of language, locale, laissez-faire cops, triplicate-form filling bureaucrats and a defiant, mysterious waif who knows more than she tells.

    Relentless
    TMDB2.6

    Relentless

    1989 · 1h 32m · US

    Two Los Angeles police detectives hunt for a serial killer who randomly chooses his victims from a phone directory.

    Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School
    TMDB3.7

    Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School

    1988 · 1h 32m · US

    Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy are on their way to Miss Grimwood's Finishing School for Girls, where they've been hired as gym teachers. Once there, however, they find that not only is it actually an all-girl school of famous monsters' daughters but there's a villainess out to enslave the girls.

    Young Sherlock Holmes
    TMDB3.4

    Young Sherlock Holmes

    1985 · 1h 49m · US

    Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson meet as boys in an English Boarding school. Holmes is known for his deductive ability even as a youth, amazing his classmates with his abilities. When they discover a plot to murder a series of British business men by an Egyptian cult, they move to stop it.

    Fanny and Alexander
    TMDB3.9

    Fanny and Alexander

    1982 · 3h 8m · SE

    As children in the loving Ekdahl family, Fanny and Alexander enjoy a happy life with their parents, who run a theater company. After their father dies unexpectedly, however, the siblings end up in a joyless home when their mother, Emilie, marries a stern bishop. The bleak situation gradually grows worse as the bishop becomes more controlling, but dedicated relatives make a valiant attempt to aid Emilie, Fanny and Alexander.

    Door
    TMDB3.0

    Door

    1988 · 1h 34m · JP

    Yasuko, a housewife, lives in an urban high-rise apartment with her husband Satoru and her son Takuto. Annoyed by spam calls and door-to-door salesmen, Yasuko slams the door on a salesman’s hand when he tries to squeeze a flyer through the apartment's chained front door. He leaves, but the next day, her nightmare starts.

    Cosa fácil
    TMDB3.0

    Cosa fácil

    1982 · 1h 55m · MX

    This is a story of revenge, as detective Shayne's own clients sabotage his actions, and leave him blind in one eye. The cases then become personal and Shayne vows to destroy the guilty.

    Trail of the Pink Panther
    TMDB2.5

    Trail of the Pink Panther

    1982 · 1h 36m · UK

    The Pink Panther diamond is stolen once again from Lugash and the authorities call in Chief Inspector Clouseau from France. His plane disappears en-route. This time, famous French TV reporter Marie Jouvet sets out to solve the mystery and starts to interview everybody connected to Clouseau.

    Happy Birthday to Me
    TMDB3.0

    Happy Birthday to Me

    1981 · 1h 50m · CA

    Virginia is proud that she belongs to a clique. The best students at a private school. But before her 18th birthday, a gruesome set of murders take place and her friends are the ones who are falling prey. Could it be her? She suffers from blackouts due to a freak accident one year earlier. We soon learn the truth behind her accident and what is going on.

    Momo
    TMDB3.5

    Momo

    1986 · 1h 41m · DE

    Momo is a young orphan girl who lives in the ruins of an old Roman amphitheater and becomes friends with everybody in the neighborhood. But when a powerful international corporation starts stealing everybody’s time, nobody has any time left for her, let alone their friends or families. Momo, together with Master Hora, the custodian of time, are the only ones who can go up against the time thieves before all is lost forever.

    Lady in White
    TMDB3.1

    Lady in White

    1988 · 1h 53m · US

    Locked in a school closet during Halloween 1962, young Frank witnesses the ghost of a young girl and the man who murdered her years ago.

    About 1980s Mystery Movies

    The 1980s

    The 1980s codified the blockbuster — high concept, wide release, heavy merchandising — while home video quietly built a second life for films that flopped in theaters. Practical effects hit their peak just before CGI arrived.

    Mystery

    Mystery films are structured around withheld information, trusting the audience to work alongside the investigator. The genre ranges from cozy whodunits to bleak, unresolved character studies.

    In this list

    Best reviewed
    The Thing (8.1)
    Often also
    Thriller, Horror, Crime

    Common questions

    What are the best 1980s mystery movies?
    By popularity across Flickfolio and TMDB, the top picks right now are The Thing, The Name of the Rose, and Halloween III: Season of the Witch. The full ranked list of 40 sits above — open any movie for ratings, reviews, and streaming availability.
    How is this list ranked?
    1980s mystery movies are ordered by overall popularity, which blends how often a title is viewed, searched, and logged. It updates as viewing habits shift, so the list reflects what people are actually watching rather than a fixed critical canon.
    Where can I watch these movies?
    Every movie page lists current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region, alongside community ratings and reviews from Flickfolio members.

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