Top 250 Movies Like The Girl From Plainville

Inspired by the case that shocked the nation.

A list of the best movies similar to The Girl from Plainville. If you liked The Girl from Plainville then you may also like: Vengeance: A Love Story, Winter Kill, The Woman, Normal, Ricky 6 and many more great movies featured on this list.

The controversial case of Michelle Carter, who was convicted in 2017 of involuntary manslaughter for encouraging the suicide of her then-boyfriend via texts and phone calls.

Vengeance: A Love Story

When a new friend is brutally assaulted, Detective John Droomor is put by chance in charge of the investigation. Although the evidence against the perpetrators seems overwhelming, there is nothing definitive in the case that guarantees justice is served, even more so if some people are willing to twist and betray it.

Winter Kill

Someone is shooting the residents of a mountain resort town. Sheriff McNeill (Andy Griffith) must figure out the connection that links the victims and find the sniper before he (or she) kills again, and before the town council relieves him of duty.

The Woman

A lawyer puts his family in jeopardy when he captures the last member of a violent clan and tries to forcibly tame her.

Normal

Dreaded serial killer Peter Kurten voluntarily turns himself over to the authorities. A young lawyer, eager to prove Kurten's mental derangement, agrees to defend a man who terrorized Germany between 1929 and 1931. In studying the case and meeting with the intelligent, cold-blooded manipulator, the young idealist's values become warped.

Ricky 6

Based on the true story of Ricky Kasso in the upper class town of Northport, Long Island in 1984. Ricky Cowen gets himself into Satanism while doing a lot of drugs put two together & Murder happens.

Roll Red Roll

At a 2012 pre-season high-school football party in Steubenville, Ohio, a young woman was raped by members of the beloved high school football team. The aftermath exposed an entire culture of complicityā€”and Roll Red Roll maps out the roles that peer pressure, denial, sports machismo, and social media each played in the tragedy.

Jasper, Texas

In 1998, three white men in the small town of Jasper, Texas, chained a black man to the back of their pickup truck and dragged him to his death. This film relates that story and how it affected all of the residents of the town, both black and white.

Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise

When Jesse Stone looks into the murder of a teen-age girl whose body is found floating in a local lake, it brings him up against the Boston mob and into the affluent world of a bestselling writer who exploits troubled teens.

Jesse Stone: Sea Change

Police Chief Jesse Stone's relationship with his ex-wife worsens, and he fears he's relapsing into alcoholism. To get his mind off his problems, Jesse begins working on the unsolved murder of a bank teller shot during a robbery. Also, his investigation of an alleged rape draws him into conflict with the town council ā€” which hopes to preserve Paradise's reputation as an ideal seaside resort.

The Kid Detective

A once-celebrated kid detective, now 31, continues to solve the same trivial mysteries between hangovers and bouts of self-pity. Until a naive client brings him his first 'adult' case, to find out who brutally murdered her boyfriend.

The Killer Inside Me

Deputy Sheriff Lou Ford is a pillar of the community in his small west Texas town, patient and apparently thoughtful. Some people think he is a little slow and maybe boring, but that is the worst they say about him. But then nobody knows about what Lou calls his "sickness": He is a brilliant, but disturbed sociopathic sadist.

A Knife for the Ladies

A mutilating knife-killer haunts the small Southwest-desert town of Mescal. Though most victims have been prostitutes, the first was none other than Travis Mescal, the only son of the town's first family. When the Sheriff proves unable to solve the case, the town leaders invite Investigator Burns to unravel the mystery.

Bad Education

A superintendent of a school district works for the betterment of the studentā€™s education when an embezzlement scheme is discovered, threatening to destroy everything.

The Badge

A sheriff begins an investigation into the death of a local transsexual after hearing that high ranking politicians may have been involved. Although he is homophobic, his investigation causes him to be rejected by others, forcing him to seek help from the people he once despised.

Badlands

An impressionable teenage girl from a dead-end town and her older greaser boyfriend embark on a killing spree in the South Dakota badlands.

Blue Velvet

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 criminals who have kidnapped her child.

Boomerang!

In a quiet Connecticut town, a kindly priest is murdered while waiting at a street corner. The citizens are horrified and demand action from the police. All of the witnesses identify John Waldron, a nervous out-of-towner, as the killer. Although Waldron vehemently denies the crime, no one will believe him. District Attorney Henry Harvey is then put on the case and faces political opposition in his attempt to prove Waldron's innocence. Based on a true story.

Boys Don't Cry

A young transgender man explores his gender identity and searches for love in rural Nebraska.

A Killer Among Us

After the shocking murder of her mother, a girl helps a police detective by searching her home for clues that they hope will lead to the perpetrator.

Conrad & Michelle: If Words Could Kill

Two suicidal teenagers, Conrad and Michelle, turn to each other for support, communicating via text messages. But when Conrad expresses his desire to end his life, instead of trying to stop him as she had previously, Michelle encourages Conrad to take his life, even providing him suggestions on how to do it.

Deadly Secrets by the Lake

A decorated NYPD detective returns to her hometown after her sister is charged with the murder of her boss and attempts to make amends with her estranged family while exposing the dark underbelly of a long-suppressed secret that threatens to tear the town apart.

The Cohasset Snuff Film

In 2009, the small town of Cohasset, Massachusetts was rocked with tragedy. A 17-year-old high school senior named Collin Mason murdered three classmates. All the murders were videotaped and uploaded to the Internet via bit torrent sites and for three days, the world viewed the murders of these three innocent teens. Through legal action, the parents of the victims were able to remove all footage from the Internet and the town tried to save face by pretending it never happened. Bootleg copies of this footage are still passed around and downloaded through illegal means. The impact of this video is still being felt in Cohasset today. The video has become infamous, and is now referred to as The Cohasset Snuff Film.

Compliance

On a particularly busy day at a suburban Ohio fast food restaurant, manager Sandra receives a phone call from a police officer saying that an employee has stolen money from a customer.

Fargo

Jerry, a small-town Minnesota car salesman is bursting at the seams with debt... but he's got a plan. He's going to hire two thugs to kidnap his wife in a scheme to collect a hefty ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. It's going to be a snap and nobody's going to get hurt... until people start dying. Enter Police Chief Marge, a coffee-drinking, parka-wearing - and extremely pregnant - investigator who'll stop at nothing to get her man. And if you think her small-time investigative skills will give the crooks a run for their ransom... you betcha!

Hostage

When a mafia accountant is taken hostage on his beat, a police officer ā€“ wracked by guilt from a prior stint as a negotiator ā€“ must negotiate the standoff, even as his own family is held captive by the mob.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

After seven months have passed without a culprit in her daughter's murder case, Mildred Hayes makes a bold move, painting three signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at Bill Willoughby, the town's revered chief of police. When his second-in-command Officer Jason Dixon, an immature mother's boy with a penchant for violence, gets involved, the battle between Mildred and Ebbing's law enforcement is only exacerbated.

Get Carter

Jack Carter is a small-time hood working in London. When word reaches him of his brother's death, he travels to Newcastle to attend the funeral. Refusing to accept the police report of suicide, Carter seeks out his brotherā€™s friends and acquaintances to learn who murdered his sibling and why.

Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland

Psychotic Angela is itching to do what she does best: slaughter dozens of teenage campers. As luck would have it, the previous site of her murders has been renamed and converted into an experimental summer camp meant to bring together privileged and lower-class teens. On the day the youths are boarding the buses to camp, Angela runs over a potential camper with a garbage truck and assumes her identity. Once she has infiltrated the camp, the real terror begins.

Slender Man

In a small town in Massachusetts, four high school girls perform a ritual in an attempt to debunk the lore of Slender Man. When one of the girls goes mysteriously missing, they begin to suspect that she is, in fact, his latest victim.

Lovers Lane

A man with a hook for a hand escapes from a mental institution to go after the children of his previous victims.

Insomnia

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.

Devil's Knot

The savage murders of three young children sparks a controversial trial of three teenagers accused of killing the kids as part of a satanic ritual.

Elephant

Several ordinary high school students go through their daily routine as two others prepare for something more malevolent.

Elsewhere

A teen girl disappears after trying to meet men online in order to escape her small town. Apparently, only her best friend worries enough to investigate the mystery.

Small Town Murder Songs

Walter is the chief of police in a small Ontario town that has its first murder victim, an attractive young woman who is found naked on the shores of the nearby lake. The woman isn't local and while the Ontario Provincial Police have taken the lead in the investigation, Walter assists where he can. The town is mostly a close-knit Mennonite community and Walter has recently returned to his church. He is also trying to deal with his own temper that led to a violent incident some months before. As the young woman is identified, it becomes apparent that Walter's former love interest may be lying.

Patriots Day

In the aftermath of an unspeakable act of terror, Police Sergeant Tommy Saunders joins courageous survivors, first responders and investigators in a race against the clock to hunt down the Boston Marathon bombers before they strike again.

A Dangerous Place

When Ethan's older brother Greg is found dead, the police rule the case a suicide, but Ethan suspects foul play stemming from Greg's recent involvement with a martial arts team called the Scorpions. Ethan is also accomplished at martial arts, and he determines to join the Scorpions as a means of learning what really happened to Greg. - Written by Michelle Sturges

Bad, Black and Beautiful

When Johnny Boyles is falsely accused of murdering his ex-boss, he turns to the unstoppable attorney, Eva Taylor, to help him plea his case.

To Catch a Killer

Baltimore. New Year's Eve. A talented but troubled police officer is recruited by the FBI's chief investigator to help profile and track down a mass murderer.

The Coverup

Personal injury attorney Stuart Pepper faces the challenge of his young career when he takes on a controversial case of wrongful death in small town Iowa. Kevin Thacker's body was found in the alley outside the Marshalltown Police Department after the young man was arrested for drunk driving. The arresting officer's story is highly suspicious and everyone involved, from the investigating detective to the FBI, appear to be aiding in covering up what actually happened that fateful night. With a promise made to the Thacker family to expose the truth, Stu dives head first into an uphill battle against lies and corruption. What transpires will change this lawyer's life forever.

Hustle

The body of teenager Gloria Hollinger is found dead on a Los Angeles beach, and Lt. Phil Gaines is in charge of the investigation. Gaines learns that the girl, a stripper and prostitute, committed suicide, but he ignores the connection between her and a powerful mob lawyer, Leo Sellers. Hollinger's father, however, is not satisfied with Gaines's results, and attempts to investigate the case on his own.

The Imposter

In 1994 a 13-year-old boy disappeared without a trace from his home in San Antonio, Texas. Three-and-a-half years later he is found alive thousands of miles away in a village in southern Spain with a horrifying story of kidnap and torture. His family is overjoyed to bring him home. But all is not quite as it seems.

The Manson Family

A dramatization of the horrific and notorious Manson Family Murders, in the form of super 8 home movies.

The Midnight Man

An ex-convict, and ex-cop, finds himself in the midst of drama as a murder, of a female student, is commited at the university where he works as a night watchman. He is reluctantly drawn into the criminal investigation and eventually becomes a suspect in the case. Will he be able to find the real murderer and clear his own name, or not?

Population 436

A census-taker is sent to investigate why a certain small town has had the same population -- 436 residents -- for the last 100 years.

Public Enemies

Ma Barker and her sons rob banks, shoot people and wind up at the top of the FBI's Most Wanted list in the 1930s.

Sacrifice

A convicted bank robber breaks free as he is being transported to prison after learning that his daughter has been killed by a serial killer. Determined to find her killer, he joins with a female cop who is working the case. He quickly discovers that his daughter had recently had an abortion, an action common to all of the murdered women. Meanwhile the FBI agent that he escaped from is hot on his trail.

Carolina Skeletons

After a long time in the army, an Afro-American soldier returns to his hometown, where, years ago, his brother was executed for the rape and murder of two white girls. The commando believes his brother to have been innocent and seeks a proof for that, but there are some people in the town who will stop at nothing to hide the secrets of their past...

Shallow Ground

A naked teenage boy covered in blood appears at a remote sheriff's station one year after the brutal unsolved murder of a local girl. Now Sheriff Jack Shepherd, guilt ridden over the girl's murder, must confront his own demons as he desperately searches for the boy's true identity and possible victims. Little does Jack realize that he has started down a path that will bring him face to face with an unthinkable horror. Before sunrise the living will pay for the pain the dead have suffered.

Small Town Crime

Mike Kendall, a disgraced ex-cop, is fighting a losing battle with the bottle. When he finds a woman left for dead at the side of a road, Kendall turns private eye to track down her killers, taking one last shot at redemption.

Ted Bundy

Docu-drama based on the life of Ted Bundy, a serial killer who killed at least 19 young women during the 1970's (though some sources say as many as 30 to 35 were murdered). Set from his college student years, to his first victims, his capture, escape from prison (twice), his final killing spree to his trial, conviction and execution.

The Trial

After the horrific death of his wife and two sons, suicide seems to be the only escape for small town attorney Kent "Mac" McClain... until he's assigned a capital punishment case that begins to transform his life and those around him forever.

True Crime

Mary Giordano is a bright, intelligent student who goes to a catholic school. She also has an addiction to mystery novels and detective magazines, which inspire her to do her own detective work. When she starts snooping around on the case of a murderer of teenage girls, it gets her in hot water with her mentor Detective Jerry Gunn. But it also starts a team up with police cadet Tony Campbell. The two work together to find the murderer. But the closer Mary gets to solving the murder, the more danger she puts herself in of being the next victim.

Woman of the Hour

A drama based on the true story of the time that a serial killer competed on and won a date on the popular TV game show The Dating Game. The killer, Rodney Alcala, was in the midst of a killing spree in 1978 when he brazenly took part in the show.

Out of Season

When a young drifter is forced to stay the winter in a small seaside town, he inadvertently becomes the catalyst for deceit, double crossings and murder amongst the locals.

Breaking

Desperate for money and running out of options, Marine veteran Brian Brown-Easley holds several people hostage inside a bank, setting the stage for a tense confrontation with police.

Cherry Falls

Cherry Falls is a quiet little town - until the night that a serial killer begins preying on its youth. After a third teen is found slain, the killer's modus operandi emerges: the victims were all virgins. Sheriff Marken is concerned for the safety of the teens in general and in particular his own daughter Jody, who is still a virgin...

One False Move

Following a series of drug deals and murders, three criminals -- Fantasia, Ray Malcolm and Pluto -- travel from Los Angeles to Houston, finally arriving in a small Arkansas town to go into hiding. Two detectives from the LAPD, who are already on the case, contact the town's sheriff, Dale Dixon, to alert him of the fugitives' presence in the area. Underestimating Dixon, the criminals have no idea what they are about to face.

American Woman

A young grandmother in a small Pennsylvania town raises her daughter's child after the girl disappears. All the while, a desperate search for her continues.

Karla

Based on real events, Canada's most notorious serial killers, Paul Bernardo and wife Karla Homolka kidnap, sexually abuse, and murder three young girls.

Blast

Four high school friends believe the local myth that developer Swenson killed a kid for trespassing years earlier and got away with it. When one of the four friends disappears, the remaining three believe Swenson killed their friend and they take revenge. When their friend then shows up alive they must deal with the consequences of crossing the harsh line that separates fantasy from reality.

American Murder: The Family Next Door

Using raw, firsthand footage, this documentary examines the disappearance of Shanann Watts and her children, and the terrible events that followed.

The Sheriff

A rape case opens racial divisions in a small town. A black sheriff and his white deputy investigate allegations that a wealthy white businessman raped a black college student.

Impulse

After a small earthquake in a small and quiet town, local citizens start to have a bizarre, violent and self-destructive behavior...

Brigham City

Wes Clayton is a lawman and a bishop in a Mormon community called Brigham. The town is shaken when a woman from California is found murdered. Clayton and his young deputy work with an FBI agent sent to investigate. As a civil and spiritual leader in the frightened town, Clayton must uncover the town's deepest secrets, find the murderer and keep Brigham from ripping itself apart.

Bodily Harm

Homicide cop Rita Cates takes a murder case where the victim is a Las Vegas stripper. The investigation immediately takes a perverse turn when she discovers the prime suspect: a psychotic ex-cop with whom she once had a torrid affair. That initial affair drove Cates' husband to suicide, but it doesn't stop her from picking up where she left off. In the heat of passion, she jeopardizes the case, her career and her life.

The Hunting

When a mysterious animal attack leaves a mutilated body in the forest, a conservative small town detective must enlist the help of an eager wildlife specialist to uncover the dark and disturbing truth that threatens the town.

The Zebra Killer

A racist white serial killer known only as "Mac" is wreaking havoc throughout San Francisco while wearing black makeup and an afro wig. Police lieutenant Frank Savage is hot on his trail when Mac begins to reveal his motivations for the killings and escalates their game of cat and mouse.

The Stranger

Two strangers strike up a conversation on a long journey. One is a suspect in an unsolved missing personā€™s case and the other an undercover operative on his trail. Their uneasy friendship becomes the core of this tightly wrought thriller, which is based on the true story of one of the largest investigations and undercover operations in Australia.

Boston Strangler

Reporters Loretta McLaughlin and Jean Cole bravely pursue the story of the Boston Strangler at great personal risk, putting their own lives on the line in their quest to uncover the truth.

The Anthrax Attacks: In the Shadow of 9/11

Days after 9/11, letters containing fatal anthrax spores spark panic and tragedy in the US. This documentary follows the subsequent FBI investigation.

Keep My Grave Open

A crazy woman who lives in an old mansion thinks she's with her brother/lover, who lures victims to her.

Who Is the Black Dahlia?

In 1947 Los Angeles, a police detective tries to solve the shocking and grisly murder of 22-year-old aspiring actress Elizabeth Short.

Murder in Greenwich

The story of Martha Moxley, a 15-year-old girl murdered in Greenwich in the 1970s. Her murder went unsolved for 25 years.

The Catamount Killing

A banker troubled by both business and personal problems is transferred to a small town. There he meets and seduces an older woman. Together, they decide to pull off a payroll holdup together.

The Unspoken

In 1997 the close-knit Anderson family vanished from their home without a trace. No bodies were ever found and no explanation satisfied curiosity. For 17 years the house has remained undisturbed...until now. This eerily expert frightener is further enlivened by terrific performances from ā€˜Suitsā€™/ā€™Arrowā€™ star Neal McDonough and SILENT HILL/THE TALL MAN/TIDELANDā€™s Jodelle Ferland.

Cover Up

Insurance investigator Sam Donovan is looking into the apparent suicide of a man in a small Midwestern town. All clues leads him into suspecting murder. Unfortunately, no one wants to assist him with the case, including Sheriff Larry Best.

Tales of the Grim Sleeper

When Lonnie Franklin Jr. was arrested in South Central Los Angeles in 2010 as the suspected murderer of a string of young black women, police hailed it as the culmination of 20 years of investigations. Four years later documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield took his camera to the alleged killerā€™s neighborhood for another view.

Elizabeth Is Missing

Maud's best friend Elizabeth has disappeared, but as she tries to solve the mystery, dementia threatens to erase all the clues, giving the search a poignant urgency.

A Killing in a Small Town

The gory ax-murder of one mousy, suburban Texas housewife by another is nearly as shocking as the excuse offered by the bespectacled defendant's attorney: self-defense.

The Case of the Hillside Stranglers

The chilling true story of the "two of a kind" killing cousins, Angelo Buono and Kenneth Bianchi, better known as the Hillside Stranglers.

Jack the Ripper: The Case Reopened

Emilia Fox and Britainā€™s top criminologist, Professor David Wilson, cast new light on the Jack the Ripper case. Together, they examine the Ripperā€™s modus operandi using modern technology to recreate the murder sites to help understand the extraordinary risks the Ripper took to kill his victims. Using the Home Office Large Major Enquiry System (HOLMES)ā€”a bespoke computer system used by the police to help detect patterns in criminal activityā€”and evidence uncovered within the investigation, results strongly indicate another woman was, in fact, the first Ripper victim.

The China Lake Murders

A small town sheriff has his suspicions in a murder case which involves a rogue cop who goes on a murder spree.

Execution of Justice

The true story of the assassination of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk on November 27, 1978. The case of assassin Dan White has become known as the "Twinkie defense" after his sentence was reduced from first-degree murder to voluntary manslaughter. White served five years in prison and committed suicide in 1985.

The Murder of Becky Watts - The Police Tapes

When 16-year-old Becky Watts went missing in 2015, it sparked a major police investigation to find the teenager. But only two people knew where she was - her stepbrother Nathan and his girlfriend Shauna. Here, Susanna Reid gains unprecedented access to police interview room footage to reveal the strategy and skill involved in catching Becky's killers. There is also first-person testimony from some of the officers, and Susanna talks to Becky's family about the impact of this appalling crime

The Desperate Hour

A woman desperately races to save her child after police place her hometown on lockdown due to an active shooter incident.

Swelter

Ten years after their casino heist, four escaped convicts trace their former partner to a desert town, where he is now a lawman with no memory of his criminal past.

Girl in Trouble

Bored farmer's daughter sets out to make it in the big city. She gets mixed up with freaks, perverts and degenerates and winds up a stripper in New Orleans.

The Last Victim

Set in the American Southwest, Sheriff Hickey tries to solve the worst case he has seen in his small town, likely caused by a violent local gang led by a fearsome criminal.

Victim/Suspect

Investigative journalist Rae de Leon travels nationwide to uncover and examine a shocking pattern: Young women tell the police theyā€™ve been sexually assaulted, but instead of finding justice, theyā€™re charged with the crime of making a false report, arrested, and even imprisoned by the system they believed would protect them.

Look Again

Just as her life is coming together, Allison experiences a terrible tragedy when her boyfriend is murdered by an intruder from whom the woman herself barely escapes. The police capture a man they believe to be the killer, but Allison, still unsettled, has her doubts. Things take a frightening turn when she meets her friend's new boyfriend and suspects him to be the killer.

Once Upon a Time at Christmas

In the twelve days leading up to Christmas, the residents of the snowy and isolated town of Woodridge are being murdered in a variety of gruesome ways by a psychotic Santa and Mrs. Claus. While the small-town cops scramble to protect the townsfolk, the killings seem to center around one young woman who may be the final victim on Santa's list. As the slaughter continues and the bodies pile up, it seems that nothing and no one may be able to stop the murderers before they complete their own deadly take on the twelve days of Christmas.

Murder: No Apparent Motive

This documentary about serial killers and FBI Behavioral Sciences profilers features interviews with Ed Kemper and Ted Bundy as well as crime victims and law enforcement officials. The film includes some dramatic recreations.

Rust Creek

When an overachieving college senior makes a wrong turn, her road trip becomes a life-changing fight for survival in rural Kentucky.

The Hollow

When a U.S. congressman's daughter passing through a small town in Mississippi dies in a mysterious triple homicide, a team of F.B.I. agents descends to investigate, the team's brilliant but jaded lead agent battling demons both past and present, as his beautiful, tough-as-nails partner tries to hold him and the case together. They find a struggling and corrupt sheriff's department, a shadowy and much-feared figure, who seems to be pulling all of the town's strings from his mansion on the edge of town and a local victim with a strange connection to a number of the town's most prominent figures.

The Boat Builder

A grumpy old sailor wants only to finish building his boat so he can set out to sea. But from local officals to troubled fosters kid, the world keeps intervening to test his determination to make something of his golden years.

What Jennifer Did

When Jennifer Pan calls 911 to report that her parents have been shot, she becomes the primary focus of a captivating criminal case.

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