Whodunnit? One of the best and most exciting questions to ever be posed on the page or screen. Agatha Christie has long been one of (if not the) master(s) of murder mystery. Since movies like Knives Out became smash hits, other studios have been making many murder mysteries. But where to start with the Mistress of Murder? Luckily there are a ton of brilliant Christie adaptations that you can stream right now! So if more murder and mystery is what you’re looking for, we’ve curated 16 of the best Agatha Christie adaptations for you to enjoy!
Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
Directed by Billy Wilder, this classic movie stars Marlene Dietrich and adapts a courtroom drama stage play by Christie. The result is a tense noir flick that follows a murder trial filled with twists and turns. It also garnered six Oscar nominations!
Watch: For free on Tubi, Pluto, and Amazon Prime
Murder, She Said (1961)
Margaret Rutherford is a part of an elite club of old ladies: actors who have played Agatha Christie’s aging sleuth Miss Marple in a live-action adaptation. This black and white gem centers on the famed detective as she witnesses a murder on a train, only to be dismissed and ignored by all the men around her as she tries to solve the crime. But we all know who’ll come out on top eventually!
Watch: Available for rent on YouTube
Gumnaam (1965)
This psychedelic ’60s Bollywood take on And Then There Were None has a killer soundtrack and a completely unique vision for Christie’s beloved tale. After winning a trip to a foreign country, a group of strangers are left stranded on an island where they begin to be picked off one by one. You might recognize the opening song, as it was featured in Ghost World!
Watch: Available for rent on Amazon Prime
Endless Night (1972)
A rare supernatural entry in Christie’s catalog, this film focuses on a young couple who decide to build their dream home on cursed land. Of course, this is at heart a murder mystery with a twist that is notoriously hard to guess. Come for the curse, stay for the devious whodunnit.
Watch: For free on Kanopy
Dhund (1973)
Based on Christie’s play The Unexpected Guest, this flick follows a man who is thrown into the midst of a murder after having a traffic accident. Directed by Bollywood legend B. R. Chopra Dhund, it’s stacked to the brim with twists, turns, and a vibrant yet noir-tinged atmosphere. An underseen Christie gem.
Watch: Available for rent on Amazon Prime
Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
Possibly the most star-studded Christie movie ever! Albert Finney stars as Hercule Poirot alongside Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, and Sean Connery in this brilliant thriller. If you haven’t read the book or watched an adaptation, then you’ll never guess the twist in Murder on the Orient Express And even if you do know, it’s still incredibly fun to watch Poirot try to work out just who on the snow-trapped train murdered an unfortunate billionaire passenger.
Watch: For free on Amazon Prime
The Mirror Crack’d (1980)
Did you know that Angela Lansbury played Miss Marple in a series of movies? Well, she did, and this super fun ’50s-set film sees her try and find a murder on a Golden Age Hollywood movie set. Did we mention that The Mirror Crack’d also stars Hollywood royalty Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis, and Kim Novak? Well, now you know! So add this one to the top of your watch list today!
Watch: On Britbox with subscription
Evil Under the Sun (1982)
Peter Ustinov’s second cinematic turn as Poirot put him directly in the sights of a Machiavellian murderer at a high-end resort in the Adriatic Islands. A meditation on celebrity, fame, and friendship, Evil Under the Sun is also an exceedingly fun film and a great escape into the slightly grimy glitz and glamour of a dying idea of Hollywood. It also happens to be one of Johnson’s biggest influences on the Glass Onion.
Watch: On Britbox with subscription
Miss Marple (1984-1992)
Unless you grew up in the UK in the ’90s, you probably haven’t seen these perfect specials that ran for eight years on British network TV. The series adapts a whole bunch of the OAP sleuth’s most beloved cases; if you love yourself a good murder and some beautiful pastoral scenery, then you’re in for a treat!
Watch: On Britbox with subscription
Poirot (1989-2013)
Probably the most famous representation of Hercule Poirot. David Suchet played the character for over 20 years on this series, which is the definition of a cozy murder mystery. Enjoy multiple adaptations of Christie’s most famous tales as Hercule travels around the globe solving mysteries and catching crimes.
Watch: On Britbox with subscription or for free on Hoopla
Agatha Christie’s Marple (2004-2013)
The most recent take on Miss Marple is this British series of made-for-TV movies. These flicks feature surprisingly great production value, plenty of hard-to-guess mysteries, and a roster of UK stars like Mark Gatiss, Sean Pertwee, Tom Baker, Rik Mayall, and many, many more.
Watch: On Britbox with subscription or for free on Hoopla
Crooked House (2017)
Gillian Anderson and Glenn Close taking the screen together in an Agatha Christie adaptation. What more do you need to know? Well, this impeccably dark period piece follows a private investigator who is pulled into the twisted web of a rich family when their patriarch is murdered in a shocking fashion. Not for the light-hearted, Crooked House features one of Christie’s most heart wrenching twists.
Watch: On Amazon Prime with subscription
And Then There Were None (2015)
Sarah Phelps’ three-episode miniseries is one of the best Christie adaptations of all time, and is chock full of true horror. A cast of unmentionably awful people are invited to a party only to have their darkest secrets revealed and their lives cut short. The all-star cast includes Charles Dance, Aiden Turner, and Sam Neill, who are all delectably terrible and infinitely watchable.
Watch: On Acorn TV with subscription, for free on Hoopla, or rent on Amazon Prime
Ordeal by Innocence (2018)
When Rachel Argyll is found bludgeoned to death, her adoptive son is quickly convicted, and is murdered in prison before justice can truly be served. But nearly two years later, a man appears and gives Jack an alibi that throws the Argyll family into disarray as they realize the real killer may still be among them. Phelps is my favorite director of Christie and this distressingly good adaptation is a perfect example of why.
Watch: On Amazon Prime with subscription
The ABC Murders (2018)
Sarah Phelps continues her killer run of turning Christie novels into terrifying poison-drenched televisual masterpieces with this John Malkovich-starring adaptation. The Oscar-nominated thespian stars as a beleaguered Hercule Poriot, well past his heyday. But when a series of letters foreshadows a spate of terrible murders, he takes matters into his own hands.
Watch: On Amazon Prime with subscription
The Pale Horse (2020)
Phelps’ newest addition to the Christie canon is a folk-horror take on one of the author’s spookiest novels. Following the death of a woman and the discovery of a list of names she left behind, a small town is thrown into chaos, and horrific secret is gradually uncovered. Unlike any Christie you’ve ever seen.
Watch: On Amazon Prime with subscription.
So get your magnifying glasses out and get ready to solve some mysteries with these great Agatha Christie adaptations!
This piece was originally published on February 13, 2022.
Featured Image: Lifetime
