‘Cuckoo’ review: Terror, trauma, and turn-down service

Led by two performers on different (but entertaining) wavelengths, Cuckoo makes for a memorable hotel stay.

In nature, the cuckoo is a savage; it’s a brood parasitic bird that lays their eggs in other birds’ nests—essentially tricking them into becoming foster parents to their young. And when those cuckoos hatch, they murder the other babies by pushing them out of the nest. It’s a classic showcase of survival of the fittest. And while Tilman Singer’s Cuckoo may not be explicitly about birds, it is a film about survival. 

Gretchen (Hunter Schafer) is a 17-year-old who reluctantly joins her father, Luis (Marton Csokas), and his family in their move to the Bavarian Alps. Gretchen is struggling with the loss of her mother, and Luis and her stepmother, Beth (Jessica Henwick), are too busy with her mute half-sister, Alma (Mila Lieu), to notice. In comes the kooky Dr. Konig (Dan Stevens at his zaniest), the owner of the nearby hotel resort and close business associate of Luis and Beth. He offers Gretchen a part-time job at the hotel to help her settle in more, but there are two conditions: she has to lock up at 10 p.m. sharp, and she can’t ride her bike back home after dark. Soon enough, Gretchen starts to understand why those rules are in place: Women are randomly walking around in a daze and vomiting on the floor, and some sort of creature keeps following Gretchen at night, and no one believes her. The suspense builds as she has to take matters into her own hands and try to survive whatever is coming after her. 

A kooky cast.

With Godzilla x Kong and Abigail, Stevens has already solidified himself as one of genre film’s best actors, and in Cuckoo, he doesn’t hold anything back. Equipping a wacky German accent and flute that gives him Willy Wonka vibes, he hams up the role like a Thanksgiving dinner. And that overzealousness tends to overshadow his scene partners—except for Schafer.

Schafer plays an equally compelling part, with Gretchen being an amalgamation of scream queens sprawling from all decades and genres of horror, such as Giallo or modern slashers. She screams, she fights, she makes out with hot ladies; she does it all while continuously getting injured. But Schafer really excels when she’s being vulnerable. Whether she’s calling her late mother’s voicemail in tears or contemplating where she belongs in the world, Schafer brings a certain gravitas to her role that balances with the more campy aspects of the film.

A spooky stay.

Singer uses a unique mesh of aesthetics to instill a beautiful sense of dread. The hotel feels stuck in a retro time capsule with rustic browns and mustard yellows. In contrast, Konig’s giant villa feels overly sanitary with its use of white and glass windows. Working with the cinematographer Paul Faltz, he creates a dreamy and immersive experience that gets increasingly uncomfortable.

Singer is clearly a talented director, but the story could have been better. The film touches on grief and female autonomy, but the themes quickly become unfocused as the film continues. By the time the third act comes around, it goes from 0 to 100, providing twist after twist that leaves the audience with more questions than answers. Some folks will dig that; others will go a bit cuckoo themselves trying to decipher it all. 

The bottom line.

Cuckoo may not be the best horror movie this year, or even the 3rd best (That’s Late Night with the Devil and Lisa Frankenstein, respectively), but it’s still a good time. Stevens and Schafer rule, and the scares are pretty solid. It wouldn’t be surprising if it takes a 2nd or 3rd watch to fully appreciate what Singer is trying to say. There is something there; you just have to be patient to find it. 

Cuckoo is now playing in theaters. You can watch the trailer here.

Images courtesy of Neon. You can read more reviews by Yasmin Kleinbart here.