The newest Agatha Christie adaptation has just landed on Netflix, and, with that, the Queen of Crime is once again everywhere.

Nearly 50 years after her death, Christie stories still show up on streaming services, theatre stages and cinema screens. For that reason, as fans binge-watch Seven Dials, we take a look at the best-rated Agatha Christie story screen adaptations ever made – ranked using Letterboxd ratings – from TV specials to silver screen blockbusters.

10. Witness for the Prosecution (1982)

3.4/5

This 1982 film made for television was adapted from Christie’s 1925 short story and later stage play, and stars Ralph Richardson, Deborah Kerr and Beau Bridges.

The story follows Sir Wilfred Robarts – a famous barrister making his work comeback – who becomes responsible for the defence of Leonard Vole, a man accused of murdering a wealthy woman who left her estate to him.

A case that seemed easy takes a surprising turn when Vole’s wife, Christine, testifies against him, earning Sir Wilfred’s suspicion. The 1982 production received an Emmy nomination for Arthur Ibbetson’s cinematography.

9. Ordeal by Innocence (2018)

3.5/5

A three-part production first broadcast on BBC One, this drama centres on a wealthy family that becomes destabilised when new evidence emerges suggesting that a man convicted of murder might actually be innocent.

Starring Bill Nighy, Anthony Boyle and Anna Chancellor, Alice Eve and Eleanor Tomlinson, this version served as part of a series of BBC Christie productions made during this period.

8. Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? (2022)

3.5/5

The 2022 adaptation of Christie’s 1934 novel of the same name stars Will Poulter, Lucy Boynton and Maeve Dermody in a production spearheaded by Hugh Laurie.

The story follows two amateur investigators who come across a dying man whose final words pose a troubling question – which leads them to become involved in a mystery.

7. Evil Under the Sun (1982)

3.5/5

Directed by Guy Hamilton, Evil Under the Sun stars Peter Ustinov as the famous detective Hercule Poirot – reprising his role in Death on the Nile -, alongside stars like James Mason, Sylvia Miles, Maggie Smith and Jane Birkin.

The storyline begins with the discovery of a woman’s body on the North York Moors, which quickly becomes Poirot investigating a valuable diamond belonging to a millionaire.

The film was considered at the time to be an unsuccessful adaptation, but it received positive critical attention. It got nominated for an Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture and later achieved a Rotten Tomatoes score.

6. Murder, She Said (1961)

3.5/5

A British mystery comedy directed by George Pollock, this 1961 film stars Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple, alongside Arthur Kennedy and Muriel Pavlow.

It is adapted from the novel 4.50 from Paddington, and sees Miss Marple witness what she believes to be a murder in a passing train. The police find no evidence, which leads her to conduct her own investigation of the case – even taking a job as a housekeeper to go undercover.

While successful, this adaptation was reportedly disliked by Agatha Christie – especially the interpretation of Miss Marple.

5. And Then There Were None (1945)

3.5/5

This post-war adaptation of the racially controversially-titled 1939 novel stars Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston and Louis Hayward.

Released in the UK under the title Ten Little Indians, the film tells the story of eight strangers who are invited to an isolated island by anonymous hosts. There, a recorded voice accuses each guest of murder, and they begin to die, one by one.

It won local film festivals upon release, and now holds a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

4. Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

3.6/5

Featuring Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot and featuring an ensemble cast including Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman and Anthony Perkins, this adaptation follows the detective as he investigates the murder of an American businessman aboard the Orient Express train.

The film was both a commercial and critical success, receiving six Academy Award nominations – including a win for Bergman. It was also one of the few film adaptations that earned Agatha Christie’s approval, even though she disliked Poirot’s moustache.

3. Death on the Nile (1978)

3.6/5

This 1978 film stars Peter Ustinov, Jane Birkin, Lois Chiles, Bette Davis, Mia Farrow and Maggie Smith in a standalone sequel to Murder on the Orient Express.

Set in Egypt in 1937, it was shot on location at iconic sites such as the Great Pyramids and Abu Simbel.

Even though it won both an Academy Award and a BAFTA for Best Costume Design, Death on the Nile wasn’t so much of a box office success.

2. And Then There Were None (2015)

3.9/5

This BBC adaptation from 2015 stars Douglas Booth, Charles Dance, Maeve Dermody and Aidan Turner in a story that follows the Christie novel over the course of three episodes.

It was a ratings success upon release, with the first episode attracting over six million viewers for the BBC. Its success gave way to a sequence of Christie adaptations by the same director for the broadcaster.

1. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

4.4/5

By far the highest-rated Christie screen adaptation ever made, Witness for the Prosecution stars Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester.

This courtroom drama is set in London’s Old Bailey and oversees the trial of a man accused of murdering a rich widowed woman. The production was recognised with six Academy Award nominations, and won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress.

Audiences at the time were famously urged to not reveal its ending, which increased the buzz around the film – that ended up regarded by Christie herself as the finest adaptation of her work.