Movies like A Friend of the Family (2005)
The best movies like A Friend of the Family (2005) are Crossword Mysteries: A Puzzle to Die For (2019), Kept Woman (2015) and Desert Dawn (2025). If A Friend of the Family hooked you with its mystery and thriller, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- NewestDesert Dawn (2025)Released 2025
Crossword Mysteries: A Puzzle to Die For (2019)
A crossword puzzle editor finds her life completely disrupted when several of the clues in her recent puzzles are linked to unsolved crimes, and she is pulled into the police investigation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKept Woman (2015)
Jessica and her fiancé Evan have just moved from the city into their dream home on a quiet suburban street. Soon after, Jessica catches her seemingly friendly new neighbor, Simon, in a strange lie and can't let her suspicions rest. The danger escalates when Simon lures her inside his home and imprisons Jessica in his secret bunker, meticulously decorated in the idealized style of the 1950s.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDesert Dawn (2025)
A newly appointed small-town sheriff and his begrudging deputy get tangled up in a web of lies and corruption involving shady businessmen and the cartel while investigating the murder of a mysterious woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIs There a Killer in My Family? (2020)
True-crime author, Carly, and her husband Kevin take a vacation at a historical mansion on Crawford Island. Kevin thinks it will be a chance for them to reconnect, but Carly plans to research the puzzling unsolved murder of Diana Crawford.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDead Man's Folly (1986)
During a murder hunt game at a country house, to which Hercule Poirot is invited as an "expert", a real murder occurs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRiddled with Deceit: A Martha's Vineyard Mystery (2020)
Former detective Jeff Jackson teams up with Dr. Zee Madieras to track down their friend's missing emerald brooch, a thief, and also... a murderer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisCrossword Mysteries: Proposing Murder (2019)
When an old friend of New York Sentinel Crosswords editor Tess Harper is found murdered on the very day her puzzle includes his proposal of marriage, Tess unofficially teams up with Detective Logan O’Connor to find the killer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAurora Teagarden Mysteries: Til Death Do Us Part (2021)
Just days before Aurora’s wedding, a body is discovered, and she fears her father may be a suspect. She and Nick race to solve the cold case before they walk down the aisle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCurious Caterer: Dying for Chocolate (2022)
Goldy is a spirited single mom who’s thrust into the role of town sleuth to help solve a friend’s mysterious death. With the clock ticking to find the culprit, Goldy strikes up an unlikely partnership with Detective Tom Schultz, who leans into Goldy’s local knowledge. As their relationship shows signs of becoming something more, the suspect list rises. Will Goldy narrow in on the killer before the killer narrows in on her?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Bone to Pick: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery (2015)
A librarian with a sharp mind for murder, Aurora Teagarden is known around her small town as a master sleuth. When her friend Jane unexpectedly dies and leaves Aurora everything in her will, she also leaves a troubling murder mystery haunting her neighborhood. It is up to Aurora to piece together the clues—including a skull, its missing skeleton and a suspicious group of neighbors—and solve the murder before she becomes the unlikely killer’s next victim.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCrossword Mysteries: Terminal Descent (2021)
After volunteering to participate in a crossword solving competition with a new supercomputer, crossword puzzle editor Tess Harper finds herself swept into the investigation of the bizarre murder of a tech CEO
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHello (2022)
An emotionally unavailable flight attendant meets a potential love interest and later finds out that her "perfect guy" has ulterior motives. As the clock ticks down on New Year's Eve, she must fight to keep her murdered ex-boyfriend's secrets or find herself dead.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Sister's Secret (2018)
Twin sisters secretly swap places on their thirtieth birthday. The harmless prank becomes a nightmare when one of them is murdered.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAurora Teagarden Mysteries: How to Con A Con (2021)
When Aida Teagarden's real estate client is found murdered, her sleuthing daughter Aurora sets out with her fiancé Nick and the Real Murders Club to solve the murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPast Malice: An Emma Fielding Mystery (2018)
Archaeologist Emma Fielding is hired to consult on the acquisition of a castle-like estate that local legend states is cursed. But she finds herself in the middle of a murder case after discovering the body of the archaeologist she was hired to shadow in a secret chamber in the bowels of the huge building. Assisted by her friend, FBI special agent Jim Conner, Fielding must sift through clues and a long list of suspects, each of whom has their own reason for wanting the man dead, to determine who is the killer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJesse Stone: Lost in Paradise (2015)
Police Chief Jesse Stone now presides over the quiet, seaside village of Paradise, Massachusetts. When the facts don't add up in a brutal Boston-area murder case, Jesse opens an investigation filled with surprises, unlikely suspects and grave danger. Though it's widely believed the murder was committed by an incarcerated serial killer, Jesse suspects another killer is at large and is hell-bent on bringing him to justice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFlower Shop Mystery: Dearly Depotted (2016)
Abby Knight, ex-lawyer and crime buff, and the owner of Bloomers Flower Shop, is having a week to be reckoned with. A reluctant bridesmaid at her drama queen cousin’s wedding, Abby ends up not just doing the flowers...but having to find out who murdered a wedding crasher. Stars Brooke Shields, Brennan Elliott and Beau Bridges.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisReap What You Sew: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery (2018)
Internet sensation and old family friend of Aurora Teagarden, Poppy Wilson, has returned to Lawrenceton to start her new embroidery business. But not everyone is happy with Poppy's success when she turns up dead. To find the killer, Roe must follow the unsettling truths that lead her—into the path of the killer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHailey Dean Mysteries: Dating Is Murder (2017)
Attorney turned therapist Hailey Dean is pulled into another investigation when a popular new dating app links multiple missing persons cases from around the city. Reuniting with her old team, Hailey discovers the potential dangers of online interaction, and must track down a killer before anyone else gets hurt.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like A Friend of the Family?
The closest matches to A Friend of the Family are Crossword Mysteries: A Puzzle to Die For (2019), Kept Woman (2015) and Desert Dawn (2025). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after A Friend of the Family?
Start with Crossword Mysteries: A Puzzle to Die For (2019), the closest match to A Friend of the Family.
What is the newest movie like A Friend of the Family?
Desert Dawn (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like A Friend of the Family?
Yes: Crossword Mysteries: A Puzzle to Die For (2019), Kept Woman (2015) and Desert Dawn (2025).
How are movies similar to A Friend of the Family chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside A Friend of the Family, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.