Cuckoo (2024) - Movie Review
What if I told you this movie bridges the gap between Rosemary’s Baby and Hans Christian Andersen?
Let’s discuss.
Cuckoo is a 2024 Horror / Thriller brought to us by writer director Tilman Singer. If you don’t know his name yet, don’t worry—you will. Tilman is a German director who has begun to carve out a creative niche in the horror genre with his previous film 2018’s Luz being an equally inventive and stylish possession thriller. I think Tilman is one of the best directors and he’s just getting started in features.
Both of his films ooze style and even though it’s a small sample size—seeing such a defined artistic lens brings back memories of Argento and Bava.
The film focuses on Gretchen as she’s forced to relocate with her father and his new family. Having no relationship with her step-mother, and zero interest in being a big sister to her special needs sibling—she accepts a job from the creepy resort owner nearby. The job is easy and pays well, but there’s one rule: Be home by sundown. It’s easy enough to abide, until she offers to swap shifts with her coworker. This small kindness triggers a spiral of violence that once started, can’t be stopped. There’s something in the shadows, something ancient, and it’s got her scent. Will Gretchen be able to save her family or will she come to realize that no good deed goes unpunished?
My synopsis can’t do the film justice. I wanted to be careful to avoid any overt spoilers.
This is a movie you should rush out and see.
Cuckoo is Rosemary’s Baby meets Suspiria.
Everything in this movie was thought out and logical. The characters all have motivations and reactions that are not only organic, but are also fully explained through environmental storytelling. This is a movie you can’t be looking at your phone and watching, as you’ll miss so much of the atmosphere and the little things that make the film great. This movie rewards you for paying attention.
This is a movie where dialogue is sparing and there is very little exposition. The majority of this film is told in the lens. Which is also the filmmakers philosophy when it came to the special effects. As far as I could tell, it was entirely practical effects shot in camera.
It helps that the script is perfectly paced and uses every single minute of its hour and forty-two minute run time oozes style. The color palette is very much Nighthawks by Edward Hopper, and when juxtaposed with the ultra modern gulag style of the architecture of the setting gives a real creepy vibe.
This is not a jump scare movie. This is a movie about atmosphere and building tension, and I’m not gonna lie—I did jump out of my seat a couple times.
It’s amazing what having a good, likable protagonist does for a film. After suffering through turds like Tarot and Captain Marvel, I was starting to think we’d never get a main character we could root for or emphasize with again, but Euphoria alum, Hunter Schafer turns in a performance for the ages.
Yes, she is an LGBT character, but she is far from woke. It’s nice to see a gay character just allowed to be gay without being portrayed as a caricature or a preachy asshole. It’s not even a point of emphasis, and is never discussed. It’s just who the character is, you aren’t beaten over the head with it. Ms. Schafer is a star to watch as she has this easy, charisma that doesn’t rely on airbrushing and quick-cuts to pull-off.
Dan Stevens also makes a fantastic villainous appearance. Dan went from Game of Thrones to horror icon with incredible turns in The Guest, Apostle, and Abigail, among many others. He’s fantastic in every role and this movie was no exception. His portrayal of an Elon Musk type tech-billionaire-weirdo was spot on.
If you’re looking for a good thriller to get invested in—You need to see this movie.
If you have eyes—You need to see this movie.
Rent or Buy it on all digital platforms.
