10 Movies Like Shutter Island And How To Watch Them

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 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 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 that we have compiled below.

Memento (2000)

A former insurance investigator (played by Guy Pearce) 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, writer and director Christopher Nolan’s breakout hit, 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.
Buy Memento on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Secret Window (2004)

A famous, soon-to-be-divorced writer (played by Johnny Depp) staying at an isolated lake house is stalked by a man (played by John Turturro) who claims he stole his work.

Why it is a great movie to watch if you like Shutter Island: From writer and director David Koepp, Secret Window — based on a novella by Stephen King — is an intriuging thriller that also follows a protagonist of questionable trustworthiness and an unsettling conclusion that puts everything in an entirely new perspective.

Rent or buy Secret Window on Amazon.
Buy Secret Window on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Identity (2003)

A group of people taking refuge at a rundown motel on a dark and stormy night begin to question who among them they can trust as the guests begin dying one by one.

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.

Stream Identity on Paramount+.
Rent or buy Identity on Amazon.
Buy Identity on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Jacob's Ladder (1990)

A Vietnam War veteran (Academy Award winner Tim Robbins) struggles to understand 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: Director Adrian Lyne’s Jacob’s Ladder — one of Tim Robbins’ best movies — may not be a detective drama like Shutter Island, but is a deeply unnerving, character-driven mystery thriller with a twist ending that will surely haunt you for days.

Stream Jacob's Ladder on Paramount+ with Showtime add-on.
Buy Jacob's Ladder on Amazon.
Buy Jacob's Ladder on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Mulholland Dr. (2001)

An aspiring actor (played by Naomi Watts) helps an amnesia-stricken woman (played by Laura Harring) 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 in the way it is a largely character-driven mystery with some indelible scares and haunting twists.

Rent Mulholland Dr. on Amazon.
Buy Mulholland Dr. on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Vertigo (1958)

Personal issues get in the way of a former police detective’s (played by James Stewart) investigation into a beautiful woman (played by Kim Novak), 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.

Stream Vertigo on Amazon Prime.
Buy Vertigo on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Gone Girl (2014)

The sudden disappearance of his wife (played by Academy Award nominee Rosamund Pike) causes a writing professor (played by Academy Award winner Ben Affleck) 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 — director David Fincher’s beautifully executed adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s addictive, staggering mystery.

Stream Gone Girl on Apple TV+.
Rent or buy Gone Girl on Amazon.
Buy Gone Girl on Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Girl On The Train (2016)

A divorced woman (played by Academy Award nominee Emily Blunt) 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.

Rent or buy The Girl on the Train on Amazon.
Buy The Girl on the Train on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Unsane (2018)

A woman (Claire Foy) 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 from director Steven Soderbergh.

Rent or buy Unsane on Amazon.
Buy Unsane on Blu-ray on Amazon.

A Cure For Wellness (2017)

A young corporate executive (played by Dane DeHaan) 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 — director Gore Verbinski’s visually transfixing thriller that also stars Mia Goth in one of her earlier roles.

Rent or buy A Cure for Wellness on Amazon.
Buy A Cure for Wellness on Blu-ray on Amazon.

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?