The 10 Best Mystery Thrillers Streaming For Free

If you're in search of a free mystery thriller that's actually good, then who better than Alfred Hitchcock to deliver? Hitchcock's Rebecca isn't just slow-burn gothic delight, but it's also available for free on JustWatch TV, making it an easy choice for fans of classic movies. Based on Daphne du Maurier's novel of the same name, the movie follows Joan Fontaine's character as she tries to navigate living in the shadow of her new husband's first wife and the strange housekeeper once loyal to her. 

Unlike Vertigo (1958) or Psycho (1960), Rebecca is more mystery than thriller. Loaded with themes about self-worth, jealousy, and obsession, it's a psychologically heavy movie elevated by some memorable performances from Fontaine, Laurence Olivier, and, of course, Judith Anderson, who plays housekeeper Mrs. Danvers with the proper subtle menace and bizarre obsession that cements her as one of cinema's best villains over eight decades later.

Witness of the Prosecution follows a sickly lawyer who decides to defend a man on trial for murdering a wealthy widow who had conveniently named him the sole beneficiary of her will just before her death. Perhaps described best as a legal melodrama, a good chunk of this film takes place right in the courtroom. While it's definitely more of a slow-burn than the other entries on this list, Witness for the Prosecution didn't receive six Academy Awards for no reason. 

Charles Laughton, Marlene Dietrich, and the rest of the cast deliver strong, memorable performances. If you like Agatha Christie stories, Witness for the Prosecution is a worthy watch. And I have to say that its twist ending took me completely by surprise. My jaw was literally on the floor. 

If you like mystery thrillers, then I'm here to tell you that What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is mandatory viewing. Not only does it have a compelling story, but it features powerhouse performances from screen legends Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, the latter of whom plays the part of an aging childhood starlet with a delightfully unhinged charisma. 

Featuring a small cast and primarily taking place in one dilapidated mansion, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a psychological thriller that explores the toll of fame, dark secrets, and the complicated dynamic between sisters. If you're a fan of classic movies, this one is a must-watch, but even if you're not, I implore you to give it a try because it really is that good. 

Maybe you're already familiar with David Lynch's unique brand of mystery via Twin Peaks (1990), or maybe you're not. Either way, Blue Velvet is basically required viewing for anyone who dares to call themselves a cinephile. Similar to Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet uncovers a brutal, dark secret lurking within a small town, with a college student (Kyle MacLachlan) at the center of a bizarre mystery. 

Like much of Lynch's work, it's a mash-up of neo-noir mystery and surreal, almost dreamlike horror. It earned Lynch his second Academy Award nomination for Best Director (the first being for 1980's The Elephant Man) and is frequently listed as one of the greatest films ever made. You owe it to yourself to watch Blue Velvet at least once, especially if you appreciate movies with an arthouse feel.  

Pacific Heights has been described as "horror for yuppies," but I prefer to think of it as "horror for landlords." When a young couple restores an old home that's barely in their budget, they hope to rent it out and turn a profit. The issue: They get the worst tenant—if you can even call him that—imaginable, played with ample menace by Michael Keaton. 

Listen, Pacific Heights has some plot holes, but it's still an engaging watch, especially if you don't expect perfection. It takes a while to truly get going, but once it embraces its thriller premise, it's hard to look away. If you've ever thought of renting out a building, this movie might change your mind. 

Most people associate Harrison Ford with the Indiana Jones franchise or the Star Wars saga. While I do, too, I also think of this movie when I hear Ford's name. What Lies Beneath offers a twisty mystery about a woman, played wonderfully by Michelle Pfeiffer, who starts to suspect a connection between the ghost seemingly haunting her lakeside home and her husband (Ford). 

While spoiling much more is a disservice to the plot, expect a supernatural thriller with some genuinely creepy moments. What Lies Beneath might not be Robert Zemeckis's best movie (this is the man who made Back to the Future, after all), but it's still an engrossing watch, amplified by two strong performances from Ford and Pfeiffer. If you like domestic thrillers with supernatural elements like The Night House (2021) or The Others (2001), you'll dig this one, too.  

If you're craving something more noir-inspired, then consider Nightcrawler, the Jake Gyllenhaal-led crime thriller about a freelance photojournalist who documents disturbing and violent events in Los Angeles to sell to news stations. If that sounds like an ethics nightmare, you're absolutely right, which is pretty much the film's entire point. 

Nightcrawler functions as satire to an extent. It takes aim at society's avid consumption of violent media while simultaneously claiming they don't want it. Often compared to Taxi Driver (1976), Nightcrawler delivers a gritty story with a similar, eerie yet charismatic lead in Gyllenhaal. There's a reason this movie earned a Best Original Screenplay nomination at the Academy Awards. It's the ultimate neo-noir thriller. 

Despite The Gift's critical acclaim, it likely fell under the radar for many viewers. Joel Edgerton directs and stars in this psychological thriller about a married couple, Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall), who reconnect with an old classmate of Simon's named Gordo (Edgerton). As the title implies, Gordo has a thing for gifts, and he keeps showing up with more of them while exhibiting increasingly strange behavior. 

Where The Gift truly succeeds is its subversion. Just when you think you have things figured out, the film throws out another twist. It might stumble in some areas, but The Gift is still a worthwhile movie for fans of psychological thrillers that hang heavily on character depth and motivation. 

If you're not open to found-footage movies in the vein of The Blair Witch Project (1999), then you might want to sit this one out. However, anyone willing to give it a try might just find a competent little mystery in cult favorite Hell House LLC. Shot in a documentary format, the film seeks to uncover the mystery behind the deaths of 15 people while touring the titular haunted attraction by interviewing the only survivor. 

As is the nature of found-footage movies, Hell House LLC offers an immersive, unsettling experience that makes you feel like you're watching a true crime doc. It definitely sits more firmly in the horror genre than some of the other entries on this list, but, personally, I'd argue the scares are more creepy or eerie than straight, eye-covering horror. 

Vivarium is very much a psychological thriller that will appeal to sci-fi fans, given its sheer bizarreness. It follows a young couple, played by Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg, who find themselves trapped in a maze-like suburban development that forces them to raise a strange child. Basically, it's a movie about suburban Hell. 

If you're a fan of things like Black Mirror (2011) or The Twilight Zone (1959), Vivarium feels like the feature-length answer to both of these. It's not a feel-good movie, but it is a thinker that's likely to leave you feeling a little dizzy upon first watch. Stylish, scary, and endlessly weird, Vivarium is one of the most unique movies to come out in the 21st century.