Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keywords "detective", "small-town"
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1. Fargo (2014–2024)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Various chronicles of deception, intrigue, and murder in and around frozen Minnesota. All of these tales mysteriously lead back one way or another to Fargo, North Dakota.
Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Freeman, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks
Votes: 422,267
2. Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996)
TV-PG | 50 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Professional writer and amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher uses her intellect, charm, and persistence to get to the bottom of every crime she encounters.
Stars: Angela Lansbury, William Windom, Ron Masak, Louis Herthum
Votes: 29,293
3. Twin Peaks (1990–1991)
TV-MA | 50 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An idiosyncratic FBI agent investigates the murder of a young woman in the even more idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks.
Stars: Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Mädchen Amick, Dana Ashbrook
Votes: 215,585
4. Gone Girl (2014)
R | 149 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry
Votes: 1,068,041 | Gross: $167.77M
5. Psycho (1960)
R | 109 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin
Votes: 718,729 | Gross: $32.00M
6. The Black Phone (2021)
R | 103 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
After being abducted by a child killer and locked in a soundproof basement, a 13-year-old boy starts receiving calls on a disconnected phone from the killer's previous victims.
Director: Scott Derrickson | Stars: Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Ethan Hawke, Jeremy Davies
Votes: 194,719 | Gross: $90.12M
7. In the Heat of the Night (1988–1995)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The cases and adventures of the police forces in and around Sparta, Mississippi.
Stars: Carroll O'Connor, Alan Autry, David Hart, Hugh O'Connor
Votes: 6,218
8. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
R | 91 min | Horror
Teenager Nancy Thompson must uncover the dark truth concealed by her parents after she and her friends become targets of the spirit of a serial killer with a bladed glove in their dreams, in which if they die, it kills them in real life.
Director: Wes Craven | Stars: Heather Langenkamp, Johnny Depp, Robert Englund, John Saxon
Votes: 262,675 | Gross: $25.50M
9. A Simple Favor (2018)
R | 117 min | Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Stephanie is a single mother with a parenting vlog who befriends Emily, a secretive upper-class woman who has a child at the same elementary school. When Emily goes missing, Stephanie takes it upon herself to investigate.
Director: Paul Feig | Stars: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding, Andrew Rannells
Votes: 162,738 | Gross: $53.55M
10. Hot Fuzz (2007)
R | 121 min | Action, Comedy, Mystery
An overachieving London police sergeant is transferred to a village where the easygoing officers object to his fervor for regulations, all while a string of grisly murders strikes the town.
Director: Edgar Wright | Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy
Votes: 535,537 | Gross: $23.64M
11. Blue Velvet (1986)
R | 120 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern
Votes: 215,831 | Gross: $8.55M
12. Hell or High Water (II) (2016)
R | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Toby is a divorced father who's trying to make a better life. His brother is an ex-con with a short temper and a loose trigger finger. Together, they plan a series of heists against the bank that's about to foreclose on their family ranch.
Director: David Mackenzie | Stars: Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges, Gil Birmingham
Votes: 252,675 | Gross: $27.01M
13. Kindergarten Cop (1990)
PG-13 | 111 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A tough cop must pose as a kindergarten teacher in order to locate a dangerous criminal's ex-wife, who may hold the key to putting him behind bars.
Director: Ivan Reitman | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Penelope Ann Miller, Pamela Reed, Linda Hunt
Votes: 162,784 | Gross: $91.46M
14. The Fugitive (1993)
PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Dr. Richard Kimble, unjustly accused of murdering his wife, must find the real killer while being the target of a nationwide manhunt led by a seasoned U.S. Marshal.
Director: Andrew Davis | Stars: Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Sela Ward, Julianne Moore
Votes: 318,861 | Gross: $183.88M
15. Insomnia (2002)
R | 118 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, Martin Donovan
Votes: 319,309 | Gross: $67.36M
16. Sleepy Hollow (1999)
R | 105 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
Ichabod Crane is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the decapitations of three people; the culprit is legendary apparition The Headless Horseman.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon
Votes: 384,071 | Gross: $101.07M
17. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)
R | 107 min | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
Set in 1998, this origin story explores the secrets of the mysterious Spencer Mansion and the ill-fated Raccoon City.
Director: Johannes Roberts | Stars: Kaya Scodelario, Robbie Amell, Hannah John-Kamen, Tom Hopper
Votes: 64,183 | Gross: $17.00M
18. Wild at Heart (1990)
R | 125 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Young lovers Sailor and Lula run from the variety of weirdos that Lula's mom has hired to kill Sailor.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, Willem Dafoe, J.E. Freeman
Votes: 101,028 | Gross: $14.56M
19. The Empty Man (2020)
R | 137 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
On the trail of a missing girl, an ex-cop comes across a secretive group attempting to summon a terrifying supernatural entity.
Director: David Prior | Stars: James Badge Dale, Marin Ireland, Sasha Frolova, Samantha Logan
Votes: 38,680
20. Scream 2 (1997)
R | 120 min | Horror, Mystery
Two years after the first series of murders, as Sidney acclimates to college life, someone donning the Ghostface costume begins a new string of killings.
Director: Wes Craven | Stars: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Jada Pinkett Smith
Votes: 209,853 | Gross: $101.36M
21. Fright Night (1985)
R | 106 min | Horror
"Fright Night" sees a teenager believing that the newcomer in his neighborhood is a vampire. He turns to an actor in a television hosted horror movie show for help to deal with the undead.
Director: Tom Holland | Stars: Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale, Amanda Bearse, Roddy McDowall
Votes: 78,690 | Gross: $24.92M
22. Ghost Rider (2007)
PG-13 | 110 min | Action, Fantasy, Thriller
When motorcycle rider Johnny Blaze sells his soul to the Devil to save his father's life, he is transformed into the Ghost Rider, the Devil's own bounty hunter, and is sent to hunt down sinners.
Director: Mark Steven Johnson | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Sam Elliott, Matt Long
Votes: 252,368 | Gross: $115.80M
23. Masters of the Universe (1987)
PG | 106 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
The heroic warrior He-Man battles against the evil lord Skeletor and his armies of darkness for control of Castle Grayskull.
Director: Gary Goddard | Stars: Dolph Lundgren, Frank Langella, Meg Foster, Billy Barty
Votes: 44,334 | Gross: $17.34M
24. Body Heat (1981)
R | 113 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
During an extreme heatwave, a beautiful Florida woman and a seedy lawyer engage in an affair while plotting the murder of her rich husband.
Director: Lawrence Kasdan | Stars: William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Richard Crenna, Ted Danson
Votes: 40,155 | Gross: $24.06M
25. Practical Magic (1998)
PG-13 | 104 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Two witch sisters, raised by their eccentric aunts in a small town, face closed-minded prejudice and a curse which threatens to prevent them ever finding lasting love.
Director: Griffin Dunne | Stars: Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing, Dianne Wiest
Votes: 93,112 | Gross: $46.68M
26. A Serious Man (2009)
R | 106 min | Comedy, Drama
Larry Gopnik, a Midwestern physics teacher, watches his life unravel over multiple sudden incidents. Though seeking meaning and answers amidst his turmoils, he seems to keep sinking.
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen | Stars: Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Sari Lennick, Fred Melamed
Votes: 149,983 | Gross: $9.19M
27. Christine (1983)
R | 110 min | Horror, Thriller
A nerdish boy buys a strange car with an evil mind of its own and his nature starts to change to reflect it.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, Robert Prosky
Votes: 92,505 | Gross: $21.20M
28. Night Hunter (2018)
R | 98 min | Action, Thriller
A weathered Lieutenant, his police force, and a local vigilante are all caught up in a dangerous scheme involving a troubled, recently-arrested man who's linked to years of female abductions and murders.
Director: David Raymond | Stars: Henry Cavill, Ben Kingsley, Alexandra Daddario, Stanley Tucci
Votes: 27,057
29. Fire in the Sky (1993)
PG-13 | 109 min | Biography, Drama, Fantasy
An Arizona logger mysteriously disappears for five days in an alleged encounter with a flying saucer in 1975. His co-workers endure ridicule and contempt as they are wrongly accused of murder.
Director: Robert Lieberman | Stars: D.B. Sweeney, Robert Patrick, Craig Sheffer, Peter Berg
Votes: 28,452 | Gross: $20.10M
30. Haven (2010–2015)
TV-PG | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
Many in the coastal town of Haven, Maine have a dormant curse or "trouble" that could trigger at any time for any reason. FBI agent Audrey Parker, the sheriff and the town's black sheep must deal with the troubles' deadly effects.
Stars: Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant, Eric Balfour, Richard Donat
Votes: 41,368
31. Cop Land (1997)
R | 105 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
The Sheriff of a suburban New Jersey community, populated by New York City police officers, slowly discovers the town is a front for mob connections and corruption.
Director: James Mangold | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro
Votes: 106,445 | Gross: $44.89M
32. The Glades (2010–2013)
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A former Chicago cop moves to a small Florida town and joins the state police.
Stars: Matt Passmore, Kiele Sanchez, Carlos Gómez, Jordan Wall
Votes: 14,849
33. Cold Pursuit (2019)
R | 119 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A grieving snowplow driver seeks out revenge against the drug dealers who killed his son.
Director: Hans Petter Moland | Stars: Liam Neeson, Laura Dern, Micheál Neeson, Michael Eklund
Votes: 78,107 | Gross: $32.14M
34. Dead Silence (2007)
R | 89 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
After his wife meets a grisly end, Jamie Ashen returns to his hometown of Ravens Fair to find answers. His investigation leads him to the ghost of a ventriloquist named Mary Shaw who seems to have ties to his entire family tree
Director: James Wan | Stars: Ryan Kwanten, Amber Valletta, Donnie Wahlberg, Michael Fairman
Votes: 101,902 | Gross: $16.81M
35. Cobra (1986)
R | 87 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A tough-on-crime street cop must protect the only surviving witness to a strange murderous cult with far-reaching plans.
Director: George P. Cosmatos | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Brigitte Nielsen, Reni Santoni, Andrew Robinson
Votes: 79,655 | Gross: $49.04M
36. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Approved | 110 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A black Philadelphia police detective is mistakenly suspected of a local murder while passing through a racially hostile Mississippi town, and after being cleared is reluctantly asked by the police chief to investigate the case.
Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates, Lee Grant
Votes: 83,604 | Gross: $24.38M
37. Strangers on a Train (1951)
PG | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A psychopathic man tries to forcibly persuade a tennis star to agree to his theory that two strangers can get away with murder by submitting to his plan to kill the other's most-hated person.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Farley Granger, Robert Walker, Ruth Roman, Leo G. Carroll
Votes: 141,075 | Gross: $7.63M
38. Safe Haven (I) (2013)
PG-13 | 115 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
A young woman with a mysterious past lands in Southport, North Carolina where her bond with a widower forces her to confront the dark secret that haunts her.
Director: Lasse Hallström | Stars: Julianne Hough, Josh Duhamel, Cobie Smulders, David Lyons
Votes: 116,476 | Gross: $71.35M
39. The Monster Squad (1987)
PG-13 | 82 min | Action, Comedy, Fantasy
A group of young monster fanatics attempts to save their hometown from Count Dracula and his monsters.
Director: Fred Dekker | Stars: Andre Gower, Robby Kiger, Stephen Macht, Duncan Regehr
Votes: 35,323 | Gross: $3.77M
40. Copshop (2021)
R | 107 min | Action, Thriller
On the run from a lethal assassin, a wily con artist devises a scheme to hide out inside a small-town police station-but when the hitman turns up at the precinct, an unsuspecting rookie cop finds herself caught in the crosshairs.
Director: Joe Carnahan | Stars: Gerard Butler, Frank Grillo, Alexis Louder, Toby Huss
Votes: 38,800
41. The Prophecy (1995)
R | 98 min | Action, Crime, Drama
At the scene of a bizarre murder, L.A. homicide detective Thomas Dagget discovers a lethal heavenly prophecy now being fulfilled on earth. In his fight to stop the forces of evil, he finds an unlikely ally in an elementary school teacher.
Director: Gregory Widen | Stars: Christopher Walken, Elias Koteas, Virginia Madsen, Eric Stoltz
Votes: 33,373 | Gross: $16.12M
42. Black Spot (2017–2019)
TV-MA | 52 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A police chief and an eccentric new prosecutor investigate a string of grisly crimes and eerie phenomena in an isolated town at the edge of a forest.
Stars: Suliane Brahim, Hubert Delattre, Laurent Capelluto, Samuel Jouy
Votes: 13,784
43. Night of the Creeps (1986)
R | 88 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Alien brain parasites, entering humans through the mouth, turn their host into a killing zombie. Some teenagers start to fight against them.
Director: Fred Dekker | Stars: Jason Lively, Tom Atkins, Steve Marshall, Jill Whitlow
Votes: 26,128 | Gross: $0.59M
44. Secret Window (2004)
PG-13 | 96 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A successful writer in the midst of a painful divorce is stalked at his remote lake house by a would-be scribe who accuses him of plagiarism.
Director: David Koepp | Stars: Johnny Depp, Maria Bello, John Turturro, Timothy Hutton
Votes: 209,613 | Gross: $48.02M
45. The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
R | 116 min | Crime, Drama
A laconic, chain-smoking barber blackmails his wife's boss and lover for money to invest in dry cleaning, but his plan goes terribly wrong.
Director: Joel Coen | Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, Michael Badalucco, James Gandolfini
Votes: 115,027 | Gross: $7.49M
46. In Cold Blood (1967)
R | 134 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Two ex-cons murder a family in a robbery attempt, before going on the run from the authorities. The police try to piece together the details of the murder in an attempt to track down the killers.
Director: Richard Brooks | Stars: Robert Blake, Scott Wilson, John Forsythe, Paul Stewart
Votes: 29,162
47. The Clovehitch Killer (2018)
Unrated | 109 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A picture-perfect family is shattered when the work of a serial killer hits too close to home.
Director: Duncan Skiles | Stars: Dylan McDermott, Charlie Plummer, Samantha Mathis, Madisen Beaty
Votes: 34,008 | Gross: $0.01M
48. Black Christmas (1974)
R | 98 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
During their Christmas break, a group of sorority girls are stalked by a stranger.
Director: Bob Clark | Stars: Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, John Saxon
Votes: 48,377 | Gross: $4.05M
49. Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
Passed | 108 min | Film-Noir, Thriller
A teenage girl, overjoyed when her favorite uncle comes to visit the family in their quiet California town, slowly begins to suspect that he is in fact the "Merry Widow" killer sought by the authorities.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotten, Macdonald Carey, Henry Travers
Votes: 70,526
50. Cape Fear (1962)
Passed | 106 min | Drama, Thriller
A lawyer's family is stalked by a man he once helped put in jail.
Director: J. Lee Thompson | Stars: Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Polly Bergen, Lori Martin
Votes: 31,897