Fantasia 2024: Cuckoo Review

Directed by: Tilman Singer
Written by: Tilman Singer

Starring:
Hunter Schafer – Gretchen
Dan Stevens – Mr. König
Mila Lieu – Alma
Jessica Henwick – Beth
Marton Csokas – Luis
Jan Bluthardt – Henry
Greta Fernández – Trixie
Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey – Ed

Image Credit: Fantasia IFF

Running Time: 151 minutes
Rated PG-13 for comic-book violence.

It’s been a good year at the movies for those needing their fix of the Euphoria cast. Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney have killing it at the box office between Dune Part Two, Challengers, Anyone But You, and Immaculate, raising their profiles and providing the first half of the year with a lot of reasons for fans to go to the theaters.

And now, Hunter Schafer is about to join them with Cuckoo. Tilman Singer’s freaky little horror thriller, which screened at Fantasia International Film Fest ahead of its theatrical premiere on August 9th, may not bring in Fremen-level box office numbers. But like Challengers and Immaculate did for their Euphoria stars, it will solidify Schafer as someone genre audiences are going to want to see more of on any screen, big or small.

Schafer stars as Gretchen, a 17-year-old who goes to live with her father Luis, stepmother Beth, and half-sister Alma at a resort in the Alps. Luis and Beth are planning a new lodge for the resort’s owner, Mr. Konig, who they met when they first visited the resort on their honeymoon.

While living at an exotic resort might sound like a dream to some, it’s anything but for Gretchen. She’d much rather be home in America pursuing dreams of becoming a guitarist, and she has a tense relationship with her dad and stepmom, who seem to be tolerating her presence more than they are welcoming it. Things don’t get any easier for Gretchen after meeting the staff – particularly Mr. Konig. He acts just a little bit off, which Gretchen senses is perhaps more than his being an eccentric rich man especially when he takes an interest in young Alma.

Gretchen takes a job working at the front desk and, despite warnings from Konig to not work the night shift, agrees one night to cover for her co-worker. Riding her bike home to avoid having to get a ride with Konig, she has a terrifying encounter with a shrieking woman with red eyes that shine through the sunglasses she’s wearing at night.
That encounter, and the way her account is dismissed, propels Gretchen into an investigation of exactly what the hell is going on at the resort. And that’s where Singer’s movie really starts to get wild. There’s a lot going on in this story, which steeps its protagonist in trauma but doesn’t wallow in such itself. Singer is too busy having fun with his body horror, trippy time loops, and wacky plot reveals to spend too much time moping.

That’s not to say Cuckoo is only in it for the twists. Singer is playing with notions of family and loss here, but he doesn’t lose the forest for the trees. His script takes its time for the horror to start unfolding, instead establishing the characters and trusting in his capable cast to convey the unsettling nuances that tide us over until things get overtly creepy and a few effective jump scares land. There’s a fair amount of genuine humor as well, not the least of which is how exasperated Gretchen gets at how her family can’t seen to realize that something’s clearly not right with everything around them.

The further into the film we get, the bumpier the narrative gets. The introduction of an investigator looking into disappearances at the resort bogs things down and is an inelegant way to allow the story to open up, for example.

But even when the story trips itself up occasionally, Singer has layers of mood and lots of creepy imagery to smooth the way. The creature design is simple but effective, and Tillman adopts a period aesthetic that clashes nicely with the modern-set story to enhance the unease. It looks like a film that could have come out in the 1970s, though the themes feel appropriate to the now.

But in the end, it’s the performances that truly shine. Schafer makes a stellar protagonist here, investing sympathy and humanity in a character that could have easily come off as standoffish to the audience. Gretchen is a resourceful character we want to root for, and all her teenage angst is thoroughly earned.

Meanwhile, Stevens continues his banner year in cinema by making Konig the creepiest guy in the room at any given moment. He takes to the resort owner with relish, wrapping Konig’s creepiness in just enough charm that you can believe people would dismiss him as just an eccentric rich German businessman. Much like Schafer, Stevens is well aware of what kind of crazy midnight movie he’s in, and he makes the most of it.

While Cuckoo is measured on how it doles its secrets out, it’s never boring. Horror fans who are looking for something different than slow-burn horror or bombastic studio scares have a strong alternative here. It’s a bit clumsy at times with its story and its weirdness may turn some off, but it makes for a refreshing and enjoyable alternative that doesn’t mind getting goopy and gonzo at the right moments.

The Fantasia International Film Festival takes place in Montreal from July 18th through August 4th.

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens shine in Tilman Singer's Cuckoo, an enjoyably strange mix of sci-fi body horror, creature feature and Eurohorror that never fails to entertain even when the story starts to lose its grounding. Singer strikes a largely effective balance between the weirdness and the more grounded elements and works effectively with his horror motifs. It may get a big messy in the final act, but it stays quite fun through to the final frame.