For fans in the mood for a chilling detective story in which nothing is quite as it seems, they certainly cannot go wrong with Shutter Island — one of the best movies on Paramount+, as well as one of the best movies on Pluto TV, at the moment. Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, the 2010 drama is one of the best collaborations between director Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio and stars the Academy Award winner as a U.S. Marshal sent to an asylum to investigate the disappearance of a patient.
Without giving too much away, the movie boasts a shocking twist ending that leads you to reconsider everything you thought you knew about DiCaprio’s character and makes you eager to use your Paramount+ subscription or use Pluto TV to rewatch it and scope out any clues you may have missed the first time. Once you have done that, if you are still in the mood for another haunting and perplexing film noir movie classic, perhaps you should try one of these movies like Shutter Island which we have compiled below.
Memento (2000)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano
What it's about: A former insurance investigator with short-term memory loss struggles to solve the mystery behind the last thing he can remember: his wife’s murder.
Why it is a great movie to watch if you like Shutter Island: Brilliantly told in reverse order, Memento is another modern film noir classic with an unreliable protagonist and one of the most mind-blowing plot twists of all time.
- Stream Memento Amazon Prime
- Stream Memento on Tubi
- Stream Memento on Peacock
- Buy Memento on Blu-ray on Amazon
Secret Window (2004)
Director: David Koepp
Starring: Johnny Depp, John Turturro
What it's about: A famous, soon-to-be-divorced writer staying at an isolated lake house is stalked by a man who claims he stole his work.
Why it is a great movie to watch if you like Shutter Island: Secret Window, based on a novella by Stephen King, is an intriguing thriller that also follows a protagonist of questionable trustworthiness and an unsettling conclusion that puts everything in an entirely new perspective.
- Stream Secret Windon on Pluto TV
- Rent or buy Secret Window on Amazon
- Buy Secret Window on Blu-ray on Amazon
Identity (2003)
Director: James Mangold
Starring: John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Ray Liotta
What it's about: On a dark and stormy night, a group of people taking refuge at a rundown motel begins to question who they can trust as the guests begin dying one after the other.
Why it is a great movie to watch if you like Shutter Island: From director James Mangold and writer Michael Cooney, the vastly underrated Identity cements itself as one of the most inventive whodunits of its time with its stellar twist ending.
Jacob's Ladder (1990)
Director: Adrian Lyne
Starring: Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Peña
What it's about: A Vietnam War veteran struggles to understand the secrets of his past while suffering from horrifying visions that cause him to question the nature of his reality.
Why it is a great movie to watch if you like Shutter Island: Jacob’s Ladder — one of Tim Robbins’ best movies — may not be a detective drama like Shutter Island but it is a deeply unnerving, character-driven mystery thriller with a twist ending that will surely haunt you for days.
- Stream Jacob's Ladder on MGM+
- Rent or buy Jacob's Ladder on Amazon
- Buy Jacob's Ladder on Blu-ray on Amazon
Mulholland Dr. (2001)
Director: David Lynch
Starring: Naomi Watts, Laura Harring
What it's about: An aspiring actor helps an amnesia-stricken woman piece together lost details of her life.
Why it is a great movie to watch if you like Shutter Island: Like Jacob’s Ladder, Mulholland Dr. — one of the best David Lynch movies — also shares similarities with Shutter Island as a largely character-driven mystery with some indelible scares and haunting twists.
Vertigo (1958)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: James Stewart, Kim Novak
What it's about: Personal issues get in the way as a former police detective investigates a beautiful woman, with whom he becomes increasingly obsessed.
Why it is a great movie to watch if you like Shutter Island: A film that could be considered the Shutter Island of its time is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best movies, Vertigo, in the way the complex classic will have you questioning the sanity of its hero all the way through.
Gone Girl (2014)
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike
What it's about: The sudden disappearance of his wife causes a writing professor to become the center of attention in a head-turning investigation that evolves into a media frenzy.
Why it is a great movie to watch if you like Shutter Island: Without revealing too much, a major story detail from Shutter Island involves the hero’s relationship with his spouse, which is the central plot thread from Gone Girl — a beautifully executed adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s addictive, staggering mystery.
The Girl On The Train (2016)
Director: Tate Taylor
Starring: Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett
What it's about: Academy Award nominee Emily Blunt stars as a divorced woman who becomes obsessed with a couple she spots on her daily commute, which leads to her unexpected involvement in a disturbing criminal case.
Why it is a great movie to watch if you like Shutter Island: Another twisted thriller in which the protagonist’s relationship with her (former) spouse has a damning effect on her life is The Girl on the Train — director Tate Taylor’s adaptation of Paula Hawkins’ bestselling novel that also stars Rebecca Ferguson and Haley Bennett.
How to watch The Girl on the Train
Unsane (2018)
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Claire Foy, Jay Pharoah
What it's about: A woman finds herself inexplicably trapped in a psychiatric hospital, where she begins to question the reality of her confusing situation.
Why it is a great movie to watch if you like Shutter Island: In Shutter Island, DiCaprio’s Teddy Daniels finds himself treated like a patient of the titular mental institution he is investigating, which is similar to the fate of Foy’s protagonist in Unsane — an alluring, uniquely shot thriller.
A Cure For Wellness (2017)
Director: Gore Verbinski
Starring: Dane DeHaan, Mia Goth
What it's about: A young corporate executive is sent to find and retrieve his boss at a Swiss wellness spa, where he soon discovers that the establishment is hiding dangerous secrets.
Why it is a great movie to watch if you like Shutter Island: Another intriguing mystery set in a suspicious mental institution and boasting strange plot reveals is A Cure for Wellness — a visually transfixing thriller.
How to watch A Cure for Wellness
Would you agree that these movies are perfect choices for a Shutter Island fan, or are you still searching for what you believe are the right clues?
