Cuckoo, developed and directed by Tilman Singer, is a 2024 horror-mystery-thriller film that intricately combines psychological horror, surrealism, and science fiction to create a highly stylized unsettling cinematic experience. A co-German and American production, the film also features a brilliant performance from Hunter Schafer in one of the lead roles, which helps to ground the story in the midst of a cascade of sensory distortions, creepy mysteries, and biological horror.
Plot Summary
The film revolves around Gretchen, a 17-year-old American girl who recently lost her mother. As a result, she must leave her life in the U.S. and move to a luxurious but isolated resort in the Bavarian Alps with her father, Luis, and his new family. The resort is owned by Herr König, a multifaceted character who is Luis’s employer, and a suspiciously charismatic man.
Initially, the relocation appears like an opportunity for healing and bonding within the family. Gretchen is emotionally detached and cold due to the exhaustion of grieving. Alienated by her father’s new partner, she also struggles to bond with her mute half-sister, Alma. In a bid to pass time, she takes on a job at the resort as a receptionist.
However, it is not long before Gretchen observes several strange phenomena. The hotel guests are suffering from illnesses characterized by vomiting of blood. Her younger sister has seizures every time she is exposed to a peculiar high-pitched sound. At night, crescendoing in pitch, an unearthly, terrifying shriek can be heard. The sinister figure of a hooded woman, who is able to wander through the property and the Erzsébet hote l’s grounds without being seen, increasingly grows into her darker, more hallucinatory dreams.
There has been a slight shift in Ed’s behavior at the resort, and it is that shift that makes them more peculiar. With the friend-ship from Ed, they try to investigate to solve the mystery together. At a considerable critical juncture, the two women found the body of a woman in one of the guest rooms. Subsequently, the two ladies attempted to flee the resort; however, after being blasted with the sonic violence of the mysterious shriek, they crashed their car instead.
König presumably had no reason to believe other, more dangerous gaps in his plan to open the resort wouldn’t leave abnormal gaps in the logic he used to support resort developments. Herr König is part of some gripping and astonishing plots of conspiracy in which the resort serves as a cover for some inexplicable research on a xenogenic species capable of reproducing by implanting offspring in human surrogates. Indeed, the shriek, which not only manifests unnaturally, but is able to control other people’s will, evoke seizures, and manipulate the minds of others.
Gretchen’s burgeoning relationship with Alma is the emotional center of the narrative in the final act. She tries to save her sister from König and his followers. The film ends with a desperate, violent escape through a hospital crawling with creatures and their human collaborators. Echoes of inhuman “cuckoo” cries fill the air as Gretchen, Ed, and Alma flee into the snowy wilderness.
Cast and Characters
Hunter Schafer as Gretchen: Grieving teenager facing the dual challenges of personal loss and otherworldly distress.
Dan Stevens as Herr König: The director of the resort. He is a man of the cloth whose well-groomed charm is cover for his horrific secrets.
Jessica Henwick as Beth: Stepmother to Gretchen. She is loyal but bewildered by the family dynamics.
Jan Bluthardt as Detective Henry: An enigmatic investigator looking into a series of murders that leads to the resort.
Astrid Bergès-Frisbey as Ed: Another guest in the resort who aids Gretchen.
Mila Lieu as Alma: Gretchen’s half sister. She is mute and trapped in the web of König’s machinations.
Supporting Marton Csokas and Greta Fernández portrayed resort employees intertwined within its operations.
Hunter Schafer’s portrayal is receiving accolades specifically for its emotional authenticity untethered to artifice. Melding teenage fury, heartbreak, and an evolving sense of resolve, she embodies Gretchen. Dan Stevens’s performance as Herr König is equally memorable, capturing the character’s charm, creepiness, and theatricality all at once.
Production Notes
In stark contrast with modern horror films, Cuckoo’s use of 35mm film adds a grainy, dreamlike texture to the movie. Most filming locations in Germany were remote, surrounded by forests and mountains, which enhanced the story’s isolation and eerie atmosphere.
Singer’s bold stylistic choices in Cuckoo differ from his earlier work on the cult horror film Luz. Imagineering sound with practical effects and distorting visuals creates a more surreal than literal brand of horror. This aesthetic is furthered by Simon Waskow’s score, which features eerie electronic tones alongside jarring bursts of sound that reflect the film’s central shriek motif.
Themes and Symbolism
Cuckoo embodies its horror both literally and metaphorically. The title refers to the bird known for laying its eggs in the nests of other birds, forcing these unwitting couples to raise offspring that are not their own. The theme is echoed in the film’s alien reproductive horror, in which humans turn into unwilling surrogates.
Additional important topics cover:
Grief and Displacement: Emotionally, Gretchen is the film’s central character. The chronic stress of feeling endless loss and disconnection—and not being in control of one’s life—is exacerbated by the horror of the unfolding tragedy and accompanying loss of bodily autonomy.
Alienation and Identity: Besides being integrated into a new family, she also supposedly resides in a foreign country. Her alienation is rendered literal as she confronts alien, inhuman victims.
Control and Resistance: The shriek heard acts as a metaphor for control, able to paralyze, manipulate, or destroy. The film explores the subtle ways power can be exercised, whether psychologically, or sonically.
Reception and Critical Response
The critic reception for Cuckoo remained divided and received intrigue which began at primary international film festivals. Praise surged for the visual aspects of the film including its unique use of sound and exceptional dedication to performance, cinematography, lighting, and color grading.
Regardless of the praise, many issued their discontent with the film stemming from lack of clear exposition. It remains contentious, with some critiquing the blanket nature of the narrative while others embraced it as embodying dreamy pacing. Many claimed it evocated clear ideology without the need for restatement.
Viewers appreciated Schafer and Stevens the most for their range and charisma in the work. The shriek which terrorizes the characters within the movie is, without a doubt, one of the most famous and captivating components of the movie.
Box Office and Runtime information
The film was produced with a budget of approximately $7 million, although it grossed a slightly lower amount with 6.7 dollars million. Whilst not achieving a great box office hit, The Cuckoo has been noted for its distinct writing style which crosses boundaries of different genres, predicting it will become a cult favorite in years to come.
Duration: Around 103 minutes
Category: Horror/Mystery/Thriller
Spoken Language: English and German primarily
Rating: R due to the violence, language and other related themes.
Closing Remarks
The Cuckoo is quite different from the traditional horror films that people expect to see when they turn on the television, as it takes the concept of horror and infuses it with a dark and deeply metaphorical storyline. Those who are willing to fully immerse themselves in a character-driven, mood-laden slow burn will find a wealth of thought-provoking ideas.
I would rate it as one of the most distinct and bold movies of 2024, with great performances from Hunter Schafer and a truly strange concept. Rather than jump scares, Cuckoo embraces an all-consuming sense of dread, disorientation, and the horror of relinquishing control—of home, family, sanity, and body.
Watch Free Movies on Onionplay