Movies like Stranger on the Third Floor (1940)
The best movies like Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) are Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948), The Whistler (1944) and The Glass Key (1942). If Stranger on the Third Floor hooked you with its crime and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Letter (1940)7.3/10 from 262 votes
- NewestThe Locksmith (2023)Released 2023
Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948)
When heiress Jean Courtland attempts suicide, her fiancée Elliott Carson probes her relationship with John Triton. In flashback, we see how stage mentalist Triton starts having terrifying flashes of true precognition. Now years later, he desperately tries to prevent tragedies in the Courtland family.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Whistler (1944)
A guilt-ridden man blames himself for his wife's death and secretly pays an assassin to kill him. But then he finds out that his wife isn't dead at all. And now the assassin is on his trail, with no way to call off the hit.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & mystery
The Glass Key (1942)
A crooked politician finds himself being accused of murder by a gangster from whom he refused help during a re-election campaign.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCrack-Up (1946)
George Steele, an art critic and forgery expert at a Manhattan museum, experiences a bizarre mental breakdown after surviving what he vividly remembers as a terrifying train wreck. When Steele tries to report and talk about the accident, he discovers that no one else remembers it, and police records show no train crash ever happened, leading everyone–and eventually Steele himself–to question his sanity.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & mystery
The House on Telegraph Hill (1951)
Concentration camp survivor Victoria Kowelska finds herself involved in mystery, greed, and murder when she assumes the identity of a dead friend in order to gain passage to America.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPhantom Lady (1944)
A devoted secretary embarks on a dangerous mission to try to find the elusive woman who may prove her boss didn't murder his wife.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both mystery & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlack Angel (1946)
A falsely convicted man's wife, Catherine, and an alcoholic composer and pianist, Martin, team up in an attempt to clear her husband of the murder of a blonde singer, who is Martin's wife.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both mystery & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies 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: Fans watch both · both mystery & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDetour (1945)
The life of Al Roberts, a pianist in a New York nightclub, turns into a nightmare when he decides to hitchhike to Los Angeles to visit his girlfriend.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisM (1951)
In the city, someone is murdering children. The police search is so intense, it is disturbing the 'normal' criminals, and the local hoods decide to help find the murderer as quickly as possible.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChicago Deadline (1949)
On Chicago's South Side reporter Ed Ames finds the body of a dead girl. Her address book leads to a host of names of men frightened by her death but claiming never to have known her. Ames comes to know quite a lot, dangerously so.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & crime
Ruthless (1948)
Horace Vendig always gets what he wants. Even as a poor youth, he charmed his way into high society by getting the father of his friend, Martha, to foot the bill for his Harvard education. When Vic, another childhood pal, is invited to Horace's mansion for a party, he brings along Mallory Flagg, who happens to bear a striking resemblance to Martha. As Vic and Horace reunite, old resentments rise to the surface.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & thriller
The Blue Dahlia (1946)
Soon after a veteran returns from war, his cheating wife is found dead. He evades police in an attempt to find the real murderer.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisExperiment Perilous (1944)
In 1903, Doctor Huntington Bailey meets a friendly older lady during a train trip. She tells him that she is going to visit her brother Nick and his lovely young wife Allida. Once in New York, Bailey hears that his train companion suddenly died. Shortly afterward, he meets the strange couple and gets suspicious of Nick's treatment of his wife.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller
D.O.A. (1949)
Frank Bigelow is about to die, and he knows it. The accountant has been poisoned and has only 24 hours before the lethal concoction kills him. Determined to find out who his murderer is, Frank, with the help of his assistant and girlfriend, Paula, begins to trace back over his last steps. As he frantically tries to unravel the mystery behind his own impending demise, his sleuthing leads him to a group of crooked businessmen and another murder.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both mystery & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDark Waters (1944)
Leslie Calvin, the sole survivor of a submarine accident, goes to her relatives in order to recover emotionally. Unfortunately, she encounters various scam artists led by Mr. Sydney who intend to kill her and steal the family assets. Dr. George Grover helps Leslie to defeat Sydney.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & mystery
Conflict (1945)
Unhappily married Richard Mason concocts a meticulous scheme to kill his shrewish wife so that he'll be free to marry her sister.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNightmare Alley (1947)
A roustabout joins a traveling carny and schemes to figure out the mind-reading act of Mademoiselle Zeena and her alcoholic husband.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMy Name Is Julia Ross (1945)
Julia Ross secures employment with a wealthy widow and goes to live at her house. Two days later, she awakens in a different house in different clothes and with a new identity.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCaught (1949)
Wide-eyed and poor young Leonora weds an obsessive millionaire named Ohlrig, but the marriage is loveless. Even worse, Ohlrig seems to have manic, violent tendencies. Eventually, young Leonora escapes her unhappy life and begins working with New York City doctor Larry Quinada, who she soon falls for. Unfortunately, Ohlrig refuses to grant his wife a divorce, and things get even darker for Leonora when she realizes she's pregnant with his child.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHangover Square (1945)
When composer George Harvey Bone wakes with no memory of the previous night and a bloody knife in his pocket, he worries that he has committed a crime. On the advice of Dr. Middleton, Bone agrees to relax, going to a music performance by singer Netta Longdon. Riveted by Netta, Bone agrees to write songs for her rather than his own concerto. However, Bone soon grows jealous of Netta and worries about controlling himself during his spells.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThree Strangers (1946)
On the eve of the Chinese New Year, three strangers, Crystal Shackleford, married to a wealthy philanderer; Jerome Artbutny, an outwardly respectable judge; and Johnny West, a seedy sneak thief, make a pact before a small statue of the Chinese goddess of Destiny. The threesome agree to purchase a sweepstakes ticket and share whatever winnings might accrue.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
Leona Stevenson is confined to bed and uses her telephone to keep in contact with the outside world. One day she overhears a murder plot on the telephone and is desperate to find out who is the intended victim.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Letter (1940)
After a woman shoots a man to death, a damning letter she wrote raises suspicions.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMurder, My Sweet (1944)
After being hired to find an ex-con's former girlfriend, Philip Marlowe is drawn into a deeply complex web of mystery and deceit.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both mystery & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMinistry of Fear (1944)
Stephen Neale is released into WWII England after two years in an asylum, but it doesn't seem so sane outside either. On his way back to London to rejoin civilization, he stumbles across a murderous spy ring and doesn't quite know to whom to turn.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStolen (2009)
A detective becomes obsessed with solving a child's 50-year-old murder, uncovering striking similarities between the case and his son's disappearance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisShimmer Lake (2017)
Shot in reverse day-by-day through a week—a local sheriff embarks on a quest to unlock the mystery of three small-town criminals and a bank heist gone wrong.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Locksmith (2023)
A thief fresh out of prison, tries to work his way back into the life of his daughter and ex-fiancé. Determined, he is forced to use the skills he has as a gifted locksmith. Things take a tumultuous turn after an unexpected disappearance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisSuburbicon (2017)
In the quiet family town of Suburbicon during the 1950s, the best and worst of humanity is hilariously reflected through the deeds of seemingly ordinary people. When a home invasion turns deadly, a picture-perfect family turns to blackmail, revenge and murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
SnoozefestMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Stranger on the Third Floor?
The closest matches to Stranger on the Third Floor are Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948), The Whistler (1944) and The Glass Key (1942). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Stranger on the Third Floor?
People who watched Stranger on the Third Floor most often go on to Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948), The Whistler (1944) and The Glass Key (1942).
What is the highest-rated movie like Stranger on the Third Floor?
The Letter (1940), rated 7.3/10 by 262 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Stranger on the Third Floor?
The Locksmith (2023) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Stranger on the Third Floor?
Yes: Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948), The Whistler (1944) and The Glass Key (1942).
How are movies similar to Stranger on the Third Floor chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Stranger on the Third Floor, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.