The ‘Knives Out’ Franchise (2019–Present) & The Long History Of Whodunit Stories

Genre icons Agatha Christie¹ and John Dickson Carr have been inspiring authors and filmmakers for generations. Their works were largely published in the early twentieth century, telling stories that captivated audiences with their intrigue, which have since been adapted into films, building the largely celebrated “whodunnit” genre. The first whodunnit is largely considered to be Edgar Allan Poe’s The Murders in the Rue Morgue,² published in 1841. Since then, the sub-genre has gained lots of popularity in the mystery fanbase.

Audiences love to try to dissect a crime along with the characters. These stories follow a detective who gets thrown into a case that seems impossible. The audience follows the detective as they make their way through a group of suspects, weeding out those who are innocent, and those who have some dirt on their name. Each crime is a puzzle that the perpetrator has carefully crafted to keep themselves safe from conviction.

A lot of the famous whodunit detectives have impacted society in ways the author may not have originally intended. An example of this being Conan Doyle’s³ Sherlock Holmes.⁴ Undeniably the most prominent whodunit figure in history, Doyle created Sherlock Holmes in 1887.

Over one hundred years later, the fictional detective is still appearing in new media, either about his cases or in works inspired by his cases, like the Netflix film Enola Holmes. Now, there is one director who has found a great amount of inspiration in their works, adapting the whodunit for the modern day. Rian Johnson,⁵ the creator of the Knives Out cinematic universe,⁶ took the classic stories from his favorite authors and turned their themes into a cult classic franchise.

The universe started with the release of the award-winning 2019 film Knives Out.⁷ Johnson partnered with Netflix to create this series, which may expand upon the original three-film deal. Audiences love Johnson’s work, and with cozy season in full swing, now is the perfect time to solve a whodunit case with your favorite actors.

Rian Johnson’s Mystery Blueprint

Each of the films in the Knives Out universe follows a similar storyline: a group of people come together and become suspects in a murder case, led by detective Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig. Blanc is the only constant character throughout the films, and audiences learn about the crime along with the characters. Each character is completely distinct from the others.

They all have their own stories, dark sides, and motives. In Knives Out, Johnson introduced his audience to the Thrombey family; incredibly wealthy, incredibly selfish, and, one, incredibly guilty. The star-studded cast, from Chris Evans to Jamie Lee Curtis, is held up at the estate of famous crime novelist Harlan Thrombey after his murder. Killed on his 85th birthday, the family’s celebration quickly turns into a gruesome blaming game.

Everyone wants to protect their assets, showing how their values are centered around what is stated in Harlan’s will rather than the loss of their father or grandfather. For Glass Onion,⁸ released in 2022, it puts a twist on the whodunit; Miles Bron, a tech billionaire, gathers some old friends to his secluded Greek Island for a quarantine getaway.

He intended to make the whole weekend a murder mystery game, but when someone ends up dead, the secrets from their pasts come to light. The third film, Wake Up Dead Man,⁹ came out on Netflix on December 12th. This film, like the others, follows Benoit Blanc solving the murder of a monsignor. While the plot may come off as overused, Johnson continuously brings audiences back. His unique settings, diverse characters, and intriguing mysteries play a big part in why audiences love his work so much.

Audiences need to be prepared to look for clues in the most minute details. Whodunits are full of clues, but whether or not viewers pick up on them the first time around is dependent on who’s watching. Many may have missed the strategic costuming in Knives Out, but the wardrobe says a lot. Even when the plots seem more obvious, Rian still finds ways to shock his audiences. His film Glass Onion is exactly what the name suggests, a clear crime with multiple layers.

“That to me is the Hitchcock approach, as opposed to the big twist at the end approach, which I think is always more effective”

When asked where he gets his inspiration¹⁰ from, he gives credit to the famous mystery writers before him. The most notable are Agatha Christie and John Dickson Carr. When looking at the style of these two authors, it makes sense that Johnson would find their work inspirational.

The two have many stories that challenge their readers to believe in the seemingly impossible. With locked room mysteries and complicated plots, Johnson was able to create three films that honor the sub-genre.

Agatha Christie & The Art Of The Locked Room

There are many whodunit stories that are incredibly popular, like Clue. The play/film/board game has entertained audiences for decades. Originally released as a board game in 1943, it was later turned into a movie in 1985, and even later, a play in 2017. The story follows a crime that is contained in one home, causing the characters to question whom they can trust. Having plot contained to one location, authors like Agatha Christie and John Dickson Carr have done similar stories.

Christie, also known as the “Queen of Crime,” is arguably the most famous mystery writer in history. As a playwright and novelist, she has created works that still inspire to this day. Many people know her from novels like Murder on the Orient Express, which was recently re-adapted into a film in 2017. Not only has her own work been adored for over a century now, but also projects inspired by her novels are considered mystery classics, like Murder, She Wrote.

Many of Christie’s works center around the cases of a single detective, Hercule Poirot.¹¹ Appearing in over thirty novels, two plays, and over fifty short stories, he became a well-known character among mystery fans. Similar to Blanc, he was the main detective in Christie’s work.

Not only had she confined her stories to one detective, but she also wrote stories that played with the plot of a locked room mystery. These stories confine a plot to a singular space, like Murder on the Orient Express or Death on the Nile. Whether on a train or a steamship, no one can enter or leave the space. That means the who-that-dunit is among those who fear they may be next.

For Johnson, he has confined his characters to a 1920s mansion in Massachusetts, a privately owned Greek island. Soon, audiences will be learning about where the isolation in Wake Up Dead Man will take place. So far, we know that the story primarily takes place in a Catholic parish.

It is easy to find the aspects of Christie’s work that Johnson found intriguing. A whodunit case builds suspense by utilizing one space for the plot to play out, but the addition of having one detective be the lead on all the cases is another way to isolate the story. Benoit Blanc is the lead detective in all three of the films in the trilogy. In Knives Out, there were other detectives involved, but none as prevalent as Blanc. As for Glass Onion, there was no way for another detective to be involved because they were quarantined on Miles’ private island — no one came and no one left.

The Technical Genius Of John Dickson Carr

If you believe you would master an escape room, then you will probably love a locked room mystery. While Christie was the “Queen of Crime,” John Dickson Carr is the master of a puzzle mystery. Carr crafted crimes that seemed impossible, with his characters all in proximity, or the victim is alone in a confined space. Rian Johnson learned from the master and applied this idea to his own work. Harlan Thrombey passed when alone in his attic study, and the victim of Glass Onion was with everyone in the room. The mystery isn’t just whodunit, but also how.

As we await the release of the third film in the trilogy, it seems that Blanc’s cases only become more complex. In the IMDb logline for Wake Up Dead Man, the film is described as his most dangerous case yet. From the trailer, audiences learn that the monsignor was alone in a “sealed concrete box.” Johnson’s goal is to confuse and intrigue. He wants his audience to become obsessed with figuring out what went down.

Carr is known for his puzzles, misdirected plots, and gothic atmospheres. Minus Glass Onion, Johnson’s work contains all three of these elements. The Gothics are emphasized in Knives Out and Wake Up Dead Man, as the settings are eerie towns in historical buildings. However, Glass Onion really plays into the puzzle aspect. The introduction to the film is a puzzle on it’s own.

The characters in the second film are given a surprise invitation to Miles’ Greek island, but to get to it, they must solve a series of puzzles Miles set up for them in a large wooden box. This opening scene shows how smart the characters are; the group can decipher Miles’ games — or completely disregard the rules in some cases.

Why The Whodunit Still Works Today

There is plenty of new media out today that fits in the mystery genre; however, it is a small amount that pays homage to the original creators of the whodunit, as Rian Johnson does. The Knvies Out universe mixes modern technology with themes we often associate with the early 1900s.

While the themes may be older, Johnson’s films feel completely fresh compared to what is being released. Having the only continuation being Detective Benoit Blanc means the story will feel new when it’s released alongside superhero films, comedies, and regular horror. It also helps that Johnson has been lucky to secure very popular actors for each film. Having a new set of A-list celebrities joining in on the silly theatrics of the universe is a treat in itself.

The release of Wake Up Dead Man will bring audiences back to their curious selves and the whodunit genre, wanting to solve the crime before Blanc can reveal it all at the end. Rian Johnson’s writing and direction have created a new cult classic franchise that viewers will be revisiting for years to come, and hopefully, they will take a step further and enjoy the whodunits created by Christie and Carr.

Footnotes

1. About Agatha Christie. The Home of Agatha Christie. October 29, 2025. ↩︎
2. Poe, Edgar Allan. The Murders In The Rue Morgue. April, 1841. ↩︎
3. The Many Men of Arthur Conan Doyle. Arthur Conan Doyle. November 30, 2025. ↩︎
4. Sherlock Holmes. Author Conan Doyle. November 30. 2025. ↩︎
5. Rian Johsnon. Rcjohnso. October 29, 2020. ↩︎
6. Mcilvaine, Brookie. Benoit Blanc Is Back on the Case. Netflix. September 15, 2025. ↩︎
7. Johnson, Rian. Knives Out. Lionsgate. 2019. ↩︎
8. Johnson, Rian. Glass Onion. Netflix. 2022. ↩︎
9. Johnson, Rian. Wake Up Dead Man. Netflix. 2025. ↩︎
10. Dilillo, John. Rian Johnson Clues Us in on His Favorite Whodunits. Tadum. June 6, 2024. ↩︎
11. Hercule Poirot. Wikipedia. October 29, 2025. ↩︎