Mysteries are often presented as a game in which the audience tries to solve the “whodunit” along with the detective. Removing or minimizing the gruesome circumstances of the murder gives the genre a grand potential for comedy, particularly the dark kind, which fits in perfectly with the blood-soaked goings-on.
Even dramatic murder mysteries such as Agatha Christie’s can’t resist an arch moment here and there, and when full-bore laughs are called for, the genre proves a durable fit. The greatest murder mystery comedies embrace a wide variety of styles and eras, from reasonably serious to pure slapstick. Overall, they prove just how potent the formula can be and how many laughs can be generated from the act of murder.
Updated on August 22, 2024, by Florencia Aberastury: Murder mystery comedy films are some of the best and most entertaining genres. They blend the suspense and nail-biting narrative of murder mysteries, with hilarious settings, characters, and premises. This article has been updated to include more of the best murder mystery comedy movies of all time, as well as to bring the article up to current CBR standards.
15 Bodies Bodies Bodies Subverts Expectations
IMDb |
Rotten Tomatoes |
Streaming Platforms |
---|---|---|
6.2 |
86% |
Netflix, Paramount+ & Fubo |

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10 Slasher Movies Begging for a Reboot
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Bodies Bodies Bodies might not seem like the best murder mystery comedy, but that’s all part of the appeal. A group of rich young adults get together at a house for a “hurricane party” and decide to play a murder-mystery game in the dark called “bodies bodies bodies.” In this game, one of the friends is the “killer” and the rest have to find out who it is. However, the game becomes real when the friends find one of their own with his throat slashed.
Bodies Bodies Bodies quickly ups the tension and mystery as the friend group realizes the killer must be one of their own. The hurricane happening outside makes it impossible for anyone to leave or arrive, meaning they are probably the only ones there. Allegiances are made and broken, everyone soon turns on each other, and everything ramps up before the final reveal. Bodies Bodies Bodies mixes comedy, slasher, and murder mystery in the best way possible, making this film one of the best of its genre.

Bodies Bodies Bodies
- Director
- Halina Reijn
- Release Date
- August 5, 2022
- Cast
- Amandla Stenberg , Maria Bakalova , Chase Sui Wonders , Rachel Sennott
- Runtime
- 94 minutes
14 Game Night Makes a Murder Mystery Interactive Game Real
IMDb |
Rotten Tomatoes |
Streaming Platforms |
---|---|---|
6.9 |
85% |
AppleTV+ (rent or buy) |
While the murder mystery isn’t real in Game Night, the comedy and mystery are. Game Night follows a group of friends who get together for their regular game night at Max and Annie’s house, played by the excellent Ozark’s Jason Bateman and Mean Girls’ Rachel McAdams. But things take a turn when Max’s brother shows up and offers to host the next game night, which turns out to be an interactive “murder mystery” game.
Game Night uses all the best elements of the murder mystery genre throughout its interactive game, while the action and real mystery happening at the same time keep viewers engaged. Viewers watching Game Night might not know what’s real and what’s not more than once, and that’s the point. Game Night’s intelligent storytelling and hilarious pop culture references easily earn the film a spot as one of the best murder mystery comedies.

Game Night
- Studio
- Warner Bros. Pictures
13 Mr. Monk’s Last Case Brings Back the Beloved Detective
IMDb |
Rotten Tomatoes |
Streaming Platforms |
---|---|---|
6.7 |
96% |
Peacock |
Monk is still one of the most popular and beloved procedural series, even fifteen years after the series finale. And Mr. Monk’s Last Case marked the successful return of the beloved eccentric detective. Mr. Monk’s Last Case is set twelve years after the series finale and sees many of the original cast members return.
Mr. Monk’s Last Case proves there’s still room for eccentric detectives like Monk, who might be set in his old ways, but remains as sharp as he was during his heyday. Mr. Monk’s Last Case is an intriguing and entertaining murder mystery comedy even for those who’ve never seen the show. While the element of nostalgia might be what attracts many viewers to Mr. Monk’s Last Case, the story and mystery is what will keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
12 Gosford Park Was the Basis for a Popular Period Drama Series
IMDb |
Rotten Tomatoes |
Streaming Platforms |
---|---|---|
7.2 |
87% |
AppleTV+ (rent or buy) |

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Gosford Park is in many ways the British counterpart to the cult classic Clue. The murder mystery film follows a group gathered for a shooting weekend at the titular Gosford Park, but murder changes everyone’s plans. The dark comedy film follows the investigation and introduces many characters who become suspects, from the British aristocrats to the servants at Gosford Park. The film boasts a talented ensemble cast that includes Helen Mirren, Maggie Smith, Clive Owen, and Michael Gambon.
Gosford Park is an intriguing and captivating murder mystery film written by the same writer and creator of Downton Abbey, Julian Fellowes. And before Downton Abbey turned into the popular period drama series it is, the British TV series was originally planned as a spin-off of Gosford Park. Gosford Park boasts a talented cast, an intriguing mystery, and a subtle and dark humor that makes this film one of the best murder mystery comedies.
11 Hot Fuzz Is a Hilarious Homage to Action Films with an Intriguing Mystery
IMDb |
Rotten Tomatoes |
Streaming Platforms |
---|---|---|
7.8 |
91% |
AppleTV+ (rent or buy) |
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are a hilarious comedy duo that many might remember from the hilarious R-rated comedy Shaun of the Dead, the first in the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy. Hot Fuzz is the second entry in this anthology film series that plays homage and parodies many different genres. And while Hot Fuzz takes a lot from some of the best action movies of all time, the hilarious comedy also introduces a unique and intriguing murder mystery.
Hot Fuzz follows police sergeant Nicholas Angel, an overachiever police officer from London who is transferred to a small and rural town where seemingly nothing interesting happens. However, nothing is as it seems, and Nicholas might be the only one to believe that the freak accidents happening around town might not be accidents after all. The film’s deadpan humor and pop culture references make Hot Fuzz unique, and the intriguing murder mystery with a shocking twist makes this film one of the best murder mystery comedies.
IMDb |
Rotten Tomatoes |
Streaming Platforms |
---|---|---|
6.5 |
75% |
Fubo |

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10 Best Murder Mystery Movies of All Time
Murder mysteries have dominated film and literature for a long time and movies like The Maltese Falcon and Rear Window are some of the genre’s best.
Mystery comedies invariably send up more traditional murder mysteries in some way or another, but few take such active glee in it as See How They Run. It concerns a murder amid a West End theatrical company currently performing Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap. While the killing is fictional, many key characters are historical, including Christie herself, who shows up as one of the potential victims.
See How They Run starts as a way of taking the stuffing out of their pomposity, as Sam Rockwell’s get-to-business investigator and Saoirse Ronan’s eager beaver constable have to fight fictional expectations about murder mysteries while solving an actual crime. Along the way, it observes the interplay between art and life and makes some very pointed comments on the audience’s capacity to gain entertainment value from the most gruesome circumstances.

See How They Run
In the West End of the 1950s London, plans for a movie version of a smash-hit play come to an abrupt halt after a pivotal member of the crew is murdered.
- Release Date
- September 9, 2022
- Director
- Tom George
- Cast
- Saoirse Ronan , Sam Rockwell , Harris Dickinson , Reece Shearsmith , David Oyelowo , Ruth Wilson , Adam Brody​
- Runtime
- 1 hour 38 minutes
- Main Genre
- Comedy
9 Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid Is Both an Homage and a Parody
IMDb |
Rotten Tomatoes |
Streaming Platforms |
---|---|---|
6.8 |
77% |
AppleTV+ (buy or rent) |
Director Carl Reiner and comedic movie star Steve Martin continued a very fruitful creative period with this satire of classic film noir. The stock plot exists solely to support the gags, as Martin’s hard-boiled detective runs afoul of Nazi spies while investigating a murder. It’s as silly as expected, buoyed by the star’s impeccable timing and stalwart support from leading lady Rachel Ward.
But the film’s real draw comes in the way it cross-edits over a dozen pieces of classic film noir into the drama. With sharp work by editor Bud Molin, Martin interacts with figures like Humphrey Bogart and Barbara Stanwyck, all as part of the narrative. It marks Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid as much as a homage and introduction to film noir as a parody.

Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid
Film noir parody with a detective uncovering a sinister plot. Characters from classic noir films appear as scenes from various movies interjected into the story.
- Release Date
- May 21, 1982
- Director
- Carl Reiner
- Cast
- Steve Martin , Rachel Ward , Reni Santoni
- Runtime
- 1 hour 28 minutes
- Main Genre
- Comedy
8 So I Married an Axe Murderer Manages To Be Both Gruesome and Lighthearted
IMDb |
Rotten Tomatoes |
Streaming Platforms |
---|---|---|
6.5 |
53% |
AMC+ |
Wayne Campbell and Austin Powers are Mike Myers’ calling cards, but his best performance may still be hapless beat poet Charlie MacKenzie in So I Married an Axe Murderer. After a whirlwind romance with the seemingly perfect woman, Charlie begins piecing together dark pieces of her past, suggesting that she may be a homicidal killer on the run.
Despite its grisly subject matter, the story in So I Married an Axe Murderer stays uniformly light throughout. Director Thomas Schlamme turns the murder and bloodshed into fear of commitment, adding a sweet love story amid the often dark laughs. Myers is in top form – even playing a second role as Charlie’s extremely Scottish father, Stuart – and finds terrific romantic chemistry with Nancy Travis’ possibly lethal paramour.

So I Married an Axe Murderer
A San Francisco poet who fears commitment suspects his girlfriend may have a knack for killing off her significant others.
- Release Date
- July 30, 1993
- Director
- Thomas Schlamme
- Cast
- Mike Myers , Nancy Travis , Anthony LaPaglia , Amanda Plummer , Phil Hartman
- Runtime
- 1 hour 33 minutes
- Main Genre
- Comedy
7 A Shot in the Dark Lets Inspector Clouseau Take the Spotlight
IMDb |
Rotten Tomatoes |
Streaming Platforms |
---|---|---|
7.4 |
94% |
Max & Tubi |

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10 Best Mystery Movies Since 2020, Ranked
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Peter Sellers’ Inspector Clouseau began as a supporting figure in the original Pink Panther, with David Niven’s jewel thief largely serving as the lead. A Shot in the Dark gives Clouseau the lead for the first time, handing him the entire franchise in the bargain. Director Blake Edwards based it on a stage play, which provides a solid narrative framework as – once again – murder is committed in a country manor on a dark and stormy night.
Clouseau becomes the new addition in A Shot in the Dark as the inspector charged with finding the killer. It gives both Sellers and Edwards a chance to cement the character’s foibles: his pomposity, his capacity for inadvertent destruction, and his absurd surprise-attack arrangement with Cato, among others. It also introduces Herbert Lom as his long-suffering boss, Dreyfus. Coupled with a sparkling murder spoof, A Shot in the Dark sets a standard that the franchise never quite matched.

A Shot in the Dark
Inspector Clouseau falls in love with a murder suspect and tries to clear her name.
- Release Date
- June 23, 1964
- Director
- Blake Edwards
- Cast
- Peter Sellers , Elke Sommer , Herbert Lom , George Sanders
- Runtime
- 1 hour 42 minutes
- Main Genre
- Comedy
6 Zero Effect Is One of the Genre’s Most Underrated Gems
IMDb |
Rotten Tomatoes |
Streaming Platforms |
---|---|---|
6.9 |
66% |
Hoopla |
The comedy is largely character-based in Jake Kasdan’s affectionate homage to Sherlock Holmes-style mysteries. Zero Effect centers on a modern-day Holmes and Watson: the former a hot mess when he’s not on a case, the latter forced to cater to his boss’s increasingly absurd demands. The script very carefully refrains from making them parodies. Bill Pullman’s Daryl Zero is a genius, which Kasdan reveals in brilliant ways during his work. It makes his off-duty meltdowns all the funnier in comparison.
The mystery in Zero Effect is equally brilliant and stands up on its own terms. A corrupt businessman hires Zero to determine the identity of a blackmailer, turning into a labyrinthine mystery around a decades-old murder. Kasdan perfectly balances the serious material with the comedy, creating one of the genre’s most underrated gems in the process.

Zero Effect
The world’s greatest detective Daryl Zero aided by his associate Steve Arlo investigates a complex and mysterious case of blackmail and missing keys for shady tycoon Gregory Stark who is less than forthcoming about what is really happening!
- Release Date
- January 30, 1998
- Director
- Jake Kasdan
- Cast
- Bill Pullman , Ben Stiller , Kim Dickens , Ryan O’Neal , Angela Featherstone
- Runtime
- 1 hour 56 minutes
- Main Genre
- Comedy
5 The Thin Man Movies Were Box Office Gold in the 1930s
IMDb |
Rotten Tomatoes |
Streaming Platforms |
---|---|---|
7.9 |
98% |
AppleTV+ (buy or rent) |
The Thin Man movies were box office gold in the 1930s, with a rock-solid formula centered around an irresistible pair of detectives. Nick and Nora Charles – wealthy socialites with a past in investigative work and a nose for mysteries – invariably find themselves in the thick of murder. Their inaugural adventure in 1934 remains the high point of what would become a very successful series.
Mystery legend Dashiell Hammett wrote the novels on which the movies are based, which gives the narrative a strong hook. William Powell and Myrna Loy turn on the charm as Nick and Nora bandying their way around clues and champagne in equal amounts. Thin Man remains cinema’s first classic example of a mystery comedy: setting the parameters for the entire genre to follow.

The Thin Man
Former detective Nick Charles and his wealthy wife Nora investigate a murder case, mostly for the fun of it.
- Release Date
- May 25, 1934
- Director
- W.S. Van Dyke
- Cast
- Myrna Loy , William Powell , Maureen O’Sullivan
- Runtime
- 1 hour 31 minutes
4 High Anxiety Is a Hilarious Hodgepodge of Hitchcockian Conceits
IMDb |
Rotten Tomatoes |
Streaming Platforms |
---|---|---|
6.6 |
74% |
AppleTV+ (buy or rent) |
Alfred Hitchcock always brought plenty of gallows humor to his works of suspense. But he rarely ventured into open comedy save for 1955’s The Trouble with Harry, which doesn’t rank among his masterpieces. Mel Brooks happily picks up the slack with High Anxiety and gives the Master of Suspense a proper pasting in the process.
The story is a hodgepodge of Hitchcockian conceits, as Brooks’ renowned psychiatrist arrives at an institution where decidedly strange things are afoot. High Anxiety pulls mainly from Vertigo for its inspiration, but Hitchcock provides so many targets for a satirist of Brooks’ caliber that it’s hard to catalog them all. On top of all that, it provides Brooks with his signature song, which he performs in the middle of the film. And High Anxiety does it all without a fraction of the recognition enjoyed by Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles.

High Anxiety
A psychiatrist with intense acrophobia goes to work for a mental institution run by doctors who appear to be crazier than their patients and have secrets that they are willing to murder to keep.
- Release Date
- December 25, 1977
- Director
- Mel Brooks
- Cast
- Madeline Kahn , Cloris Leachman , Harvey Korman
- Runtime
- 1 hour 35 minutes
- Main Genre
- Comedy
3 Knives Out Reinvents the Classic Locked-Room Murder Mystery
IMDb |
Rotten Tomatoes |
Streaming Platforms |
---|---|---|
7.9 |
97% |
AppleTV+ (buy or rent) |

Related
‘We Shot a Movie’: Rian Johnson Announces Filming Wrap for Knives Out 3
The star-studded Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery just received a major update.
Drawing-room mysteries of the Agatha Christie variety were way out of vogue when Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig introduced the world to Benoit Blanc. Knives Out benefits in part from the exquisite timing of its release, with superhero movies pausing in the wake of Avengers: Endgame and Craig actively eyeing the exit as James Bond. Johnson himself was coming off of Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, which remains a source of heated debate among Star Wars fans.
Knives Out responds to all the implicit franchise fatigue by reinventing the classic locked-room murder mystery. Johnson invests the killing with fiendishly clever details, then disguises it beneath the bevy of eccentric characters comprising the victims’ families. Unraveling their personalities becomes as much fun as determining the specifics of the murder. Blanc becomes the straw that stirs the drink: a gregarious outsider with a keen wit and a sharp eye. Along with the equally well-regarded Glass Onion, Knives Out may have given the mystery comedy a very bright future.
2 Clue Is Now Considered One of the Greatest Comedy Classics
IMDb |
Rotten Tomatoes |
Streaming Platforms |
---|---|---|
7.2 |
71% |
Paramount+ & Pluto TV |
Clue is a famous redemption story: widely panned upon its release in 1985 and failed to generate much box office. Its varying endings – where the whodunit depended on the particular print the theater had – felt like a marketing gimmick, which didn’t play well with its origins in a popular board game. Like so many other 80s classics, the VCR provided redemption, and with all three endings available on video, the gimmick soon gave way to a comedy classic.
Casting plays a key role in any mystery comedy, and Clue‘s may be among the best assembled, as seven brilliant comic actors play the multi-hued suspects in a murder most foul. The jokes lean heavily toward vaudevillian: condemned as old hat in 1985 but creating a master class in exquisite timing. Clue ultimately feels like playing a board game with a group of funny friends, ensuring it never grows old.
1 Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Goes far Beyond a Mere Concept
IMDb |
Rotten Tomatoes |
Streaming Platforms |
---|---|---|
7.7 |
96% |
Disney+ |
The concept is absurdly simple: what if there were no animated cartoons, only shorts performed by animated actors? Who Framed Roger Rabbit? turns that cocktail-napkin idea into a singular blockbuster that has yet to be duplicated. Director Robert Zemeckis pairs Bob Hoskins’ surly private eye with a cartoon bunny wanted for murder, creating a classic film noir in a world where animated cartoons are as real as flesh and blood.
It goes far beyond a mere concept. The creative conditions resulting in Roger Rabbit simply don’t exist anymore: it’s inconceivable for Warners to loan Disney its characters in today’s environment, for instance, and the film serves as a final bow for legendary vocal actor Mel Blanc among its other draws. Talk of a sequel invariably goes nowhere, and with Hoskins gone, even a reboot feels like sacrilege. It stands alone, a rarity made all the sweeter by its status as a true Hollywood classic.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit
A toon-hating detective is a cartoon rabbit’s only hope to prove his innocence when he is accused of murder.
- Release Date
- June 22, 1988
- Director
- Robert Zemeckis
- Cast
- Kathleen Turner , Christopher Lloyd , Bob Hoskins , Charles Fleischer
- Runtime
- 1 hour 44 minutes