10 Best Whodunit Films From Unusual Genres

2. Clue (Comedy/Board Game Movie)

Of course 1985’s cult classic movie based on a board game gets an entry on our list. Because not only is it damn funny, it’s also a really well played whodunit. The story kicks off with a group of strangers showing up to a spooky old mansion in the middle of nowhere on a dark and stormy night to attend a dinner party hosted by a mysterious stranger known as “Mr. Boddy.” The strangers are all told to go by pseudonyms, and shortly after an unappetizing dinner, they are informed that each of them are going to be blackmailed by the party’s host. Then the lights go out and he gets offed by one of them.

Clue is several things in one. It’s a 1950s period piece, it’s an ensemble screwball comedy, and it even has some horror elements as victims are picked off one-by-one. Then there’s the performances by its stellar cast: Eileen Brennan, Madeline Kahn, Leslie Ann Warren, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Martin Mull, and the legendary Tim Curry.

The film has three different endings with three different versions of who could have been the murderer—an inventive homage to the board game, seeing as how each time you play it, you have a different outcome. Audiences and critics didn’t enjoy Clue during its original run, but the film has enjoyed success on home video, cable TV, and streaming.