The mystery movie genrewould be pretty boring if audiences were able to predict everything that happens from the very beginning.While allowing the audience to follow along as the twists unfold is an important part of the process, filmmakers may grow concerned if the viewers feel more intelligent than the characters. It can be important to introduce a “red herring” that ensures that their attention is firmly in a completely different direction.
A great plot twist has to make logical sense, as otherwise it is simply a distraction that doesn’t do the film or the viewers that are invested in it any favors. Great whodunit movies have a level of respect for their viewers, even if their employers may enjoy getting them confused as to what is actually going on. Here are the ten best red herrings in whodunit movies, ranked.
10‘Psycho’ (1960)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Psychoisn’t just the film that birthed the “slasher” movie subgenre of horror, but a great whodunit film that ranks among thebest that Alfred Hitchcock has ever made.The shocking “shower scene” that invoked so much controversy made it seem fairly clear that the unseen “Mrs. Bates” was to blame for the brutal murder. However, a plot twist later on reveals that it was her son, Norman (Anthony Perkins), who was responsible. Norman suffers from a severe mental illness (it’s a depiction some have taken offense to over the years, perhaps rightfully) that gives him an unclear sense of his identity.
The exploration of strange psychological conditions was revelatory whenPsychowas first released,and baffled audiences who didn’t know about the subject. The success of how the twist was revealed ended up allowing Perkins to reprise his role in three underrated sequels that depicted Norman coming to grips with his own identity.
A Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer’s client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.
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9‘Clue’ (1985)
Directed by Jonathan Lynn
Clueis a hilarious satire of Agatha Christie-style whodunit mysteriesthat actually played out as a brilliant investigative story in its own right.Clueis best remembered for its multiple endings, as theaters were given the opportunity to showone of three different conclusions, each of which pointed to a different killer. However, each version ofCluebrings up the notion of Communism as a motivation, only to reveal it to be a red herring made to divert attention away from the butler, Wadsworth (Tim Curry), who was responsible for concocting the entire blackmailing scheme.
The misdirection of communism was successful due toClue’s status as a period piecethat took place in the 1950s. While this was an era when the “Red Scare” was at its height,Cluesuggested that the real threat came from within the country’s borders.
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8‘The Usual Suspects’ (1995)
Directed by Bryan Singer
Although it may be a somewhat difficult film to rewatch now given the allegations of sexual misconduct leveled against both its director and Academy Award-winning actor,The Usual Suspectshas one of the most brilliant revealsin the history of crime cinema.The entire plot revolves around the cowardly criminal Verbal (Kevin Spacey) recounting his knowledge of the legendary mastermind known as “Keyser Soze.” Although it initially appears that his mentor, Keaton (Gabriel Byrne), is actually the secret villain, it’s ultimately revealed that Verbal was Soze the entire time.
The final shot of Verbal walking away from the police station is a brilliant revealthat made the red herring even more jarring.Christopher McQuarrierightfully won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for one of the most fiercely intelligent and logically sound mystery dramas in the history of the whodunit genre.
The Usual Suspects
The sole survivor of a pier shoot-out tells the story of how a notorious criminal influenced the events that began with five criminals meeting in a seemingly random police lineup.
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7‘Se7en’ (1995)
Directed by David Fincher
Se7enis one ofthe darkest crime thrillers ever made, as it contends with the notion of pure evil and its corruptive effect. Early on in the story, it seems like the baffling crimes of a mysterious serial killer are almost supernatural in nature, as it’s unclear why this unseen villain would choose to use the “Seven Deadly Sins” from the Bible as his motivation. Although it’s confusing when this enigmatic John Doe (Kevin Spacey) reveals himself to the police officers William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and David Mills (Brad Pitt), it becomes clear that he has an entirely different motivation in mind.
Se7en’s shocking twist ending landed with such an impact because viewers were too focused on trying to determine whether Doe was telling the truth.The result was a graphic, upsetting moment that is enough to make even the most seasoned horror movie buff turn away.
Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.
6‘Memento’ (2000)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Mementowas an early sign of the genius of writer/director Christopher Nolan, who proved to be adept at using non-linear storytelling techniques to his advantage.Mementoexamines the mind of the drifter Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), who searches for clues about the death of his wife, despite being unable to form new memories. After discovering that he has already solved the crime, Shelby learns thathe has been lying to himselfso that he can continue being the “hero” in his own narrative.
Nolan is able to get the audience invested in Shelby’s revenge mission, which makes it all the more shocking that he has been trying to bury his own past.Mementowas the origin of Nolan’s fascination with loops and cycles, themes that would become particularly relevant within his subsequent work onInception, The Prestige, The Dark Knight, andInterstellar.
A man with short-term memory loss attempts to track down his wife’s murderer.
5‘Brick’ (2005)
Directed by Rian Johnson
Brickmay be set in a Los Angeles high school, butit’s actually a brilliant throwback to the classic neo-noir thrillers of the 1940s.Rian Johnson’s astounding directorial debut starredJoseph Gordon-Levittas the high school loner Brendan, who begins searching for his missing girlfriend, Emily Kostich (Emilie de Ravin), after she calls him frantically, claiming that her life is in danger. Although he suspects that one of Emily’s various lovers is responsible for her distress, Brendan ends up discovering that she was pregnant with his child.
Johnson does a great job at establishing Brendan as a brilliant crime solver, making the emotional revelation about his relationship with Emily more impactful.It wouldn’t be the last time Johnson perfected the red herring device, as he would go on to use it to great effect inKnives Outand its sequelGlass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
A teenage loner pushes his way into the underworld of a high school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend.
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4‘Shutter Island’ (2010)
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Shutter Islandisn’t just the scariest horror film of Martin Scorsese’s entire career, but an immensely watchable mystery thatdemands the viewers full attention the entire time.Based on the acclaimed novel of the same name,Shutter Islandfollows the U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) as he investigates a series of mysterious occurrences at a remote mental facility in the middle of a deserted island. Although he fully believes that he is there to solve the case, Daniels discovers that he is actually a patient in the facility who is coping with the murder of his wife and child.
The red herring works brilliantly inShutter Islandbecause the story is told from Daniels’ perspective,ensuring that the audience is invested in DiCaprio’s performance. As a result, the viewers are able to experience the same feelings of shock, heartbreak, and denial that Daniels does when the truth is made apparent.
Shutter Island
Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule, two US marshals, are sent to an asylum on a remote island in order to investigate the disappearance of a patient, where Teddy uncovers a shocking truth about the place.
3‘Gone Girl’ (2014)
Gone Girlhasa shocking plot twistthat caught anyone who hadn’t read Gillian Flynn’s bestselling novel of the same name off guard.The story revolves around the disappearance of Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike), who left an intimate diary about her life and relationships before she went missing. Although Amy’s accounts seem to suggest that her husband Nick (Ben Affleck) is responsible for her disappearance, and potential murder, it’s revealed that she had concocted the entire scheme to punish him for having an extramarital affair. Instead of being a murder mystery,Gone Girlreveals itself to be a clever satire of gender dynamics and the sensationalism of the news media.
Amy’s villainy is revealed in the now iconic “cool girl” monologue, which was lifted nearly word-for-word from Flynn’s novel. Nonetheless, it’s still an effective moment that earned Pike a very well deserved Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
With his wife’s disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it’s suspected that he may not be innocent.
2‘MaXXXine’ (2024)
Directed by Ti West
MaXXXinetook Ti West’s slasher movie in a wild new direction.Xwas a tribute toThe Texas Chainsaw Massacreand other exploitation horror films,Pearlwrestled with the legacy of Hollywood’s “Golden Age,” andMaXXXinewas an erotic noir that feltindebted to the work ofBrian De Palma.Initially it’s suggested that the film director Elizabeth Bender (Elizabeth Debicki) may be responsible for the series of murders credited to “The Night Stalker” in 1985, but Maxine (Mia Goth) ends up learning that they were the work of a religious cult that was rejecting the rise of graphic content in Hollywood films.
MaXXXineuses the misdirection of Bender to satirize the “Satanic panic” wave of backlashthat thwarted many horror films in the 1980s. Ironically, it’s a cult of those that claim to worship God that is capable of more evil than anything that the film industry has ever produced.
In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx finally secures her big break. As she navigates her path to stardom, a mysterious killer begins targeting Hollywood starlets, leaving a trail of blood that threatens to expose her sinister past.
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1‘Hit Man’ (2024)
Directed by Richard Linklater
Hit Manwas a great twist on the whodunit narrative because it’s only somewhat faithfulto the true story that it is based on.Richard Linklater’s sexy noir thriller follows the professor (and occasional police informant) Gary Johnson (Glen Powell) as he tries to help his lover Maddy Masters (Adria Arjona) escape the clutches of her abusive husband. Although Gary wants to help Maddy before it’s too late, he’s shocked when he finds out that she actually went ahead and killed her husband.
Hit Manuses its red herring to invert the viewers’ expectations, forcing them to reconsider whether or not Maddy and Gary are actually the heroes of the story. Considering that the early segments of the film play out like a hangout comedy, similar to Linklater’s early work onDazed and Confused, this dark change of direction is even more effective.
Inspired by an unbelievable true story, a strait-laced professor discovers his hidden talent as a fake hit man. He meets his match in a client who steals his heart and ignites a powder keg of deception, delight, and mixed-up identities.
