The Chestnut Man

[eagle_bearer]

'Oh no, not another superhero film!'

No, silly. The Chestnut Man is not a superhero but a hooded killer who leaves little men made of chestnuts at the scenes of his murders. What a creep, eh? This six-episode Danish thriller is based on a novel by the creator of Nordic noir The Killing and is available on Netflix now. At first, it seems the murders are unconnected, but a fingerprint found on one of the chestnuts belongs to a politician's missing daughter, leaving a crumb for the police to follow.

I've watched the first four episodes and I'm giving this a thumbs up so far. I watch a lot of Scandinavian TV and this ticks all the boxes. There's a dark, autumnal atmosphere. There are gruesome crime scenes, for the Chestnut Man removes the hands and feet of his victims. There are chilling moments where someone looks out of a window and sees the hooded Chestnut Man lurking in the distance or senses they're being followed by him. And of course, there is a moody angst-ridden female detective who struggles to balance her work and family life.

Have a watch if you're into The Killing, Bordertown etc. It's just the thing for this time of year as the nights draw in. But be warned - you will need to either understand Danish or read English because all the actors are speaking Danish. 

[Neville Chamberlain]

I'm three episodes in and really enjoying it. On paper, it's undoubtedly pretty clichéd stuff with all the well-worn character dynamics between the investigators on full display and only the chestnut malarkey being the show's genuine USP, but it's actually brilliantly executed, darkly atmospheric and the chestnut business is actually quite genuinely creepy, which surprised me. Ive just finished watching another Danish series, Follow the Money, and though that it was pretty much the some of the best telly I've watched in a long time. The final series was incredible, like a mini Breaking Bad.

[Neville Chamberlain]

I don't mind the Danish either. I quite enjoy listening to people chatting to each other in a language that sounds like they're all about to throw up on each other.

[eagle_bearer]

The Danish are much more creative than us, too. Instead of threading string through chestnuts and thwacking them against each other and smashing them to bits, they're making little men out of them. Good for them.

[Dex Sawash]

'

Danish

I'm in

[Dex Sawash]

Are conkers chestnuts?

[eagle_bearer]

Similar, but don't eat a conker!