Movies like The Girl on the Stairs (1925)
The best movies like The Girl on the Stairs (1925) are The Sense of an Ending (2017), Brand Upon the Brain! (2007) and Mr. Arkadin (1955). If The Girl on the Stairs hooked you with its mystery, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Naked City (1948)7.2/10 from 299 votes
- NewestMārama (2026)Released 2026
The Sense of an Ending (2017)
A man becomes haunted by his past and is presented with a mysterious legacy that causes him to re-think his current situation in life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBrand Upon the Brain! (2007)
After returning home to his long-estranged mother upon a request from her deathbed, a man raised by his parents in an orphanage has to confront the childhood memories that have long haunted him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMr. Arkadin (1955)
Claiming that he doesn't know his own past, a rich man enlists an ex-con with an odd bit of detective work. Gregory Arkadin says he can't remember anything before the late 1920s, and convict Guy Van Stratten is happy to take the job of exploring his new acquaintance's life story. Guy's research turns up stunning details about his employer's past, and as his work seems linked to untimely deaths, the mystery surrounding Mr. Arkadin deepens.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFramed for Murder: A Fixer Upper Mystery (2017)
In the small resort town of Lighthouse Cove, everyone knows that the best man for the job is a woman. And that woman is Shannon Hughes, owner of a construction company and an expert in Victorian home restoration and renovation. Through her renovations she will find clues to uncover the house’s secret past and in turn become an unlikely sleuth to help crack these unsolved mysteries
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Blue Gardenia (1953)
Upon waking up to the news that the man she’d gone on a date with the previous night has been murdered, a young woman with only a faint memory of the night’s events begins to suspect that she murdered him while attempting to resist his advances.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGarage Sale Mysteries: The Mask Murder (2018)
When Jennifer buys a storage locker at auction, she discovers a dead body inside - along with a mask matching the deceased woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHailey Dean Mysteries: Murder, With Love (2016)
Former prosecutor-turned-therapist Hailey Dean is a powerhouse, Mensa bright, and acutely observant. During a tragic week, one of her patients loses her parents to separate fatal accidents along with millions of dollars that has seemingly vanished into thin air. When the police begin to question Hailey's patient, shes knows she is innocent. But who is the culprit?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Wake Up Screaming (1941)
A young promoter is accused of the murder of Vicky Lynn, a young actress he "discovered" as a waitress while out with ex-actor Robin Ray and gossip columnist Larry Evans.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHailey Dean Mysteries: A Prescription for Murder (2019)
Psychologist and former prosecutor Hailey Dean aids her friend Detective Garland Fincher in investigating a rapidly growing string of murders at Atlanta Memorial Hospital when Fincher’s girlfriend Dr. Meghan Phillips is named a suspect in the first killing. As the list of suspects grows with each new victim’s death, Hailey’s keen investigative skills, her uncanny ability to read people, and her passion for justice lead her through a labyrinth of clues that eventually point to the killer. But when she gets too close to the truth, Hailey becomes the killer’s next target for murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGarage Sale Mystery: A Case Of Murder (2017)
Jenn buys an old reel-to-reel recorder at a garage sale only to find that it includes the sound of a man pleading for his life. When the former owner of the recorder, a retired therapist, is found murdered in a patient’s apartment, Jenn’s investigation leads to other patients whose love lives are more entangled than she was first led to believe.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Inhabitant (2022)
Like any other teenage girl, Tara is just surviving high school — yet her father and mother seem strangely distant. Amidst a nearby spree of gruesome ax murders, Tara has sightings of terrifying entities, forcing her to question her own sanity and shocking ancestry.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisAurora Teagarden Mysteries: Haunted By Murder (2022)
A murder investigation is reignited in a house that is considered haunted by the Lawrenceton locals and where years ago Aurora and Sally, as teenagers, discovered a body.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLocked In (2021)
A single mother must protect her daughter and herself during a heist gone wrong at a high-tech storage facility.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Caveman's Valentine (2001)
Romulus, a misunderstood musician turned recluse hiding from personal demons in a New York City cave, finds the frozen body of a young drifter in a tree. The authorities, including his police officer daughter, claim the death is accidental. Romulus is convinced the man was murdered by a prominent art photographer but how can he prove he's right when everyone thinks he's insane?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisGarage Sale Mystery: The Novel Murders (2016)
When Jennifer makes a home delivery for a customer, she finds the recipient has been murdered. She soon realizes that the victim's cold-blooded demise is a re-enactment of a murder in a classic mystery novel.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Assault (2014)
After a cheerleader is sexually assaulted by the high school football team, she must overcome her shame and use the evidence gathered from the subsequent social media firestorm to piece together the night that she can't remember in her fight for justice. Based on the true story of the Steubenville, Ohio rape case.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMārama (2026)
1859. When a young Māori woman is summoned from New Zealand to North Yorkshire, she uncovers her horrific colonial heritage and is compelled to confront and destroy the titled Englishman who devastated her family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNight Train to Lisbon (2013)
Raimund Gregorius, having saved a beautiful Portuguese woman from leaping to her death, stumbles upon a mesmerizing book by a Portuguese author, which compels him to suddenly abandon the boring life he has led for years and to embark on an enthralling adventure. In search of the author, Gregorius acts as detective, pulling together pieces of a puzzle that involves political and emotional intrigue and the highest possible stakes. His voyage is one that transcends time and space, delving into the realms of history, medicine and love, all in search of true meaning to his life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Naked City (1948)
After a former model is drowned in her bathtub, Detective James Halloran and Lieutenant Dan Muldoon attempt to piece together her murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Night Stalker (1972)
Wisecracking reporter Carl Kolchak investigates a string of murders in Las Vegas and suspects the culprit is a vampire. His editor thinks he's crazy and the police think he's a nuisance, so Kolchak takes matters into his own hands.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Road o' Strife (1915)
15 chapter mystery serial: [1] “The House of Secrets,” released 5 April 1915; [2] “The Face of Fear,” released 12 April 1915; [3] “The Silver Cup,” released 19 April 1915; [4] “The Ring of Death,” released 26 April 1915; [5] “No Other Way,” released 3 May 1915; [6] “The Strength of Love,” released 10 May 1915; [7] “Into the Night,” released 17 May 1915; [8] “In the Wolf’s Den,” released 24 May 1915; [9] “The Iron Hand of the Law,” released 31 May 1915; [10] “The Inspiring Sword,” released 7 June 1915; [11] “The Valley of the Shadow,” released 14 June 1915; [12] “The Sacrifice,” released 21 June 1915; [13] “The Man Who Did Not Die,” released 28 June 1915; [14] “A Story of the Past,” released 5 July 1915; [15] “The Coming of the Kingdom,” released 12 July 1915.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Who's Guilty? (1946)
Feature version of the 1945 American serial film of the same name, composed for export only, never seen in the USA and now evidently a long-lost film.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Moriturus (1920)
A doctor who cannot figure out what is wrong with his patient refers him to a detective, whom he hopes will be able to discern the cause of his mysterious illness.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
The Missing Rembrandt (1932)
Holmes goes on the trail of a Rembrandt painting, stolen by a drug-addicted artist.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
A Blind Bargain (1922)
Chaney plays two roles: mad scientist Arthur Lamb and Lamb's "experiment", known only as the Ape Man. This hideous creature was the result of Lamb's attempts to transplant animal glands into human beings. A lost film.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
It Is the Law (1924)
This silent mystery is considered a lost film.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
The Mark of Cain (1917)
After old Trowbridge is mysteriously murdered, his nephew, Kane Langdon, is accused of the crime. Trowbridge's adopted daughter Alice makes every effort to prove Kane's innocence, but to no avail. When Kane escapes from the clutches of the law, Alice works with him to investigate the crime. They soon discover that Judge Hoyt, a great friend of Trowbridge and an ardent admirer of Alice, killed Trowbridge after forging the old man's will to read that Alice would only inherit his fortune if she married the judge. The judge, confronted with the accusation, becomes so unnerved that he confesses to the crime, and all ends happily with Alice in Kane's arms.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Paging Emma (1999)
An operator at a mobile pager company has her life turned upside down by a seemingly senseless abduction. Currently considered to be a lost film (never released to the general public, after its theatrical premiere in Puerto Rico).
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Strangers of the Night (1923)
A rousing fusion of satire, mystery and action. Aristrocrat Ambrose Applejohn is aching for excitement. He gets more than he bargained for when two Russian thieves, Anna Valeska and her partner Borolsky, arrive at the mansion one dark night.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Handcuffed (1929)
Gerald Morely's father is ruined in a stock fraud and commits suicide. When shortly afterwards the man who perpetrated it is murdered, the evidence is framed so that Gerald appears guilty.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Girl on the Stairs?
The closest matches to The Girl on the Stairs are The Sense of an Ending (2017), Brand Upon the Brain! (2007) and Mr. Arkadin (1955). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Girl on the Stairs?
Start with The Sense of an Ending (2017), the closest match to The Girl on the Stairs.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Girl on the Stairs?
The Naked City (1948), rated 7.2/10 by 299 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Girl on the Stairs?
Mārama (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Girl on the Stairs?
Yes: The Sense of an Ending (2017), Brand Upon the Brain! (2007) and Mr. Arkadin (1955).
How are movies similar to The Girl on the Stairs chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Girl on the Stairs, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.