Movies Like Backstairs

If you liked Backstairs (1921), a mystery and drama movie directed by Leopold Jessner and Paul Leni, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
Remember (2015)
★ 7.3/10Also drama and thriller
With the aid of a fellow Auschwitz survivor and a hand-written letter, an elderly man with dementia goes in search of the person responsible for the death of his family.
2
The Good Doctor (2011)
★ 6.2/10Also drama and thriller
Dr. Martin Blake, who has spent his life looking for respect, meets an 18-year-old patient named Diane, suffering from a kidney infection, and gets a much-needed boost of self-esteem. However, when her health starts…
3
Endless Night (1972)
★ 6.1/10Also mystery and thriller
Shiftless dreamer Michael Rogers fantasizes about a lifestyle above his means and marries a wealthy, young girl who just came of age. They hire a famous architect to build their dream home amidst a series of suspicious…
4
Nancy (2018)
★ 5.8/10Also mystery and drama
Nancy becomes increasingly convinced she was kidnapped as a child. When she meets a couple whose daughter went missing thirty years ago, reasonable doubts give way to willful belief.
5
Triage (2009)
★ 6/10Also drama and thriller
The wife of a photojournalist sets out to discover why he came home from a recent assignment without his colleague.
6
The Caveman's Valentine (2001)
★ 5.9/10Also drama and mystery
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…
7
The Commuter (2018)
★ 6.4/10Also thriller and mystery
A businessman, on his daily commute home, gets unwittingly caught up in a criminal conspiracy that threatens not only his life but the lives of those around him.
8
Time Without Pity (1957)
★ 6.5/10Also thriller and mystery
Alec Graham is sentenced to death for the murder of his girlfriend Jennie, with whom he spent a weekend at the English country home of the parents of his friend Brian Stanford. Alec’s father, David Graham, a…
9
Suburbicon (2017)
★ 5.9/10Also thriller and drama
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…
10
Cleaner (2007)
★ 6.1/10Also thriller and mystery
Single father and former cop Tom Cutler has an unusual occupation: he cleans up death scenes. But when he's called in to sterilize a wealthy suburban residence after a brutal shooting, Cutler is shocked to learn he may…
11
Islands (2025)
★ 6.1/10Also thriller and drama
In this twisty thriller, a tennis coach at a tropical resort finds himself at the center of a missing persons mystery. Tom teaches tennis during the day and parties at night. When an enigmatic tourist arrives, Tom is…
12
Shirley (2020)
★ 6.1/10Also drama and thriller
A famous horror writer finds inspiration for her next book after she and her husband take in a young couple.
13
Greta (2019)
★ 6.5/10Also mystery and thriller
A young woman returns a lonely widow’s lost purse, leading to an unlikely relationship between the two — until the young woman discovers the widow might not be all that she seems.
14
Run (1991)
★ 6/10Also thriller and drama
When a law student accidentally kills the son of a mob boss in a fight, he finds himself relentlessly pursued by the mob and the police.
15
The Ritual Killer (2023)
★ 5.8/10Also mystery and thriller
Unable to process the death of his daughter, Detective Boyd embarks on a hunt for a serial killer who murders according to a brutal tribal ritual: Muti. The only person who can help Boyd is Professor Mackles, an…
16
Awake (2007)
★ 6.6/10Also thriller and mystery
While undergoing heart surgery, a man experiences a phenomenon called ‘anesthetic awareness’, which leaves him awake but paralyzed throughout the operation. As various obstacles present themselves, his wife must make…
17
Blood Ties (2013)
★ 6.1/10Also thriller and drama
Two brothers, on either side of the law, face off over organized crime in Brooklyn during the 1970s.
18
Dream Lover (1994)
★ 6.8/10Also drama and mystery
Not long after they cross paths at an art gallery, architect Ray Reardon and hypnotically sensual Lena are married with children. But as strange incidents occur, Ray begins to realize he may not really know the woman…
19
The House on Carroll Street (1988)
★ 5.9/10Also drama and thriller
A reporter, fired after refusing to give names to a 1951 House Un-American Activities Committee, takes a part-time job as companion to an old lady. While working she overhears a noisy argument in the neighboring house…
20
The Operative (2019)
★ 5.8/10Also drama and thriller
A young Western woman is recruited by the Mossad to go undercover in Tehran where she becomes entangled in a complex triangle with her handler and her subject.