Top 250 Movies Like The Spoils Before Dying

A groovy trip in free-form jazz.

A list of the best movies similar to The Spoils Before Dying. If you liked The Spoils Before Dying then you may also like: Ten Little Indians, 200 Motels, Five Minutes of Heaven, The Unfolding, We'll Meet Again and many more great movies featured on this list.

Ten Little Indians

Ten strangers are invited as weekend guests to a remote mountain mansion. When the host doesn't show up, the guests start dying, one by one, in uniquely macabre Agatha Christie-style. It is based on Christie's best-selling novel with 100 million sales to date, making it the world's best-selling mystery ever, and one of the most-printed books of all time.

200 Motels

"Touring makes you crazy," Frank Zappa says, explaining that the idea for this film came to him while the Mothers of Invention were touring. The story, interspersed with performances by the Mothers and the Royal Symphony Orchestra, is a tale of life on the road. The band members' main concerns are the search for groupies and the desire to get paid.

Five Minutes of Heaven

The story of former UVF member Alistair Little. Twenty-five years after Little killed Joe Griffen's brother, the media arrange an auspicious meeting between the two.

The Unfolding

It is 2016 and a fearful world seems to be on the brink of a nuclear catastrophe. A researcher in psychical events and his girlfriend travel to deepest Dartmoor to investigate a centuries-old building. What they unlock and discover is way more than they could have ever bargained for. An exciting first feature from newcomer Eugene McGing, who expertly takes familiar tropes and gives them a fresh spin in this genuinely terrifying haunted house tale.

We'll Meet Again

Socialite Molly Lasch is released from prison after serving a six-year sentence for the murder of her husband, Dr. Gary Lasch. Now, with the help of Fran, an investigative reporter, Molly sets out to prove her innocence. Together they uncover a conspiracy of silence at the Lasch Medical Center and a shocking secret that could cost both women their lives.

The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm

The Grimm brothers Wilhelm and Jacob, known for their literary works in the nineteenth century, have their lives dramatized. Wilhelm fights to write something entertaining amongst the sea of dry, non-fiction books they write and he sets about collecting oral-tradition fairy tales to put into print. Their life story is countered with reenactments of three of their stories including "The Dancing Princess," "The Cobbler and the Elves" and "The Singing Bone."

Nadine

Hairdresser Nadine Hightower wants to retrieve the risqué photos she once posed for, but when she visits the photographer at his office, he's murdered by an intruder. Nadine talks her estranged husband, Vernon, into going along when she returns to the office, where they stumble across plans for a less than legal construction project. But when Vernon tries to turn the documents into a cash windfall, he and Nadine are pursued by goons with guns.

New York, New York

An egotistical saxophone player and a young singer meet on V-J Day and embark upon a strained and rocky romance, even as their careers begin a long uphill climb.

Ordeal by Innocence

Dr. Arthur Calgary visits the Argyle family to return an address book lost some time ago by Jack Argyle, only to find out that Jack has been executed for the murder of his mother. Calgary can prove that Jack was innocent. In spite of opposition from a hostile family, he is determined to solve the crime.

The Oxford Murders

At Oxford University, a professor and a grad student work together to try and stop a potential series of murders seemingly linked by mathematical symbols.

Reign of Fire

In post-apocalyptic England, an American volunteer and a British survivor team up to fight off a brood of fire-breathing dragons seeking to return to global dominance after centuries of rest underground. The Brit -- leading a clan of survivors to hunt down the King of the Dragons -- has much at stake: His mother was killed by a dragon, but his love is still alive.

Jazz on a Summer's Day

Set at the Newport jazz festival in 1958, this documentary mixes images of water and the town with performers and audience. The film progresses from day to night and from improvisational music to Gospel. It's a concert film that suggests peace and leisure, jazz at a particular time and place.

Killers of the Flower Moon

When oil is discovered in 1920s Oklahoma under Osage Nation land, the Osage people are murdered one by one—until the FBI steps in to unravel the mystery.

Kundun

The Tibetans refer to the Dalai Lama as 'Kundun', which means 'The Presence'. He was forced to escape from his native home, Tibet, when communist China invaded and enforced an oppressive regime upon the peaceful nation. The Dalai Lama escaped to India in 1959 and has been living in exile in Dharamsala ever since.

All Night Long

Over the course of one eventful evening, the anniversary celebration of the musical and romantic partners Aurelius Rex and Delia Lane, a jealous, ambitious drummer, Johnny Cousin, attempts to tear the interracial couple apart.

Automatons

Somewhere in the distant future, The Girl is alone. She is the last of her people, the others having died in a generations-long war that the girl continues to fight with the assistance of a group of antiquated robot helpers and soldiers.

Burglar

Bernice "Bernie" Rhodenbarr is a burglar by trade, and she runs a bookstore as well. Her friend Carl Hefler is a dog groomer. After a successful burglary, it's discovered that a dead body was in the house she burgled. As she's the only one who can be placed at the scene of the crime, she has to use her criminal skills to clear her name of the murder AND avoid getting charged with the burglary.

Cold War

A man and a woman meet in the ruins of post-war Poland. With vastly different backgrounds and temperaments, they are fatally mismatched and yet drawn to each other.

Come Back, Africa

Come Back, Africa chronicles the life of Zachariah, a black South African living under the rule of the harsh apartheid government in 1959.

Eragon

In his homeland of Alagaesia, a farm boy happens upon a dragon's egg -- a discovery that leads him on a predestined journey where he realized he's the one person who can defend his home against an evil king.

Evil Under the Sun

An opulent beach resort provides a scenic background to this amusing whodunit as Poirot attempts to uncover the nefarious evildoer behind the strangling of a notorious stage star.

The Mirror Crack'd

Jane Marple solves the mystery when a local woman is poisoned and a visiting movie star seems to have been the intended victim.

Motherless Brooklyn

New York City, 1957. Lionel Essrog, a private detective living with Tourette syndrome, tries to solve the murder of his mentor and best friend, armed only with vague clues and the strength of his obsessive mind.

Legend

Set in a timeless mythical forest inhabited by fairies, goblins, unicorns and mortals, this fantastic story follows a mystical forest dweller, chosen by fate, to undertake a heroic quest. He must save the beautiful Princess Lili and defeat the demonic Lord of Darkness, or the world will be plunged into a never-ending ice age.

The Singing Detective

From his hospital bed, a writer suffering from a skin disease hallucinates musical numbers and paranoid plots.

Dragnet

Two homicide detectives try to find just the facts behind a mobster's brutal murder.

See How They Run

In the West End of 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. When world-weary Inspector Stoppard and eager rookie Constable Stalker take on the case, the two find themselves thrown into a puzzling whodunit within the glamorously sordid theater underground, investigating the mysterious homicide at their own peril.

Murder She Said

Miss Marple believes she's seen a murder in a passing-by train, yet when the police find no evidence she decides to investigate it on her own.

Murder Mystery

On a long-awaited trip to Europe, a New York City cop and his hairdresser wife scramble to solve a baffling murder aboard a billionaire's yacht.

Sunset

Tom Mix and Wyatt Earp team up to solve a murder at the Academy Awards in 1929 Hollywood.

Beware the Horn

Mockumentary about a film school graduate who stumbles upon an improv troupe that he thinks is a cult.

Doctor Mabuse: Etiopomar

Dr. Mabuse, criminal mastermind - returns in this epic steam punk thriller, in which six interwoven tales document the downfall of Dr. Mabuse and his city "Etiopomar".

Hardcore

A conservative Midwest businessman ventures into the sordid underworld of pornography in search for his runaway teenage daughter who’s making porno films in the pits of Los Angeles.

The House on Carroll Street

Emily Crane is fired after refusing to give names to a 1951 House Un-American Activities Committee, and takes a part-time job as companion to an old lady. One day her attention is drawn to a noisy argument being conducted largely in German in a neighbouring house, the more so since one of those involved is her main senator prosecutor. Starting to look into things, she gradually enlists the help of FBI officer Cochran who was initially detailed to check her out. Just as well when things turn nasty

Ice

An underground revolutionary group struggles against internal strife to stage urban guerilla attacks against a fictionalized fascist regime in the United States. Interspersed throughout the narrative are rhetorical sequences that explain the philosophy of radical action and restrain the melodrama inherent in the thriller genre.

I Want to Live!

Barbara Graham is a woman with dubious moral standards, often a guest in seedy bars. She has been sentenced for some petty crimes. Two men she knows murder an older woman. When they get caught they start to think that Barbara has helped the police arresting them. As a revenge they tell the police that Barbara is the murderer.

Is Everybody Happy?

It is the story of Ted Lewis, popular band leader and clarinettist. The music for the film was written by Harry Akst and Grant Clarke, except for "St. Louis Blues" by W. C. Handy and "Tiger Rag". The film's title comes from Lewis's catchphrase "Is everybody happy?" The film's soundtrack exists on Vitaphone discs preserved at the UCLA Film and Television Archive, but the film itself is considered a lost film, according to the Vitaphone Project website. A five minute clip from the film can be found on YouTube.

Manhattan Murder Mystery

A middle-aged couple suspects foul play when their neighbor's wife suddenly drops dead.

Murder Ahoy

During an annual board of trustees meeting, one of the trustees dies. Miss Marple thinks he’s been poisoned after finding a chemical on him. She sets off to investigate at the ship where he had just come from. The fourth and final film from the Miss Marple series starring Margaret Rutherford as the quirky amateur detective.

Murder at the Gallop

Miss Marple and Mr. Stringer are witnesses to the death by heart attack of elderly, rich Mr. Enderby. Yet they have their doubts about what happened. The police don't believe them, thus leading Miss Marple to yet again investigate by herself.

Murder Most Foul

A murderer is brought to court and only Miss Marple is unconvinced of his innocence. Once again she begins her own investigation.

Perfect Stranger

A journalist goes undercover to ferret out businessman Harrison Hill as her best friend's killer. Posing as one of his temps, she enters into a game of online cat-and-mouse.

An Eye for an Eye

The host of a children's TV show is really a psychopathic killer, and when he hears stories from the kids who watch his show about the abuse they get from their parents, he starts visiting the parents and murdering them.

Sisters

Inquisitive journalist Grace Collier is horrified when she witnesses her neighbor, fashion model Danielle Breton, violently murder a man. Panicking, she calls the police. But when the detective arrives at the scene and finds nothing amiss, Grace is forced to take matters into her own hands. Her first move is to recruit private investigator Joseph Larch, who helps her to uncover a secret about Danielle's past that has them both seeing double.

Twilight

A retired detective accepts a simple task, unaware that it will tear open old, forgotten, but deadly wounds.

Phantom of Chinatown

In the middle of a pictorial lecture on his recent expedition to the Mongolian Desert, Dr. John Benton,the famous explorer, drinks from the water bottle on his lecture table, collapses and dies. His last words "Eternal Fire" are the only clue Chinese detective Jimmy Wong and Captain Street of the police department have to work on.

New Orleans After Dark

Cops go under cover to track down a Mafia drug kingpin who has re-entered the country to sell "junk" to the prostitutes and "hopheads" on Bourbon Street. Edited from TV series N.O.P.D.

Midnight Chronicles

In the world of MIDNIGHT, it is a time of overwhelming darkness. After three ages of scheming and war, the dark god Izrador has finally defeated the heroes and armies of the free races. Now, he rules the world of Aryth with an iron fist. Enslaved under the Shadow, the race of men leads an oppressed existence, and the elves and dwarves have retreated to distant forests and mountains.

Fun in Balloon Land

Sonny falls asleep while his mom reads him a bedtime story and wakes up in Balloon Land, a magical world filled with giant balloon people and animals.

Sita Sings the Blues

Utilizing the 1920s jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw, the epic Indian tale of exiled prince Ramayana and his bride Sita is mirrored by a spurned woman's contemporary personal life, and light-hearted but knowledgeable discussion of historical background by a trio of Indian shadow puppets.

Ever After High: Epic Winter

When a spell threatens Crystal's family, the Snow King casts an endless blizzard over the land. Crystal turns to the only people who can stop the forver after snowstorm: the powerful princesses of Ever After High! Together, the fairytale friends adventure for the legendary Winter Rose, so they can list the curse and make this the most Epic Winter ever after!

Blondes Have More Guns

A scarf, a chainsaw, and a mysterious blonde are the only clues to a growing number of stiffs (and not all of them are dead bodies!) Who can the police turn to? Harry Bates, of course, the smartest officer on the force. TOO BAD HARRY CAN’T OUTWIT A HOUSEPLANT! Lucky for him he has his trusted partner Dick Smoker and his faithful dog (who seems to be a guy in a dog suit) to help him solve the case. The only suspects are a pair of beautiful sisters, Montana and Dakota. When the trigger happy Harry gets romantically involved with the twin half step-sisters will he lose more than his cool? Inspired lunacy ensues as BLONDES HAVE MORE GUNS parodies the likes of PULP FICTION and INDECENT PROPOSAL with razor… er… chainsaw sharp wit!

Snow Falling on Cedars

In the 1950s, a Japanese-American fisherman is suspected of killing his neighbour at sea. For Ishmael, a local reporter, the trial strikes a deep emotional chord when he finds his ex-lover is linked to the case. As he investigates the killing, he uncovers some startling clues that lead him to a shocking discovery.

Page Eight

Johnny is a long-serving MI5 officer. His boss dies suddenly, leaving behind an inexplicable file which threatens the stability of the organisation.

The Crimson Canary

Members of a Jazz Band come under suspicion when a beautiful nightclub singer is murdered.

The Strip

Drummer Stanley Maxton moves to Los Angeles with dreams of opening his own club, but falls in with a gangster and a nightclub dancer and ends up accused of murder.

Assumed Killer

Bernard Salzmann's thriller Assumed Killer tells the tale of a reporter investigating a serial killer. After she suffers an accident and becomes an amnesiac, she begins to suspect her husband may be the person responsible for the brutal slayings

Union City

A 1950s accountant with a restless wife grows paranoid after hiding a milk thief's corpse next door.

Ring of Fear

Mystery writer Mickey Spillane tries to help Clyde Beatty deal with a plot to sabotage his circus.

Murder with Mirrors

When Miss Jane Marple arrives at palatial Stonygates, one thing is certain. Before there's time to lather a warm scone with marmalade and place a tea cozy, murder most foul is bound to occur.

Death Cruise

Several couples are notified that they have won an ocean cruise, but they actually have been lured onto a ship so that they can be murdered.

Third Man Out

Gay detective Donald Strachey is commissioned to protect gay activist John Rutka, who is known for "outing" prominent citizens. Strachey abandons bodyguard duty when he feels that Rutka is staging the threats against himself. When Rutka turns up dead, Strachey is faced with an extensive list of enemies all with enough motive to kill.

Night Owl

New York: Every night the mysterious "Night Owl" goes on the air with her moody radio show. She seems to have an inexplicable influence on some men; several of Julie's friends commit suicide while listening to her voice. She fears for her husband Harry, who becomes more and more distant from her.

Sorted

A young lawyer gets more than he bargains for while investigating his brother's mysterious death.

Invasion Force

A film crew shooting a movie finds itself battling against terrorists trying to take over a city.

A Dark Place

When a young boy turns up dead in a sleepy Pennsylvania town, a local sanitation truck driver, Donald, plays detective, embarking on a precarious and obsessive investigation to prove the boy was murdered.

Murder on the Home Front

At the height of the London blitz, Dr Lennox Collins, pioneer of the new forensic science, is enlisted by DI Wilkins after prostitute Mary Williams is strangled and a swastika carved on her tongue.

Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die

The Harts find themselves in the middle of a dangerous murder plot, but it isn't clear if the plot it a famous author's fictional murder-mystery, or an actual murder plot, until Jonathan finds himself the unsuspecting target of a killer. It begins to look like the culprit behind the plot is an old friend, Frank Crane, but there may be a connection to a corporate takeover of Hart Industries as well.

Miss Marple: 4.50 from Paddington

Travelling on the 4.50 from Paddington, Mrs McGillicuddy witnesses a murder on a passing train - but where is the body?

Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery

Based on the New York Times bestselling book, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke, the film will take viewers on a mouthwatering mystery that centers on Hannah Swensen, shop owner of the Cookie Jar where much of the town's gossip percolates along with the strong coffee. But when a mysterious murder occurs, Hannah turns into a culinary detective and finds herself trying to solve the crime while getting caught in an unexpected romantic mystery of her own.

A Bone to Pick: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery

A librarian with a sharp mind for murder, Aurora Teagarden is known around her small town as a master sleuth. When her friend Jane unexpectedly dies and leaves Aurora everything in her will, she also leaves a troubling murder mystery haunting her neighborhood. It is up to Aurora to piece together the clues—including a skull, its missing skeleton and a suspicious group of neighbors—and solve the murder before she becomes the unlikely killer’s next victim.

The Tale of Sweeney Todd

The fictional tale of the murderous 19th century barber (Ben Kinglsey) who sold his kills to a neighboring butcher (Joanna Lumley) for her renowned meat pies. A young innocent (Selina Boyack) and the dashing inspector (Campbell Scott) who tries to solve the murders are also thrown into the mix.

Murder by the Book

Agatha Christie’s agents propose that it’s time for her to publish the manuscript she wrote thirty-five years earlier, a novel in which she finally kills off her most famous creation. And it’s not an entirely sad occasion. “That wretched little man,” she says. “He’s always been so much trouble. How is it Miss Marple has never upset me at all, not ever?” That night, who should appear at her doorstep but the wretched little man himself, Hercule Poirot? The great fictional detective and his creator proceed to play a very Christie-like game of cat and mouse for the manuscript – and for their own lives.

Mike's Murder

Betty has a crush on her tennis instructor Mike. He promises to call her for a date, but never does – she doesn’t know he sells drugs on the side. After botching a deal on someone else’s turf, Mike has to disappear for a while. He contacts Betty – then he’s killed before they can meet. Betty tries to find out what happened, leading her straight into a hornet's nest of vice.

Thrill of the Kill

Haunted by her sister's suspicious death, Kelly Holden enlists the help of murder-mystery novelist Graydon Jennings to help solve the crime. Together they discover that Kelly's sibling was living quite the double life -- sleeping with a congressman and fending off a scorned ex-lover! As this salacious story unfolds, Kelly discovers that truth isn't just stranger than fiction -- it can be more evil too!

Zero to Heaven

After the events of Cross Cut, actors Sean and Ginger attempt to leave the entertainment industry but quickly become entangled in another dangerous plot twist. Up and coming screenwriter Chip Long and his understudy, Zane, contrive a new narrative that will soon throw the two actors into a fictional maelstrom of fistfights, chases, vigilante priests, nun assassins and underground metal. As Ginger resists the urge to sign with Chip at Sean's insistence, Sean becomes a scribe of his own to enter battle with Chip over an epic yet impromptu script spanning from Texas to Disneyland. As the writers come head to head via their competing visions, only one author can claim victory as real bodies begin to pile up and fact and fiction become more and more blurred in this darkly comical and fantastic adventure.

Chasing Trane

An account of the life of the brilliant jazz musician John Coltrane (1926-67), a gifted saxophonist, an extraordinarily talented thinker whose original, avant-garde work has impacted and influenced people all over the world. A story about music's ability to entertain, inspire and transform.

Flock of Four

Four best friends search for a legendary jazz musician on Central Avenue, Los Angeles in 1959.

Fred Baker - filmmaker

The house he lived In: A conversation with Fred Baker (1932-2011) filmmaker , director , screenwriter , film producer, actor and jazz musician. A shining example of America's bohemian underground that has been around since the days of Walt Whitman. A sensualist. His favorite topics are sex, art, food and politics. To the rhythm of New York and Lenny Bruce.

Two Tons of Turquoise to Taos Tonight

A film without a beginning or an end, Moment to Moment is a rush of curious sketches, scenes, and shots that takes on a rhythmic life of its own.

Sister Mary

Homophobic detective Mark Rima must "partner" up with the very gay and flamboyant Detective Chris Riant to stop a serial killing Nun from offing 5 band members otherwise known as "The Ex Choir Boys." But when it is determined that the detectives can't solve the case on their own, expert F.B.I. profiler Agent Peccant (comedian Ant) is assigned to the case. As the details of the case slowly emerge the police determine that that the "nun" may only be a silent witness to the grisly murders. The task force then turns its attention on the Catholic Church and a suspect group of Priests that have had a propensity for "cleansing the souls" of innocent young choir boys.

Puss in Boots

The Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis re-imagines the classic fairy tale as a jazz musical set in New Orleans.

Trivia Night

An underground trivia legend in NYC lives in the shadows. He faces a mysterious unbeaten game show from his past when he battles his rival to reclaim the greatness he once had.

Gorilla at Large

At a carnival called the Garden of Evil, a man is murdered, apparently by a gorilla...or someone in a gorilla suit.

Family Man, Family Murderer: An ID Murder Mystery

Chris Watts appeared to have it all: a happy marriage, a beautiful home, and a growing family. But that image of perfection was shattered when his pregnant wife and two daughters went missing from their family home in small town of Frederick, Colorado on August 13, 2018.

Happy

A former child show host misses the good old days. He and his sidekick from the show are doing a gig when the place gets robbed and the sidekick murdered. The host is the only one who saw the robber well so the robber goes after him.

Rebecca Zahau: An ID Murder Mystery

When Rebecca Zahau and Max Shacknai both die in mysterious circumstances at the same mansion, their families search for answers—and the truth.

Jazz Ball

A made-for-TV musical revue, compiled from soundies and film and TV performances by jazz greats from the 1930s to the 1950s.

Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave

This is a lonely New Year's Eve for Hank Williams as he spends it en route to a huge New Years Day concert in Ohio. Hank Williams died that night on the road. A fictional biography is shown in flashback.

Blueberry Hill

In a small town in the 1950s, Ellie Dane loses her musician father, and her mother suddenly turns away from her. She finds solace in wise jazz singer Hattie Cale and learns that she's inherited her dad's skill at the piano. But she also begins to uncover dark truths about her family's past and the reason for her mother's emotional distance. A rich jazz score accompanies this moving drama.

Murder at the Murder Mystery Party

When struggling young actress Clara Edwards sneaks into an elusive, exclusive Murder Mystery Party, she finds herself among a bevy of beautiful, famous Hollywood elite who are suddenly trapped inside, and have been pit in a game of wits where the murder itself turns out to be all too real.

The Jazz Detective

Jazz musician Bernie Weston find himself falsely accused of murder in Bristol. With the aid of a local reporter he sets out to clear his name and find the real killer.

Saturday Evening Puss

Mammy steps out for the evening. While she's away, the cats - in this case Tom and three of his alley cat friends - play. Play and perform rollicking jazz, that is.

Wolves

When a young social recluse stumbles onto a series of unsolved cold cases he finds himself pulled deeper into society's dark underside and must face his own demons to learn the truth.

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