Best Movies Based on Unsolved Mysteries

Personally, I'm a big fan of mysteries. Whenever I'm reading a novel or watching a film that revolves around a mysterious plot, I won't walk away until I find out the ending. Most people can relate to me — that itching feeling to know who the murderer is or the culprit behind the crime. And you definitely have ideas floating in your head of who you think is behind it all. Then, once you reach the ending and discover the criminal, it's the complete opposite of what you had in mind.

That's why I love mysteries. However, nothing gets to me more than horrifying unsolved mysteries. The fact that a story is an unsolved mystery causes you to basically attempt to solve the crime yourself. Because in this situation, we're so positive that a certain someone is the culprit — even though there isn't enough evidence to convict him/her. Some of these unsolved mystery stories are so interesting that there are movies based on them.

If you want to spend your Friday night tucked away under a blanket on your couch watching insane unsolved mystery movies, then look through the list of movies based on unsolved mysteries that we recommend. It'll surely beat a Friday night at a party, any time.

We all love a good Ryan Gosling film, which makes All Good Things one of the best movies based on unsolved mysteries on the list. The movie revolves around a wealthy heir to a prominent real-estate magnate who is caught up in a murder investigation inspired by the real-life case of Robert Durst, who was suspected of murdering his wife, Kathie, after she suddenly disappeared in 1982. His father tells him that the middle class girl he loves will never be accepted in the high class society — yet he marries her anyway. Later when the girl disappears, a series of suspicious deaths occur which leaves a haunted cop convinced that the truth behind it all is near.

Films from the 60s are still amazing — here's one of the best movies based on unsolved mysteries. A wealthy fashion photographer, Thomas, is completely bored with his fashionable and lifeless existence of casual sex and drug use. Once Thomas wanders through a park, he halts before taking a few shots of a couple passionately embracing. However, while he was developing the photos he took, he realized that he captured images of a murder. The woman who’s in the photos, Jane, is given a different roll than the pictures he took. Thomas notices a dead body lying in a bush when he returns to the park — did Jane murder the man or does Thomas’ photos reveal the man carrying a gun? Oh, man.

There are a lot of popular Korean films out there, and this one is known to be one of the best movies based on unsolved mysteries. This 1986 hit film Memories of Murder easily became big from the intriguing storyline. The film is based on three detectives trying to discover the culprit behind the young women who were raped and murdered. Things get pretty crazy in this movie — you'll see for yourself.

Ah, yes, Memento. The film that had nearly everyone on the edge of their seats while it was playing in theaters. The movie is about a man, Leonard, who is struggling to find justice for his loved one after she was brutally raped and murdered. However, the only thing holding him back is after he was beaten severely by the man who killed his wife, he's suffering with short-term memory loss. In order to keep track of the case, Leonard has to constantly jot down notes and use photos to help him stay on track each day. He believes that the murderer is still out there, walking through the streets. And Leonard is addicted to finding out who brutally killed his beloved wife.

Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo? These three iconic actors worked together and created one of the best movies based on unsolved mysteries… ever. I’m sure many people know who the Zodiac Killer is and if you don’t, I highly suggest watching this movie. Not only will you learn about this notorious killer, but it’s damn addicting to watch. The film is based on the true story of the the Zodiac Killer, who goes on a killing spree in Northern California and is being tracked down by detectives who cannot let go of the case. If they're obsessed with finding the murderer, you will be, too.

This is probably one of the scariest films and best movies based on unsolved mysteries on this list. For a film that is under the horror genre, it's still amazing. The movie is based on Jim and his girlfriend Kelly who are taking a trip to Willow Creek, California. Their main purpose there is to retrace Bigfoot’s steps and see if the creature is a myth or not. Since Kelly isn’t really into finding whether or not Bigfoot is real, she’s only there for the trip. Meanwhile, Jim is really passionate about it and hopes to capture the urban legend on camera. What makes this film so unique is the visuals — like viewing a home video, but it's not and it's extremely creepy.

The Birds is a classic from the 60s and one of the greatest movies based on unsolved mysteries. If you’ve never seen it, or even heard of it, you should seriously look into it. You’ll thank me later. Anyways, the film starts off with a romantic triangle — the wealthy woman Melanie Daniels, the handsome Mitch Brenner, and schoolteacher Annie Hayworth. The film takes place in a San Francisco pet shop, and reaches to Mitch’s mother’s at Bodega Bay, where the characters realize an odd behavior from the birds around the area. In the beginning, there were sea gulls gliding down and pecking at Melanie’s head. Then everything turned horrible when a huge flock of birds came down on a children's party. Why are the birds acting super strange? You have to watch it to see.

The film Fire in the Sky was a huge hit in the 90s, and revolves around true events that have taken place in a small town. Mike Rogers reports that his friend Travis Walton has been abducted by aliens. Yes, aliens — and this is a true story. The local sheriff suspects that Mike was involved with his friend’s disappearance, but once Travis returns with an abduction story, everyone in town doesn’t believe the two of them. Bummer.

This is also one of the creepiest movies based on unsolved mysteries — The Mothman Prophecies. Just picturing a man… as a moth already gives me the creeps. It’s based on John Klein, a Washington Post journalist, and his wife Mary who discover their ideal dream house. However, their happiness immediately vanishes when Mary gets killed in a car crash. At the hospital, John was removing Mary’s possessions and notices a sketchpad coated in sinister drawings. After looking through the drawings, John is terribly haunted. And one night while driving from Washington, he gets lost and ends up on a deserted country highway in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Basically 400 miles from where he was supposed to go. Deciding to stay in Point Pleasant, he explores the reports of the unexplained occurrences that happened in town. He then realizes that everything is connected.

Did I mention that there were great movies based on unsolved mysteries during the 60s? The Boston Strangler literally puts the cherry on top. The film is based on a true story that took place between 1962 and 1964. It was during that time that multiple women were raped and murdered in the Boston area. Officer John Bottomly goes out and arrests many known sex offenders in order to gain a clue on the Boston Strangler’s identity. Once Albert DeSalvo is caught, he plays innocent and mentions his ignorance of the murders that happened. However, he was under interrogation and hypnosis — his homicidal impulses are exposed. See where the film goes from there.