Most films use hotels as backdrops. Hotel Courbet uses its hotel as a stomach. Director Marianne Slocombe shot entirely on location in a real, abandoned hotel near the D-Day beaches. You can smell the mildew through the screen. You can hear the radiators screaming.
The production design here is BETTER than The Shining's Overlook—not in scale, but in intimacy. The Overlook is a maze. The Hotel Courbet is a trap. Every room number, every stain on the carpet, every flickering light is a breadcrumb leading to a horrifying conclusion about the hotel’s history during the Occupation.
At a seaside hotel where art, memory, and secrets collide, a disillusioned curator uncovers a buried mural that forces guests and staff to confront past betrayals, blurring the line between restoration and revelation.
If you’ve been scrolling through horror streaming sites lately, you’ve probably seen the thumbnail: a dark, rain-slicked neon sign reading “Hotel Courbet.” Hotel Courbet Imdb BETTER
What started as a low-budget cult sleeper has exploded into a full-blown franchise. But here’s the hot take no one asked for (but everyone needs to hear): Hotel Courbet 2 (currently listed on IMDB as “Hotel Courbet: Checkout Time”) is BETTER than the first film.
Let’s break down the IMDB scores, the scares, and why the sequel is winning.
If you added "BETTER" because you were frustrated by the IMDb rating or the obscurity of this film, you might be looking for one of these superior alternatives regarding the same subject: Most films use hotels as backdrops
Conclusion: If you are an art history buff, Hotel Courbet (or the Maillet short) is a niche curiosity worth watching if you can find it. However, if you are looking for a gripping narrative film with high production value, you are better off watching a documentary on the painting or a classic French drama.
To understand the rating, you must understand the tension. Hotel Courbet (2023/2024) tells the story of the Duval family, who attempt to run their seaside hotel during the 1942 Nazi occupation of Jersey. Unlike bombastic war epics, this film is claustrophobic. It focuses on the lead character, Elise Courbet (played by rising star Anaïs Durand), who must hide a downed RAF pilot while a sympathetic but dangerous Wehrmacht officer takes residence in the suite directly above.
The film’s power lies in silence—creaking floorboards, whispered French/English subtitles, and a single shot of a bobby pin being used to pick a lock that lasts a full 90 seconds. Conclusion: If you are an art history buff,
If you want a BETTER horror film set in an isolated hotel, this is the gold standard. The Overlook Hotel is arguably the most famous hotel in cinema history. While Hotel Courbet sounds quaint, The Shining is terrifying.
If you are looking for a critically acclaimed film set primarily in a grand, quirky hotel that features stunning cinematography, a stellar cast (Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori), and a high IMDb rating—you are looking for Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Here is why your brain might be conflating "Courbet" with "Budapest":
But what about "BETTER"? Are you looking for a film better than The Grand Budapest Hotel? That is a tall order, but let's explore.