MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for A Kiss Before Dying

A Kiss Before Dying

1956 · 94 min

A polished, suspenseful noir that keeps you uneasy as charm curdles into menace, with a slow-burn dread and a sharp, satisfying payoff.

Directed by
Gerd Oswald
Genres
Thriller, Drama, Crime
Starring
Robert Wagner, Jeffrey Hunter, Virginia Leith
Tagline
He had looks, charm ... and killer instincts.
Overview
A college student tries to get rich quick by wooing two wealthy sisters.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Add to a list: A Kiss Before Dying

You have no lists yet. Name one, and this title goes into it.

All your lists

Stream in the UK
  • Amazon Prime Video
More options Data from JustWatch
Directed by
Gerd Oswald
Genres
Thriller, Drama, Crime
Starring
Robert Wagner, Jeffrey Hunter, Virginia Leith
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • ambition
  • deception
  • greed
  • betrayal
  • justice
Places
  • big city
  • small town
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • twist ending
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror2
Humour2
Realism7
Romance4
Tension7
Darkness7
Complexity6
Emotional weight6

More like this

Titles like A Kiss Before Dying

Movie

Dial M for Murder

1954

A taut, stage-bound cat-and-mouse game where elegant conversation conceals cold calculation, keeping you leaning in to catch every clue.

Tense, dark · about deception and greed · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • deception
  • greed
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
105 min
Details
Dial M for MurderHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Double Indemnity

1944

A sleek, shadowy descent into temptation and betrayal, told with sharp wit and mounting dread.

Tense, dark · about greed and betrayal · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • greed
  • betrayal
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
107 min
Details
Double IndemnityHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Maltese Falcon

1941

A shadowy, quick-witted noir that keeps you leaning in as lies pile on lies and desire collides with duty.

Tense, dark · about deception and greed · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • deception
  • greed
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
100 min
Details
The Maltese FalconHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Gone Girl

2014

A cold, gripping plunge into a poisonous marriage where every scene tightens the screw and nothing can be trusted.

Tense, dark · about deception and betrayal · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • deception
  • betrayal
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
demanding
Runtime
149 min
Details
Gone GirlHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Strangers on a Train

1951

A stylish, suspenseful ride that keeps you on edge with dark wit and a chilling central performance.

Tense, dark · about deception · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • deception
  • twist ending
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
101 min
Details
Strangers on a TrainHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Body Heat

1981

A sweaty, seductive noir that wraps you in oppressive heat and mounting dread as desire and deception spiral toward betrayal.

Tense, dark · about deception and betrayal · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • deception
  • betrayal
  • twist ending
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
113 min
Details
Body HeatHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Touch of Evil

1958

A grimy, shadowy border-town descent where corruption and menace tighten around you like a slow, queasy grip.

Tense, dark · about betrayal and justice · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • betrayal
  • justice
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
111 min
Details
Touch of EvilHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Crime of Passion

1956

A slow-burning noir that tightens like a vise, its suburban setting and domestic frustrations slowly curdling into desperation and violence.

Same director: Gerd Oswald · Tense, dark · about ambition and betrayal

Also
Same director: Gerd Oswald
Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • ambition
  • betrayal
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
86 min
Details
Crime of PassionHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Purple Noon

1960

A sun-drenched, seductive thriller that makes you complicit in a charming killer's deception, tightening its grip with every close call.

Tense, dark · about deception · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • deception
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
118 min
Details
Purple NoonHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Killing

1956

A taut, fatalistic heist thriller that tightens like a noose, its clockwork plot and doomed characters leaving a bitter aftertaste.

Same cinematographer: Lucien Ballard · Tense, dark · about greed and betrayal

Also
Same cinematographer: Lucien Ballard
Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • greed
  • betrayal
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
85 min
Details
The KillingHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Grifters

1990

A sleek, sun-bleached noir that tightens like a wire, all charm and menace, leaving a cold, bitter aftertaste.

Tense, dark · about deception and greed · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • deception
  • greed
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
110 min
Details
The GriftersHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

A Perfect Murder

1998

A sleek, tense cat-and-mouse thriller that keeps you guessing with its twists and turns.

Tense, dark · about deception and greed · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • deception
  • greed
  • twist ending
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
107 min
Details
A Perfect MurderHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

Stream
  • Amazon Prime Video
Rent or buy
  • Apple TV Store
  • Amazon Video

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
thriller, drama, crime
Directed by
Gerd Oswald
Written by
Lawrence Roman
Starring
Robert Wagner, Jeffrey Hunter, Virginia Leith, Joanne Woodward, Mary Astor, George Macready, Robert Quarry, Howard Petrie
Music
Lionel Newman
Cinematography
Lucien Ballard
Runtime
94 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.