Movies like The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1929)
The best movies like The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1929) are Kiss Me Deadly (1955), The Substitute 2: School's Out (1998) and Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021). If The Return of Sherlock Holmes hooked you with its mystery, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSaw (2004)7.4/10 from 10,491 votes
- NewestPinocchio: Unstrung (2026)Released 2026
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
One evening, Hammer gives a ride to Christina, an attractive hitchhiker on a lonely country road, who has escaped from the nearby lunatic asylum. Thugs waylay them and force his car to crash. When Hammer returns to semi-consciousness, he hears Christina being tortured until she dies. Hammer, both for vengeance and in hopes that "something big" is behind it all, decides to pursue the case.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Substitute 2: School's Out (1998)
When teacher Randall Thomasson is killed during a carjacking, an unexpected visitor shows up at his funeral - his estranged brother, Karl Thomasson. An ex-Green Beret turned mercenary, Karl signs on as a new substitute teacher in order to investigate Randall's murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)
Working in the shadow of an esteemed police veteran, brash Detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks and his rookie partner take charge of a grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city’s gruesome past. Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the center of the killer’s morbid game.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Infernal Machine (2022)
Reclusive and controversial author Bruce Cogburn is drawn out of hiding by an obsessive fan, forcing the novelist to confront a past that he thought he could escape, and to account for events set in motion by his bestseller decades earlier. Cogburn's search for who is behind the manipulation and mental torment he encounters leads to an emotional roller-coaster ride full of fear and danger, where things are not always as clear as they seem to be, and where past deeds can have dire consequences.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisParanormal Activity: Next of Kin (2021)
Margot is a documentary filmmaker looking to meet her long-lost mother and extended family in a secluded Amish community. She and her film crew soon realize the family that welcomes them into their home might be hiding a sinister secret.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSaw (2004)
Two men wake up to find themselves shackled in a grimy, abandoned bathroom. As they struggle to comprehend their predicament, they discover a disturbing tape left behind by the sadistic mastermind known as Jigsaw. With a chilling voice and cryptic instructions, Jigsaw informs them that they must partake in a gruesome game in order to secure their freedom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOldboy (2013)
A man has only three and a half days and limited resources to discover why he was imprisoned in a nondescript room for 20 years without any explanation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisFor the Sake of Vicious (2021)
An overworked nurse returns home to find a maniac hiding out with a bruised and beaten hostage. When an unexpected wave of violent intruders descend upon her home, it becomes a fight for survival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFear Street: 1978 (2021)
In 1978, two rival groups at Camp Nightwing must band together to solve a terrifying mystery when horrors from their towns' history come alive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Children (2008)
A relaxing Christmas vacation turns into a terrifying fight for survival as the children begin to turn on their parents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJigsaw (2017)
Law enforcement finds itself chasing the ghost of a man dead for over a decade, embroiled in a diabolical new game that's only just begun.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNarrow Margin (1990)
An L.A. District Attorney attempts to take an unwilling murder witness back to the United States to testify against a top-level mob boss. Frantically attempting to escape two deadly hitmen sent to silence her, they board a Vancouver-bound train only to discover that the killers are onboard with them. For the next 20 hours, as the train hurls through the beautiful but isolated Canadian wilderness, a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues in which their ability to tell friend from foe is a matter of life and death.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFear Street: 1994 (2021)
After a series of brutal slayings, a teen and her friends take on an evil force that's plagued their notorious town for centuries.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPinocchio: Unstrung (2026)
Influenced by a sinister Cricket and created by Geppetto, Pinocchio launches a violent crusade to carve himself into a real boy like his brother James, one piece at a time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisToo Late (2016)
Private investigator Mel Sampson is tasked with tracking down the whereabouts of a missing woman from his own past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTightrope (1984)
Wes Block is a detective who's put on the case of a serial killer whose victims are young and pretty women. The murders are getting personal when the killer chooses victims who are acquaintances of Block. Even his daughters are threatened.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFarewell, My Lovely (1975)
Private eye Philip Marlowe is hired by ex-con Moose Malloy to find his girlfriend, a former lounge dancer. While also investigating the murder of a client and the theft of a jade necklace, Marlowe becomes entangled with seductress Helen Grayle and discovers a web of dark secrets that are better left hidden.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOriginal Sin (2001)
A young man is plunged into a life of subterfuge, deceit and mistaken identity in pursuit of a femme fatale whose heart is never quite within his grasp.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBloody Hell (2020)
A man with a mysterious past flees the country to escape his own personal hell... only to arrive somewhere much worse. In an effort to survive this new horror, he turns to his personified conscience.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMirrors (2008)
An ex-cop and his family are the target of an evil force that is using mirrors as a gateway into their home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
Like The Return of Sherlock Holmes and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Return of Sherlock Holmes?
The closest matches to The Return of Sherlock Holmes are Kiss Me Deadly (1955), The Substitute 2: School's Out (1998) and Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Return of Sherlock Holmes?
Start with Kiss Me Deadly (1955), the closest match to The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Return of Sherlock Holmes?
Saw (2004), rated 7.4/10 by 10,491 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Return of Sherlock Holmes?
Pinocchio: Unstrung (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Return of Sherlock Holmes?
Yes: Kiss Me Deadly (1955), The Substitute 2: School's Out (1998) and Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021).
How are movies similar to The Return of Sherlock Holmes chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Return of Sherlock Holmes, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.