Movies Like Stranger on the Third Floor (1940)

Stranger on the Third Floor is a 1940 mystery, thriller film from Boris Ingster with a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with You Only Live Once and Woman on the Run.

Mystery Thriller

You Only Live Once

1937

Based partially on the story of Bonnie and Clyde, Eddie Taylor is an ex-convict who cannot get a break after being released from prison. When he is framed for murder, Taylor is forced to flee with his wife Joan Graham and baby. While escaping prison after being sentenced to death, Taylor becomes a real murderer, condemning himself and Joan to a life of crime and death on the road.

7.1

MagicScore

Woman on the Run

1950

Frank Johnson, a sole witness to a gangland murder, goes into hiding and is trailed by Police Inspector Ferris, on the theory that Frank is trying to escape from possible retaliation. Frank's wife, Eleanor, suspects he is actually running away from their unsuccessful marriage. Aided by a newspaperman, Danny Leggett, Eleanor sets out to locate her husband. The killer is also looking for him, and keeps close tabs on Eleanor.

6.7

MagicScore

Follow Me Quietly

1949

When it rains in the city, a serial killer known as "The Judge" looks for his next strangling victim. For months, the madman has been stalking at night, leaving behind clues, but police efforts have been fruitless. Constructing a life-size dummy of the murderer, police Lt. Harry Grant is growing obsessed with capturing him, and always following Grant is the relentless reporter Ann Gorman looking to break the story, but the hunt continues.

6.2

MagicScore

The Whistler

1944

A guilt-ridden man blames himself for his wife's death and secretly pays an assassin to kill him. But then he finds out that his wife isn't dead at all. And now the assassin is on his trail, with no way to call off the hit.

6.1

MagicScore

Trapped

1949

Secret Service agents make a deal with a counterfeiting inmate to be released on early parole if he will help them recover some bogus moneymaking plates, but he plans to double-cross them.

5.9

MagicScore

Lightning Strikes Twice

1951

Sent to a dude ranch in the west to recover her health, a New York actress falls in love with a ranch owner recently acquitted of the murder of his wife.

5.5

MagicScore

Strange Illusion

1945

An adolescent believes that his widowed mother's suitor may have murdered his father.

5.4

MagicScore

The Sniper

1952

Eddie Miller struggles with his hatred of women, he's especially bothered by seeing women with their lovers. He starts a killing spree as a sniper by shooting women from far distances. In an attempt to get caught, he writes an anonymous letter to the police begging them to stop him.

6.6

MagicScore

Railroaded!

1947

A beautician and her crooked boyfriend attempt to rob the bookie operation located in the back room, but when the plan goes wrong, they frame an innocent man.

6.6

MagicScore

#10

The Steel Trap

1952

Joseph Cotten plays an assistant bank manager who steals $1,000,000 from the safe late on a Friday and then plans to flee to Brazil over the weekend.

6.4

MagicScore

#11

The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry

1945

George Sanders stars in this engrossing melodrama about a very domineering sister who holds a tight grip on her brother -- especially when he shows signs of falling in love.

6.2

MagicScore

#12

The Killer That Stalked New York

1950

In New York, Sheila Bennet and her spouse, Matt Krane, are trying to unload a trove of rare jewels they smuggled into America from Cuba, but the police are hot on the couple's trail. Meanwhile, government officials begin a desperate search for an unknown individual who is infecting the city with smallpox.

6.1

MagicScore

#13

The Hoodlum

1951

Vincent Lubeck is a vicious ex-convict. His criminal activities are despised by his family, but he uses and abuses them in the course of his crimes. Eventually his own brother must stand up to him.

6.1

MagicScore

#14

Cause for Alarm!

1951

A bedridden and gravely ill man believes his wife and doctor are conspiring to kill him, and outlines his suspicions in a letter.

5.9

MagicScore

#15

Please Murder Me

1956

A lawyer tries to exact justice on a woman he defended in court -- a woman whom he found out was guilty after getting her off.

5.8

MagicScore

#16

Highway Dragnet

1954

An ex-Marine, on the lam from a murder charge, hitches a ride with a glamour-magazine photographer, who is travelling cross-country with her principal model. Tensions rise when the women realize the man with them may be a killer.

5.7

MagicScore

#17

Stolen Face

1952

A plastic surgeon changes the face of a female convict to match that of the beautiful woman who broke his heart and left him. He marries the convict but trouble starts when his true love returns.

5.6

MagicScore

#18

I Wouldn't Be in Your Shoes

1948

An innocent dancer is accused of murder after his shoe prints are found at the scene, but his wife follows the trail of clues to find the real perpetrator.

5.5

MagicScore

#19

Escape in the Fog

1945

A military nurse recovering at an inn from a nervous breakdown keeps having dreams where she sees two men trying to murder a third. When she meets a man who is a federal agent at the inn, she is astounded to discover that he is the man in her dream who is the intended murder victim.

5.3

MagicScore

#20

The Scarlet Hour

1956

An unhappy wife uses her powers of manipulation to draw an infatuated man into an ill-fated jewelry heist.

5.1

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Stranger on the Third Floor?

The top films similar to Stranger on the Third Floor by MovieMagicScore are You Only Live Once (7.1), Woman on the Run (6.7), Follow Me Quietly (6.2). Each shares mystery/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Stranger on the Third Floor worth watching?

Stranger on the Third Floor holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10 from 100 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Stranger on the Third Floor?

Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) is a mystery, thriller film directed by Boris Ingster, starring Peter Lorre, John McGuire, Margaret Tallichet.

Where can I find more recommendations like Stranger on the Third Floor?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more mystery recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like You Only Live Once Movies like Woman on the Run Movies like Follow Me Quietly Movies like The Whistler Movies like Trapped Movies like Lightning Strikes Twice

About movies like Stranger on the Third Floor

This ranked list pairs Stranger on the Third Floor (1940), a mystery and thriller film from Boris Ingster, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Peter Lorre take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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