A “chilling” crime thriller series streaming on Netflix has been hailed for its “ever-mounting tension” and has a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. The Chestnut Man (2021) tells the story of investigators, Detective Naia Thulin (played by Danica Curcic) and her burnt-out partner Mark Hess (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard) they probe several grizzly murders in Copenhagen.
The serial killer responsible leaves figurines made of chestnuts at the murder scenes as a creepy calling card. One series has been released so far, with a follow up expected to premiere next year.
The first series was directed by Kasper Barfoed and Mikkel Serup, who was also one of the co-creators, and is based on the book by the same name by Søren Sveistrup.
Sveistrup is perhaps best known as the creator of Danish crime drama series The Killing, which was hugely popular in the UK and introduced many Brits to Scandinavia’s rich crime noir scene.
One fan on IMDb said the series had a “captivating storyline” and the “premise and reveal worked well together”.
“The acting was decent and the characters had depth,” they continued, adding: “That chestnut song was perfectly creepy.”
Another wrote: “Excellent series with great plot and cast. As good as The Bridge and The Killing imo.”
A third, who gave the film a 9/10 score, said: “My wait for a slowly built chilling thriller minus the unnecessary dramatic moments was over with the Danish show the Chestnut Man.
“This is an old school thriller where the creator invests much time in developing the plot, building the characters and creating a milieu of suspense, ever-mounting tension and finally a gripping climax.
A fourth hailed it as a “hidden gem”, describing the series as a “great roller-coaster ride”.
“Loved the acting, story and the landscape of Denmark just makes this thing a bliss to the eyes. Just watch it in the original language,” they added.
The series has a 15-rating in the UK and deals with some upsetting themes, so may not be for everyone.
The Chesnut Man is streaming now on Netflix.
