Netflix’s 3-Part ‘Se7en Meets Mindhunter’ Thriller Show Earned Its Perfect RT Score

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Netflix offers many popular psychological thriller series, but one stands out as a unique combination of the styles seen in Mindhunter and Se7en. Shows like Hannibal and Criminal Minds delve into the fascinating and often disturbing world of criminal psychology. They examine how investigators build profiles of killers by studying past crimes and, sometimes, by directly interviewing the criminals themselves.

Netflix’s critically acclaimed series Mindhunter is a standout in its genre. Unlike later shows like The Silence of the Lambs which popularized criminal psychology, Mindhunter explores the early days of understanding serial killers. Based on the non-fiction book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit, the show follows FBI agents Holden Ford (played by Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) as they try to solve a case by interviewing a variety of famous murderers.

The basic idea behind Mindhunter – two detectives investigating disturbing murders – will remind viewers of the work of executive producer David Fincher. Fincher’s 1995 film Se7en used a similar setup, focusing on a killer who committed crimes based on the Seven Deadly Sins. In 2021, Netflix blended the concepts of Mindhunter and Se7en in the Danish miniseries The Chestnut Man, a suspenseful thriller about an unusual murderer and the detectives trying to catch them.

The Chestnut Man’s Intense Serial Killer Story Revived An Iconic Thriller Subgenre

Many recent psychological thrillers, like the new version of Dead Ringers on Prime Video, are moving away from stories centered around police investigations to explore new territory. But Netflix’s The Chestnut Man, based on the novel by Søren Sveistrup, deliberately went back to a familiar formula. It’s a classic serial killer thriller in the style of Se7en, a type of show that became incredibly popular in the 1990s following the success of films like The Silence of the Lambs.

Many thrillers of this era centered around killers who were methodical and had unusual ways of operating. Films like The Cell, Copycat, Cure, The Bone Collector, Along Came a Spider, Jill Rips, Kiss the Girls, Fallen, Frailty, Hannibal, and Taking Lives exemplified this trend. Similar to the more recent Prime Video series Scarpetta, The Chestnut Man dedicates significant time to delving into the complex psychology of the investigators—the flawed heroes chasing the killer—as much as it focuses on the murderer’s actions.

The Chestnut Man’s Unpredictable Ending Makes The Crime Thriller A Perfect Binge

The mystery thriller, The Chestnut Man, revolves around a disturbing killer who leaves unsettling chestnut figurines at each crime scene. Police investigator Naia Thulin, played by Danica Curcic, and Europol agent Mark Hess, played by Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, team up to hunt down the killer and unravel the meaning behind these carefully planned murders, searching all over Copenhagen for answers.

The investigation begins with a hopeful lead – the missing daughter of a well-known politician. However, the full story doesn’t unfold until the surprising ending of The Chestnut Man. Similar to classic 1990s serial killer thrillers that influenced the show, The Chestnut Man features a shocking reveal that completely reshapes the narrative and challenges everything viewers previously understood.

With its gripping, unsettling story and a surprising ending that will make you want to watch it again, The Chestnut Man is perfectly designed for a binge-watching session. It cleverly combines the investigative style of Mindhunter with the dark and creative killings seen in Se7en, making it a clear recommendation for Netflix viewers. That’s why the upcoming sequel, The Chestnut Man: Hide and Seek, set to arrive in May 2026, is so highly anticipated.

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2026-05-12 21:49