The Chalet (2017–2018) User Reviews

Keeps you on the edge of your seat- A must watch

[ajit2106 · 7/10 · 25 April 2018]

"The Chalet" is a great suspense thriller. Netflix is on a spree of discovering the astonishing shows from across the world, be it "Dark", "Tabula Rasa", "Money Heist" etc, they are seriously bringing the niche shows and presenting to the global audience.

"The Chalet" is the new addition to the suspense/mystery genre, the scenic setting and wicked characters are the backbone of this six-episode binge-worthy thriller.

The cinematography is brilliant, the background score is haunting, the editing is immaculate, and the chilling atmosphere creates a perfect whodunit scenario. The writing is excellent and revelations are superbly timed. The cast has given wondrous performances.

A great watch if you are in the mood for watching a slow-burning thriller, it never fails to surprise you.

Requires 2 watchings

[sandytarrdesign · 8/10 · 25 April 2018]

As with " The Sixth Sense" a repeat watch brings home the story and subtleties. This series has an interesting premiss, good acting, and interesting direction and editing.The slow pace, music, and setting create an eerie atmospheric quality. I did need to rewatch to get who was who.

Beautifully designed and assembled puzzle - every piece falls into place with clockwork precision

[gridoon2024 · 8/10 · 28 November 2019]

"Le Chalet" plays like a French version of those murder mysteries where people in a remote location are being knocked off one-by-one, but it is done with elegance and finesse; anyone disturbed by the gore of similar American, or even British, productions, will feel more comfortable seeing this. It might be confusing at first, because it keeps switching wthout warning between the present and the past, but this serves a narrative purpose: it illustrates how the past shapes the present. In any case, attentive viewers should have no problem adjusting after an episode or two. The plot is full of twists and turns but ties everything together at the end, there is good character development, beautiful scenery, gorgeous women, a creepy music theme, and the six-episode length is perfect (not too long, not too short). I would definitely watch another series made by the same people. *** out of 4.

Decent show with something quite remarkable.

[coursey693 · 7/10 · 11 May 2018]

I do not usually leave reviews because there are so many other reviewers that can do a much better job than I. However, there is one aspect of this series that I feel deserves credit. I am sure that everyone has watched shows that feature the same characters over different time periods or parents and siblings. It seems as if filmmakers give no thought to the natural aging of people when it comes to portraying the passage of time. They give even less thought to casting actors that resemble each other as family members. Do they think that we do not notice that the actor portraying the child at age 10 has curly hair, while the actor portraying the same character at age 20 has straight hair and a widow's peak? These types of things can distract from the narrative. I have watched a lot of movies. A few years ago I started keeping a list of movies that I have seen. The current count is 1,362. This series takes place between two periods of time, 20 or so years apart. When they cast the actors to play the children in the earlier years and the same characters as young adults, they chose actors with striking resemblances to each other. Even more amazing, was the way they dealt with the adults from both time periods played by the same actors. I have no idea how they did it, but they aged them flawlessly. In all of the movies and television shows that I have watched, I have never observed such seamless attention to detail regarding the aging of characters. This show is quite good, but the technical achievements are fantastic. I do not understand the other reviews speaking of the "slow burn" pacing. The series is only six episodes long with each episode running about 50 minutes. That is nothing.

Slightly over-sophisticated story with slow pace...

[BeneCumb · 7/10 · 28 December 2018]

... where mystery lies in actual triviality... The alternation of timelines, beautiful nature and versatile performers enhance catchiness, but the course of events today in the era of mobile phones and internet are not too plausible (even realising that there are places with no coverage), and the reactions by participants following several deaths are not too realistic either, bearing in mind that the characters are no policemen, soldiers, security agents.

There are some redundant scenes, getting you focusing on nature or interior, so the total number of episodes could have been 4 or so. As for the cast, it often seemed that teens had more interesting roles to play... But still, Le Chalet is no flop, exceeding many similar U.S. series, for example.

Compelling and atmospheric horror series

[Imoinda · 7/10 · 4 October 2018]

This is a beautifully done, slow but compelling "And Then There Were None" style horror-revenge story and murder mystery. There is a chilling, sinister feeling throughout the series, emphasised by the beautiful scenery and cinematography. Great acting throughout and a welcome change from the usual Hollywood fare.

Slow but strong

[jensenfelde · 10/10 · 17 April 2018]

A perfect example of films made outside Hollywood. The director has done a great job, a lot of fine acting and a very special plot, that makes you think - twice. French filmmaking is on its way back thanks to Netflix.

A Simple Mystery

[Atrey_Doury · 7/10 · 16 July 2018]

Do not be misguided by the oxymoron in my review title, in this case it is certainly not an anathema to enjoying this production. In my humble opinion, the most difficult thing to do while making a suspense mystery is to make a 'Simple Mystery'. Something that we all can engage in, be engrossed in and enjoy with an ending that makes sense. This almost fetishist need of most productions to 'be different' more often than not end in forgettable productions with bad aftertaste.

'The Chalet' like innumerable productions before it is a mutation of that great masterpiece 'And then there were none'. The director and the writers have added their own spices and garnishes to differentiate but essentially it is formed from the same ingredients. Yes, it contains several loopholes and yes, you would have solved the mystery long before the director gets around to the big reveal. But still, it is an entertaining little production. It is atmospheric, the production values are top - notch and the actors are more than competent. I enjoyed it, particularly the ending. It was a bit off, but what the heck it was alright by then.

Good!

Very Intriguing

[composerjhiebert · 10/10 · 17 April 2018]

Very well made show - the first episode is a little confusing due to the number of characters introduced, but by episode 3 you'll have gotten into the swing of things and be wondering what the killers are going to do next. The most impressive part is that over the course of the show you grow more displeased by the crimes of the victims than the ones who are killing them..

Deserve a 7 but giving 6 due to some small plotholes

[cool_andhot · 6/10 · 1 April 2020]

Not really plotholes but the obvious mistakes characters make, that people in real life won't. Anyway You will be surprised every now and then and with the twists. Slow burning but you will be glued to the screen. You will ask yourself lots of Who and Why in every episode. The final episode will give you all the answers. A good binge.

Amazing

[nicola-j-peacock · 10/10 · 14 May 2018]

I binged the whole 6 episodes which were all completely captivating. It was both sinister, emotional, mysterious and intriguing. The acting from everyone was first class. Extremely well written with an exceptional plot. I have no idea why there are bad reviews on here. I found the whole 6 episode completely compelling and I recommend this to everybody. 10/10 loved it.

Yaaaaawn!

[dascalu_mihai · 6/10 · 25 April 2019]

(after watching first 2 eps.) Faaar too slow burning. The action takes forever to get things as exciting as they should be for a 2018 thriller / mystery flick. My eyes got tired with the director moving the camera up and down, left to right (my parents frame better their vacation videos on the boat). The cast is comprised of 10 dozens of actors acting from average to slightly good, everyone looks much the same, no one stands out. I almost forgot who is who, why, what's their name, what did they do in the childhood time frame and why is the character interesting altogether. I takes like forever for people to get killed in this Agatha Christie-esque "Ten Little Indiands" feelalike. I think the French made "The Chalet" to prove they can get a Hollywood classic thriller recipe in an European artie guies. They didn't get it right. I think Netflix put the series in the roster in order to cover that viewer demographic that feels more cultured and educated than the average and wants to move past watching the mundane, commercial series Netflix currently offers. But I guess this demographic is actually made by people who never read anything but Facebook posts and 20 words reviews. On the pro side, the setting, scenery, village and decors are worth watching. French Alps are amazing! (after watching the whole series) OK, it got some thrills... Still, story is quite far-fetched...

Rather confusing, but okay entertainment.

[kking-68641 · 4/10 · 2 July 2018]

It was pretty good - for me, not being able to keep track of all the characters made the 'mystery' a little better. If I'd re-watched the first two episodes and made notes about who was who, the signs would have been very obvious and I would have known everything from episode 3 onward. As it was, I figured out about half of it anyway without really trying too hard. I'm still not sure who got pulled behind the jeep early on, and they never explained what scared the one character enough to make them back up in horror (with random results.)

I did skim through the beginning scenes again after finishing the show and figured out who was under the bridge, but not how he got there or how the explosion was triggered at exactly the right time. Several times some people did some really stupid things, but I can believe they were just so shocked they were in denial I guess. But really, who decides to take a long walk alone at night when there is a psycho killer around? A larger percentage of the population than I would have guessed apparently. The plan for killing all those people seemed rather haphazard, very much depending on the right person to be in the right place at the right time. If the wrong people had grouped together at any point it would have spoiled the whole plan.

The only characters I ended up liking were some of the innocent side characters. In the end I felt sorry for most of them, they just happened to get in the way of a bunch of messed up people. But I managed to switch off my brain most of the time, the acting was good and the scenery was nice, so it was entertaining enough.

Gripping horror story of murder and revenge, all in a French village and chalet

[lmcclosk07 · 20 April 2018]

The Chalet is an absorbing crime drama and horror story set in a lovely chalet in a remote French alpine village. The present-day drama is illuminated by flashbacks of a grim homicide in the same chalet 20 years ago. The dramatic tension builds in each episode, and the characters are so well-acted and interesting that their deteriorating trust for each other makes sense. The first couple of episodes the Director exposes these couples who are there for a wedding as all sexually charged and mostly in love; the romantic glow disappears by the third episode at which point a number of people are dead. I couldn't stop watching this and liked the story and the characters, but the weakest episode was the last. It was somewhat predictable and yet could have revealed more about the essential motives of the killers. Also the "cousin" hermit disappeared and he was the best character so I would have liked to see him more at the end. Finally, some questions lingered which is why so many people apparently unrelated to the early homicides were killed: The newlywed couple for instance. And why did Adele release the men from the freezer? Inexplicable. These loose ends were a bit frustrating but overall a terrific drama.

A slow burner but interesting.

[oseholic · 7/10 · 22 August 2020]

It was interesting and I got hooked from the first episode. It's different from your regular thriller, yeah the heroes were also villains but that's life.

The Plot Borders On Ridiculous

[aphillips-43057 · 6/10 · 14 January 2021]

Implausible plot and stupid reactions and dialogue throughout. We finished it because we wanted to see who did the murders, but would give it a 5.5. Not recommended.

Loved it

[Luigi Di Pilla · 7/10 · 1 May 2020]

An example how with a good script a low budget thriller can be made. I loved it and watchedwith my wife all episodes in one only rainy day. Very captivating how the story developed to a nightmare for certain bad people in the little village in the mountains of la Haute-Savoie in France. Every actor but really everyone delivered an excellent job. The director orchestrated each part perfectly to hide until the end the great mystery. Don't miss these series. 7.5/10

Loved it

[jagoblack74 · 10/10 · 18 April 2018]

I Watched all the six episode in one go, loved the story and the end did justice to the plot. Highly recommended

Very French (female characters tend to bend to the wishes of men)

[montsegimenez · 6/10 · 27 February 2019]

Rocambolesca although quite predictable. It is entertained, the interpretations are good and the village, the landscape, is beautiful although, unfortunately, it does not become a character as in the Nordic noir. The writers have fit all the pieces of the script well and they have given us some well-built characters that, in general, are not pleasant, in both periods (at least to me). Highly recommended.

Par excellence

[swc-93765 · 10/10 · 14 May 2018]

I'm a Brit who much prefers continental drama, most notably anything Scandinavian. This is one of the best shows I've seen. Cannot fault it. Beautiful cinematography and first rate performances. Bravo!

Very Entertaining!

[michelemoricci · 7/10 · 1 March 2020]

Not used to watch French tv series but I was intrigued by this one. The storyline is so nice we binge-watched it in few days. Not the best acting nor the most credibile death scenes (some of those look really "funny"), but at the end it's a very good show with beautiful atmosphere and a good story of revenge. Extra note, the cast it's smokin' hot. ;-)

Creepy, twisty and French

[evie_edwards · 9/10 · 7 May 2018]

I really loved this series and ended up binging it in one day. It probably took me longer than it should that there were two stories going on, but to be fair, you get introduced to basically character in the first episode. By the second, I realised that part of the story was 20 years earlier and it got easier to follow. Whilst I figured out most of it by the end, the whole thing was creepy, suspenseful and really well acted. By the last couple of episodes, I was really getting behind the killers as most of the victims were far from innocent. I'm kind of hoping there won't be a second series, simply because this is so go as a stand alone and I'm not sure where they would go from here. I would really recommend watching this.

Interesting (first ep. is hard)

[xviniciusfelix · 7/10 · 18 June 2021]

The first episode was very hard to watch, since its so slow. But it's just setting the context and introducing everything. I suggest don't give up and keep watching. It gets interesting, indeed, from the second episode forward. Not spectacular, but worth the time.

Wanted to like this

[alfa-624-376688 · 2/10 · 1 April 2019]

Almost finishing le Chalet, and Im quite dissapointed in this French series. The only very beautiful convincing thing is the wooden chalet itself. A very sturdy building, and with warm atmosphere inside by all wood. As for the story, its rediculous and shallow. There are way too many characters, who dont ad up to anything. Its impossible to distinguish them all and why should you? None of them are interesting, except the very muscular guy. People are trapped in a murderous village but a) theyre not afraid, and b) they dont try to escape. The women have this anoying attitude, that is hard to describe, but its something like artie, Im not here, absent minded, childwomen, dependant.

A Perfect Suspense Series

[mohinderchugh · 16 November 2018]

First of all 7 rating does not represent the true potential of this french mystery series. It should be 8.5 . This series is good combination of Ten little indian and Slasher Season 2 . There are definitely some loopholes in the end but still must watch for all those who love suspense mystery and Slasher Movies or Series.