A red herring is a narrative device most common to thrillers in storytelling. The device is used to distract or mislead an audience before revealing the eventual resolution of a conflict or a character's motive. Anything can be a red herring: a sub-plot, a character, a sound effect, or any piece of information shown to the audience as an essential clue that might pay off later but is only subverted revealing an altered resolution to the conflict. This makes red herring a tricky plot device as it may not pay off at the risk of being seen as a shortcut to resolve a climax or to overcomplicate an obvious event.

For example, the episode of The Abominable Wife in Sherlock ends with a where-did-that-come-from moment when it is revealed the whole story was only happening in Sherlock’s mind palace. A successful red herring pays off when the surprise reveal is equally well-layered and convincing as the build-up of the conflict. Here are 10 thrillers that make the most out of red herrings in their storytelling.

10 Knives Out

Daniel Craig talks James Bond and Knives Out
Lionsgate Films

Knives Out is directed by Rian John and is inspired by the classic whodunit films of Hollywood and Agatha Christie novels, which are famous for their use of intricate red herrings. The film follows Benoit Blanc’s investigation of the alleged suicide of Harlan Thrombey on his 85th birthday. Blanc questions why was he invited to investigate a supposed suicide in the first place.

Here, all cards are put on the table as it is made clear that the death of the patriarch is not as straightforward as it seems. Every member of the Thrombay family becomes a suspect, with an interesting quirk to one of the residents, who pukes when she lies. The red herrings on Knives Out pay off because the eventual reveal never remains hidden from the audience. The clues are hidden in plain sight, making the audience feel intrigued rather than cheated with a parallel plot line that tries to fit in unconvincingly.

9 Psycho

Janet Leigh in Psycho (1960)
Paramount Pictures

Psycho takes the audience on an unexpected journey as a secretary on a run finds herself in the company of a mysterious man running a motel. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Psycho stands out for the impressive use of red herring since it not only elevates the mystery genre but takes us deep into the minds of a troubled man and his complicated relationship with his mother. The viewer is certain of the presence and impact Norma Bates has on her son, only to question her existence entirely as the film progresses. Hitchcock plays peekaboo with Norma’s physicality and psyche while depicting her in the film, ending with the most harrowing yet iconic reveal of all time.

8 Searching

John Cho on his phone surrounded by digital messages and code in Searching
Sony Pictures

Searching is entirely filmed on digital screens, making it an unconventional storytelling and film-viewing experience. The film uses classic tropes of thriller films, which makes it an engaging watch. The film, directed by Aneesh Chaganty, is a conventional story of a father searching for his missing daughter told through the digital devices they use. What makes the story compelling is the use of red herring to reveal the perpetrator and the motive behind keeping the person hidden.

The film finds a moving story of power abuse and motherhood, with disturbing moments that shapes the climax of the film and the fate of the missing girl. The film was applauded for its use of technology as a commentary on how one communicates in relationships and how every action is traceable in the era of digital technology.

Related: Searching Review: A Terrifying Tale for the Digital Era

7 Memento

Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby in Memento
Newmarket

Memento is inventive in its own way for redefining non-linear forms of storytelling. Christopher Nolan tells a story with mathematical precision and plants red herrings in every turn as a man suffering from short-term memory loss looks for the murderer of his wife. The story is told through Leonard Shelby, who is suffering from memory loss. What makes the film interesting is that the viewer is ready to believe Leonard’s story, even when it is made clear in the beginning that he is an unreliable narrator because of his illness.

This only proves why red herrings work in the first place as the audience is a blind believer and is always at the mercy of the narrator even when the film establishes his skewed sanity from the first scene. As everything Leonard believes turns out to be false, the red herring here is Leonard himself, as he is the one running away from the center of the problem when the problem is in him.

6 The Sixth Sense

A scene from The Sixth Sense
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

The Sixth Sense, directed by M Night Shyamalan is infamous for its use of the most iconic red herring. The film follows a young boy disturbed by his ability to communicate with dead spirits. He consults a child psychologist, who has troubles of his own. This leads to the most surprising twist of all time, which makes The Sixth Sense one of the greatest horror films ever made.

What makes the red herring in The Sixth Sense so compelling is the relationship between the boy and the psychologist, which makes the story feel organic even after the mask is lifted. The well-paced screenplay and the performance by Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment successfully touch the audience’s hearts as much as it surprises them. Normally, red herrings are resolved in a short span of time during the climax of a film and it may fall flat when there is a lot to unpack for the audience. The Sixth Sense is subtle as it unfolds the truth with the information already known to the audience, successfully landing with the smoothest plot twist ever told.

5 Zodiac

Zodiac
Paramount Pictures

Zodiac is a spine-chilling thriller directed by David Fincher, based on the book Zodiac written by crime author Robert Graysmith, who is played by Jake Gyllenhaal. Graysmith is obsessed with the Zodiac killer, who murdered several victims in the San Francisco Bay Area during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The film follows Graysmith’s investigation into identifying Zodiac, as he always seems very close yet too far from the killer.

The film is exceptional for setting an unsettling mood throughout the film where one is almost convinced of the killer but always falls short of evidence. In one pivotal scene, Graysmith meets a possible suspect in his house, who is nothing but exceptionally inviting. He is summoned to the basement to crosscheck a few evidence as he hears the sound of footsteps on the floor above. Graysmith asks if there is someone else in the house, to which the person disagrees when the sound of the footsteps is clearly established. The red herring here is the sound of the footsteps, as it is never resolved if it was really the killer or was Graysmith simply hallucinating. Nevertheless, the scene is gripping in its tone and seamless in its editing, making it scarier than a horror film.

4 Murder on the Orient Express

Hercule Poirot and others in Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
Anglo-EMI Film

Murder on The Orient Express is a classic genre film that is adapted from from Agatha Christie's novel of the same name. The popular Belgian detective Hercule Poirot solves a case of murder on the Orient Express, traveled by wealthy passengers. The film presents the motives of several suspects as it gets clear that the murder was committed by more than one person as the investigation unfolds. The red herrings in the film are typical of Agatha Christie's mystery novels, where several clues seem significant only to be revealed as a minor detail or coincidence.

In many ways, a red herring is considered to be the antonym for Chekhov’s gun, which describes a plot device where a gun or any other significant element shown in the first act of a film has to be used by the third act or else it serves no purpose or misguides the audience. However, the red herring in Murder on the Orient Express precisely oversees the misdirection for a gripping story.

3 The Usual Suspects

Kevin Spacey and the cast of The Usual Suspects (1995)
Gramercy Pictures

The Usual Suspects is another film famous for its use of red herring, resulting with the most surprising twist in film history. The film follows a group of criminals who cross path with each other because of a man named Keyser Söze. The identity of the man is not revealed until the famous ending of the film. Directed by Bryan Singer, The Usual Suspects is famous for the use of unreliable narrators. The film establishes the urban mythology of Keyser Söze as well as the probability of his identity initially in the film. While the film does not give plausible explanation of who Keyser Söze, it convinces the audience of who Keyser Söze isn’t making the most fulfilling misdirection of all time.

2 Shutter Island

Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo in Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island
Paramount Pictures

Directed by Martin Scorsese, Shutter Island is a red herring favorite. The film follows the life of a troubled US Marshal Teddy Daniels who is coping with the loss of his family. In a series of events, the film reveals the tragic incidents that haunt Teddy and how he eventually loses his sanity. The red herrings in Shutter Island is structured in a babushka doll-like arrangement, where every motive is embedded inside several other motives of multiple characters. What makes the film retain its balance and remains easy to follow is the compelling performance of Leonardo DiCaprio as Teddy, through whom the story is told. The audience comprehends the information presented through Teddy’s eyes and as the audience begins to question everything the film has built up for, one only empathizes with Teddy’s trauma of losing the people he loves the most.

Related: Shutter Island: Breaking Down the Movie's Ending

1 Se7en

Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman in Se7en
New Line Cinema

Directed by David Fincher, Se7en stars Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as two detectives on the hunt for a serial killer who is inspired by the seven deadly sins for his murderous spree. The film is famous for its plot twist ending. The red herring in the film is observed in the dynamic between the killer and the detectives as one is ahead of the other ending with a devastating tragedy that the detectives do not see coming. Se7en received mixed responses for its depiction of graphic violence but is considered one of the best crime thrillers of all time today. The film’s stylistic cinematography and screenplay inspired several other thrillers and made Brad Pitt’s presence plausible for dramatic roles.