Horror is the most varied and overlooked genre in media. While it is often stereotyped as gore and cheap jumpscares, those who look a little deeper will find many unique series from all over the world that approach horror from many different directions. And right now, a chilling Danish crime thriller is dominating the Netflix charts.Â
According to Flixpatrol, Kastanjemanden or Chesnut Man, is currently the 4th most popular show on Netflix, hot on the heels of more famous shows like Midnight Mass and Sex Education.
The series was first announced in 2019. It is based on the novel by Søren Sveistrup, the author behind other popular Danish shows, including Forbrydelsen, which became The Killing in America. Sveistrup was also the co-writer of the notorious horror thriller The Snowman, which made waves when it was released in America in 2017. The series follows young detective Naia Thulin and her new partner Mark Hess as they are assigned to a strange and gristly case. This case is the brutal murder of a young woman whose body was found in a playground.
However, the young woman’s body was found missing a hand, and sitting a few feet away from her body was a human figure made out of Chesnuts. However, as the pair investigate the case, they realize that it might be linked to a politician’s missing child, who has been presumed dead for several years. However, whoever is behind this, obviously doesn’t like being hunted and soon Naia and Mark find themselves in this person’s crosshairs.Â
The series has received praise for its excellent story and its dramatically suspenseful atmosphere that will keep you on your toes the entire time. The show’s cast has also been praised by reviewers, with many pointing to Danica Curcic’s performance as Naia Thulin and Mikkel Boe Følsgaard’s performance as Mark Hess. Both actors manage to perfectly capture the creeping horror of the situation and the emotional turmoil the characters are trapped in as they attempt to solve this horrible crime.
Kastanjemanden is an excellent thriller that will appeal to many audiences. For those into crime, Kastanjemanden offers an exciting case that feels remarkably realistic and relatable. For audiences who enjoy horror, Kastanjemanden offers some very disturbing scares that will stick with you long after you finish the series. And for fans of episodic TV, Kastanjemanden is an excellent show that is perfectly written, performed, and paced. It isn’t hard to see why it’s is doing well on Netflix as it is the perfect example of several currently popular genres.
