The twisted horror film Cuckoo finally arrived in theaters and we made sure to check it out.
I am always on the lookout for interesting horror films and Cuckoo has been on my radar for quite some time. There was something about the initial trailer for the film that was so unsettling I just had to know what this story was all about.
Cuckoo was directed by Tilman Singer and is set deep in the Bavarian Alps at a remote resort. 17 year-old Gretchen (Hunter Schafer) is deeply unhappy about having to live with her father and his new family and things only get more difficult as she begins hearing and seeing strange things all around her. Once she begins to investigate, it quickly becomes obvious that something very twisted is going on.
One area that Cuckoo particularly excels in is its ability to be unsettling. This is especially true in how the film utilizes sound. I’ve noted before that sound design can be a detail that makes or breaks a film, but it’s been a while since i saw a film utilize it so well. It was almost like the filmmakers were teaching the audience a language: at first the various weird sounds have no meaning and are somewhat confusing. But then, as the film proceeds into the second half, more information locks into place and the viewer is obliged to re-evaluate everything they’ve heard and what it actually meant.
From the opening scene of Cuckoo, it’s blindingly obvious that something is very wrong, but the film teases out the details in such a way that you’re led along from one horror to the next without getting so far ahead that you can see the conclusion before the director is ready to reveal that information.
Two performances that need to be highlighted are those of Hunter Schafer as Gretchen and Dan Stevens as the unsettlingly affable Herr König. Hunter completely blows it out of the water as the teenaged Gretchen, who finds herself completely in over her head and wants nothing more than to get away. It’s easy to empathize with Gretchen’s frustration as she’s trying so hard to be heard by her family, especially her father, but no one appears willing to listen. That makes her situation all the more stressful because there doesn’t appear to be any family safety-net for her to fall back on.
And then there’s Dan Stevens. Between his unhinged performance in Abigail earlier this year and his twisted turn in Cuckoo as Herr König, I may never be able to watch him the same way ever again. Dan Stevens possesses the unnerving ability to make you feel afraid without ever saying anything openly threatening. Even when he’s allegedly showing concern, it’s presented in a way that feels wrong, almost inappropriate. Once the story picks up in the second half, Stevens’ performance becomes one of the best parts of the film.
As for the overall story of Cuckoo, it is truly good when all is said and done. However, audiences will need to be patient as things don’t truly begin to pick up until the second act of the film. If the film has one weakness, it’s that the first act feels slightly scattered as we don’t yet have the later context clues to inform us what’s going on. Cuckoo is one of those films that will likely be easier to watch the second time around.
It could be argued that the film could use a hair more of exposition, i.e. what’s actually happening, but the thing with horror is that there is a fine line between telling the audience just enough to get by and ruining the suspense with too large of an info dump. It feels like the filmmakers erred on the side of caution with how much straight information the viewer receives, and that is probably for the best. While I personally would have liked a bit more, I also understand the desire to leave the audience wanting more.
Cuckoo is easily one of the best films to come out this summer. Fans of horror films who are looking for a scary experience that doesn’t retread the same old story will find plenty to love. Be sure to see it on the largest screen possible, it’s worth it.
