Martin Scorsese’s “Shutter Island” is a noir-inspired trip to an island asylum where United States Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) learns that his entire identity is a lie. The movie is enthralling from the very beginning, and the ending of “Shutter Island” makes it an even more memorable experience. “Shutter Island” has a creepy setting, a thrilling mystery plot, layered characters, and a dark atmosphere that pulls you in from the very first frame. 

There’s a lot to love about the movie, which means that it’s an excellent starting place for finding other films along the same lines that you’ll relish. “Shutter Island” is inspired by classic Hollywood noir, but elements of those dark detective tales have fueled other thrill ride mysteries and deep psychological explorations. Whether you’re interested in diving into the classic films that inspired Scorsese’s 2010 thriller or you want to sink your teeth into other movies with unexplainable endings, here’s 15 films you’re bound to enjoy if you liked “Shutter Island.”

The very same year that “Shutter Island” arrived, Leonardo DiCaprio starred in another movie dealing with similar themes of grief and memory. In Christopher Nolan’s “Inception,” DiCaprio plays a man named Cobb who’s been separated from his children and exiled from the United States after being framed for his wife’s murder. Cobb has a unique job: he’s a con artist who specializes in manipulating people’s dreams. With the help of technology and a competent team, Cobb can enter a subject’s dream and extract their most personal secrets from inside it.

Cobb is tasked with planting an idea in the mind of a wealthy young man (Cillian Murphy) who’s about to inherit his father’s company. Cobb takes the job because he believes it can finally get him home to his kids, but the memory of his wife Mal (Marion Cotillard) literally haunts his dreams and endangers the life of his entire team. The film is imaginative, action-packed, and emotionally dense, and the ending of “Inception” is arguably even more memorable than the one in Scorsese’s film, if just as ambiguous.

If you’re particularly enthralled by the dark atmosphere of “Shutter Island,” “Zodiac” is a 2007 film from director David Fincher that will pull you into a story that’s just as intriguing as it is grim. The movie primarily follows Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal), a political cartoonist who becomes obsessed with discovering the identity of the Zodiac Killer in the late ’60s and early ’70s. 

Though they’re initially skeptical, reporter Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) and San Francisco detective Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) begin to take an interest in Graysmith’s theories. The investigation is anything but straightforward, however, and as the years progress, Graysmith and his comrades start following ever more desperate leads to try and stop the Zodiac Killer’s terrifying murder spree.

“Zodiac” comes highly recommended from critics. The movie has a 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes, thanks to its excellent script and top-notch performances. If you found yourself wishing that the mystery at the heart of “Shutter Island” was even darker and more horrifying, then this might be the perfect movie for you.

The Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane provides the setting for Teddy’s investigation in “Shutter Island,” and by the end of the movie we learn that Teddy’s presence at the hospital is no mere coincidence. 2014’s “Stonehearst Asylum,” as the name implies, is another film set in a psychiatric hospital, and as an added bonus for “Shutter Island” fans, it also features Ben Kingsley in a prominent role.

Set in 1899, the movie follows Dr. Edward Newgate (Jim Sturgess), who plans to take on a residency at Stonehearst Asylum to study under the famed Dr. Silas Lamb (Kingsley). Contrary to standard medical practice, Dr. Lamb refuses to sedate his patients with drugs, and the extreme empathy he has for his patients seem to work in their favor.

As Dr. Newgate settles into Stonehearst, he strikes up a friendship with a patient named Eliza Graves (Kate Beckinsale). She warns Dr. Newgate that things at Stonehearst aren’t what they seem, and together the two of them begin to figure out the sinister truth at the heart of Dr. Lamb’s work. This movie focuses more on the lives of the patients at the hospital, and Dr. Newgate’s story isn’t quite as hopeless as that of Teddy Daniels, but “Stonehearst Asylum” — much like “Shutter Island” — has plenty of twists and turns that will take you by surprise.

If you loved “Shutter Island,” then it’s safe to assume you’ll have a great time with another film from director Martin Scorsese. 1991’s “Cape Fear” is a remake of a 1962 movie, with both based on a 1957 novel by John D. MacDonald called “The Executioners.” Scorsese’s version of “Cape Fear,” much like “Shutter Island,” is a tense thriller with a foreboding atmosphere, but this time you won’t have to wait until the end to figure out the real motivations of all the characters.

The movie opens with the release of Max Cady (Robert De Niro) from prison. Max has been locked up for more than a decade after beating and raping a 16-year-old girl. While he was in prison, however, Max discovered that his former public defender Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte) hid a report that might have lightened his sentence. Max has become determined to get his revenge on Sam by stalking his family and doing everything possible to ruin their lives. As Max torments the family in increasingly awful ways, Sam finds himself pushed to desperate means to protect them — leading to a terrifying climax on the Cape Fear River.

All of Christopher Nolan’s best movies play around with time in some way, and “Memento” is no exception. This 2000 film was nominated for best original screenplay and best film editing at the Oscars, and it’s easy to see why. “Memento” tells its story with fragmentary, out-of-order scenes that allow the audience to experience the plot in the exact same way as the film’s main character.

Much like the protagonist of “Shutter Island,” Leonard Shelby (Guy Pierce) is a man with a troubled past and fractured psyche. Leonard, who has a condition that causes short-term memory loss, is trying to track down his wife’s killer, retaining his small clues as paper notes and his major leads as tattoos all over his body. Leonard’s investigation takes him into the seedy underbelly of his city, but it never leads him where he expects it to. “Memento” will keep you guessing until the very end (or is it the beginning?), and Leonard’s shocking story will likely stick with you for a long time to come.

Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas)’s life is in a rut. He’s a successful banker living in San Francisco, but he doesn’t have much meaning or personal connection in his life. Even worse, as his 48th birthday approaches, Nicholas can’t stop thinking about how his father jumped off the roof of their family home on his own 48th birthday. 

In an attempt to cheer Nicholas up, his younger brother Conrad (Sean Penn) gives him a voucher to play a game designed by a company called Consumer Recreation Services. Nicholas applies for the game, but shortly after receiving a rejection letter from the company, his life begins turning upside down. He soon realizes that he’s in the game — but it seems like his life may be in genuine danger.

We’ve talked about why “Zodiac” might appeal to “Shutter Island” fans, but this is another film from David Fincher that’s worth consideration. 1997’s “The Game” is a pulse-pounding thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, and it’s also got a mystery with a solution that you’ll never see coming. If dark, atmospheric thrillers are your bread and butter, then “The Game” is a must-watch.

David Fincher is back on the list for a third and final time with 1999’s “Fight Club.” Based on Chuck Palanhuik’s novel of the same name, “Fight Club” follows an unnamed protagonist (Edward Norton) who lives a dull life working a corporate job and attending terminal illness support groups to find emotional relief. Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) is an anarchist soap salesman who wants to burn the whole world down. When the two of them meet, explosive things happen.

“Fight Club” is hilarious and thrilling at the same time, but it’s on this list because of the plot, which is guaranteed to throw you for a loop. “Shutter Island” has a great twist, but “Fight Club” has one of the greatest plot twists of all time. If you’ve somehow managed to avoid having the movie accidentally spoiled for you, then it should be the first thing you watch after “Shutter Island.”

“Shutter Island” may be a thriller, but it’s also a movie about identity. Throughout the movie Leonardo DiCaprio’s Teddy is unlocking his memories and figuring out who he really is, and by the end of the movie he needs to decide which version of himself he wants to be. 2001’s “Mulholland Drive” from director David Lynch also has characters trying to figure out their pasts to determine their future, but Lynch’s movie is far less straightforward than “Shutter Island.”

“Mulholland Drive” opens with a scene of a woman who later calls herself Rita (Laura Harring) getting into a car crash on the titular street. Stumbling from the scene, Rita ends up falling asleep in a stranger’s apartment, and when she wakes up she has total amnesia. Betty (Naomi Watts) shows up at the apartment and decides that she wants to help Rita figure out what happened to her. The two of them begin an investigation that involves a Hollywood movie production, a secret organization, and a mysterious blue key. “Shutter Island” has some confusing moments, but “Mulholland Drive” give it a run for its money. The movie is an open-ended mystery, which is exactly what makes the story so compelling — and so tragic.

It’s easy to overlook, but “Shutter Island” has something to say about war. Teddy is a veteran, and the film implies that his trauma from the war haunts him before and after his admittance to the Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane. In that same vein, “Jacob’s Ladder” is a movie about a Vietnam War veteran who finds himself losing his grip on reality after he returns home.

Director Adrian Lyne’s 1990 film follows a man named Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) who witnesses profound horrors and the deaths of many of his fellow soldiers in Vietnam. In 1975 Jacob is back in the United States, but he’s struggling to adjust to his life in New York City. Jacob suffers from intensifying hallucinations, and the more his mental state falls to pieces, the more his friends and loved ones try to intervene. “Jacob’s Ladder” can make for a surreal experience, but it’s every bit as thrilling and haunting as “Shutter Island.”

This is the only movie on our list that’s animated and the only one based on a science fiction novel. Adapted from a Philip K. Dick book of the same name, “A Scanner Darkly” is set in a near-future where police surveillance is rampant. Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves) is an undercover cop investigating a new drug dealing ring, but in the process of protecting his cover, he’s become an addict. Bob’s roommates Luckman (Woody Harrelson) and Barris (Robert Downey Jr.) along with his dealer, Donna Hawthorne (Winona Ryder), are all implicated in the drug ring to some degree, but he can’t suss out all the connections. Reality starts disintegrating around Bob as he delves into a mystery made even more complicated by his drug use.

Director Richard Linklater brings a unique vision to Dick’s excellent source material by filming the actors in live-action and then putting the animation over those images, making for a truly engrossing and visually distinctive adaptation. “A Scanner Darkly” touches on similar themes as “Shutter Island,” but it uses a sci-fi lens to take the story to some wild places. This movie is a great choice if you’re willing to let your interest in “Shutter Island” potentially carry you to some more far-out material.

“Shutter Island” can be a jumping-off point for discovering all sorts of new movies, but it’s also a great invitation to take a look at film history. “Vertigo” is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s most celebrated films, and there’s elements of this classic thriller that clearly inspired Martin Scorsese’s approach to his own films. Plus, the movie’s 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes should convince you that it’s worth watching even if you aren’t necessarily interested in the historical perspective.

Released in 1958, “Vertigo” tells the story of detective John “Scottie” Ferguson (James Stewart), who’s forced into early retirement after one of his coworkers falls to his death during a rooftop chase. Witnessing the fall left Scottie with a debilitating fear of heights, but after his retirement an old friend named Gavin (Tom Helmore) hires Scottie to investigate his wife Madeleine (Kim Novak). Gavin believes Madeleine might be thinking of killing herself, but the truth turns out to be far stranger — and the basis for what is widely considered one of the greatest films of all time.

“Identity” is a mind-bending 2003 movie from future “Logan” and “A Complete Unknown” director James Mangold. The movie is set in Nevada during a fierce storm and follows a group of people holed up inside an old hotel to ride out the weather. In a seemingly split timeline, a serial killer (Pruitt Taylor) is on trial for murdering hotel guests. The plot develops the stories of the ensemble cast and connects the array of characters to the mysterious killer in a completely unexpected way.

With a 63% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, “Identity” got solidly mixed reviews, but audiences have had a soft spot for the movie. It has a 75% Popcornmeter rating, while IMDb users have ranked it at 7.3/10 stars. “Identity” has a twist that takes the movie in an entirely unexpected direction, and is bound to take you by surprise and present you with an intriguing and entirely unpredictable plot. Plus the movie includes some strong performances from actors like John Cusack, Ray Liotta, and Amanda Peet. If you were a fan of “Shutter Island,” then this movie is definitely worth your time.

We’ve given you plenty of movies to consider watching if you’re a fan of “Shutter Island,” but we aren’t the only ones with some solid recommendations. As a director, Martin Scorsese thinks a lot about his own influences, and he has a whole list of films that helped inspire his approach with “Shutter Island.” Scorsese said at the time of the film’s release that the very first movie he showed Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, and Ben Kingsley when they started working on “Shutter Island” was Otto Preminger’s 1944 film “Laura.”

“Laura” is classic noir through and through. The film follows a New York City detective named Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) investigating the murder of socialite Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney) in her own apartment. Mark’s investigation introduces him to some mysterious characters in Laura’s life and slowly convinces him that he has feelings for the murder victim. “Laura” is a fantastic movie in its own right, but for “Shutter Island” it also provides an opportunity to get some unique insight into how Scorsese approached creating his film.

“Out of the Past” is another movie that Martin Scorsese has said helped him with his approach to creating “Shutter Island.” Scorsese said that he was particularly drawn to the movie’s mystery and the poetic way it went about telling its story, which might illuminate some of the more surreal scenes in “Shutter Island.” Released in 1947, “Out of the Past” is directed by Jacques Tourneur, and it’s another shining example of the noir genre.

The movie is set in the rural town of Bridgeport, California and centers on local gas station owner Jeff Bailey (Robert Mitchum). Jeff has a complicated past that’s unearthed when Joe Stefanos (Paul Valentine) arrives in town. Joe has been hired by a crime boss named Whit (Kirk Douglas) to find Jeff because years ago he worked as a private investigator who Whit hired. Now that old case is shaking up Jeff’s new life, and potentially reigniting his relationship with a dangerous woman named Kathie Moffat (Jane Greer). “Out of the Past” is just as engrossing now as it was when the film debuted, and any mystery fan will enjoy it.

Martin Scorsese has also cited “Shock Corridor” as an inspiration for his work on “Shutter Island,” but he put this particular film in its own special category. Speaking with Indie London, Scorsese said, “[Director] Sam Fuller and ‘Shock Corridor’ can only be conjured as a mantra. ‘Shock Corridor’ is a classic work of art — it’s unique.” Scorsese said that he didn’t screen Fuller’s film for any of the actors working on “Shutter Island,” but he used it as his own personal talisman because it informs all of his work. “It’s in me anyway. It’s in me,” he added. “It was a way of conjuring up support just by saying the name, ‘Shock Corridor,’ as I was going to shoot.”

Written, directed, and produced by Samuel Fuller, 1963’s “Shock Corridor” is set like “Shutter Island” in an asylum, but Fuller’s film follows a journalist named Johnny Barrett (Peter Breck) who desperately wants to win a Pulitzer Prize. Johnny devises a scheme to get himself committed to a mental institution so he can solve a murder that took place there, but once he becomes a patient, Johnny begins to lose his sense of what’s real. “Shock Corridor” has some clear echoes in “Shutter Island,” and might be the best movie for fans of Scorsese’s film to watch next.