Cuckoo (2024)(Minor Spoilers)

 **This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- Gretchen (Hunter Schafer) reluctantly travels to a quiet resort community in Germany with her father, Luis (Martin Csokas), her stepmother, Beth (Jessica Henwick), and her mute sister, Alma (Mila Lieu) to start a new life. Luis is handpicked by his new boss, Herr Konig (Dan Stevens) to build a hotel. 

She receives a job as a receptionist courtesy of Koing, but a series of odd events worries an already suspicious Gretchen. To make matters worse, Gretchen is constantly pursued and stalked by a mysterious woman, or a “mother.”  Gretchen, shunned by her family, turns to Henry (Jan Bluthardt), a detective, for help. Gretchen and Henry work together to put a stop to Koing’s plans and his bizarre experiments, but the situation becomes more complicated, when Koing sets his sights on Alma.

My Thoughts- During the early stages of the movie, you’ll probably notice Gretchen comes off as a bratty and rebellious teenager, an edgy punk kid, with a dark sense of humor. She flat out refuses to acknowledge the fact that Alma is her sister, and Gretchen refers to Beth as her “father’s wife,” completely ignoring the stepmother label. 

Gretchen is the black sheep in her family, but it’s not that simple. She’s a young kid, who’s still heartbroken over her mother’s death. Hunter Schafer does a good job of being convincing as the typical angsty teenager. But as the story progresses, Schafer switches gears to show a more emotional and vulnerable side of Gretchen, reminding you she’s still a scared kid, who just wants her father’s love and support. Schafer also shows Gretchen can be a gritty fighter, when her character is put through the wringer after the car accident.

Dan Stevens plays a fantastic villain, brining a noticeable mix of creepiness and a menacing aura to Herr Konig. Koing, a highly intelligent man, has a charming presence, but it’s also easy to see how he’s the perfect example of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Gretchen is an ideal adversary for Koing. She’s the scrappy teenage rebel, who, unlike her father, has the guts to stand up to Koing, and Gretchen’s not afraid to ask the crucial questions for topics that are supposed to be off limits. 

The mother character really works as a pesky and menacing threat. I absolutely loved the irony of her appearance. Just looking at her old fashioned clothes, the sunglasses, and how everything is put together, you’d think the mother is just some harmless old lady. But the mother’s appearance is also terrifying, with her palish sickly skin and the glowing red pupils, bolstered by her feral movements and the ear splitting shrieks. 

Family drama plays a big role in Cuckoo. Luis doesn’t mind berating his own daughter, but he turns into a pushover and a complete wimp around Koing. Beth just gives off vibes of being a phony, and more often than not, she’s cruel and cold towards Gretchen. Add in the fact that Gretchen is an outcast in her own family, Luis and Beth’s obvious favoritism for Alma, and it’s no real surprise Gretchen is usually miserable. 

Cuckoo has its high points, but it’s hard to ignore how everything just drags along in certain spots. I understand the slow burn approach, but more than once, I was hoping they would just get to the point with the mystery behind the reasons for Koing’s experiments.

Also, at some point you have to realize SOMETHING is off with Koing. Towards the end, Gretchen bluntly points out how “weird” everything is, how nothing about Koing and what he wants makes any sense, and how Koing can’t give a straight answer for all the bizarre events (e.g. women puking left and right) at the resort. Why is Beth allowing the nurses at the hospital to giver her strange medication? Why are Luis and Beth allowing Koing and his people to treat Alma, when it’s clear that whatever they’re doing isn’t working?

Sorry, but I’m not buying the idea that Koing is this charismatic guy, who’s capable of charming anyone into doing what he wants, no matter how crazy it sounds. I won’t go as far as pointing the finger for stupid horror movie cliches and moments, but after while, common sense has to kick in, because all the signs are clearly there. 

I had high hopes for this one, and there’s a big question mark for Luis and Beth’s future, but Cuckoo mostly delivers. Writer/director Tilman Singer cleverly works themes about motherhood, strained family bonds, and nurturing into the story, while tying everything together with the lifestyles of cuckoo birds. And a cuckoo clock makes an appearance for good measure.

It’s also refreshing to see a movie, where almost every character plays a crucial role in the story. Whether it’s Gretchen’s co-worker and fellow receptionist, Trixie (Greta Fernández), or the enigmatic Ed (Astrid Berges-Friseby), a guest at the hotel, who shares a brief fling with Gretchen, everyone with a decent amount of screen time outside of the core characters serves a purpose, moving the story forward step by step.

I’ve always been a big fan of horror films placed in an isolated setting. The resort is basically out in the middle of nowhere. The peaceful sounds of nature, it’s quiet, but the hypnotizing countryside in Cuckoo holds a dark secret. Another great case of irony for a supposed paradise simultaneously functioning as a house of horrors. And Gretchen can’t easily run to anyone for help, while Koing controls everything with an iron fist.

Cuckoo features a handful of genuinely creepy scenes, some occasional thrills, and I absolutely loved the nighttime chase scene, where Gretchen is trying to escape the mother. Two strong performances from Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens, and the supporting cast is rock-solid. Cuckoo ends with an excellent finale that’s packed with real tension and emotions, a mix of an offbeat happy ending and a violent struggle. Loaded guns, Alma being conflicted about who, she can trust, the shrieking mother’s calls, and luckily, Gretchen had her trusty butterfly knife! 

Rating- 8/10