By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
Creativity is very much alive in the horror genre as evidenced by this uniquely cunning and suspenseful film. “Cuckoo” is the latest horror flick from Neon, an independent studio fresh off the success of their other horror movie currently in theaters, “Longlegs.” This is a studio quickly gaining notoriety for pushing the envelope with a refreshingly inventive, stylistic approach and that certainly holds true for this latest production.
Nestled deep in Bavaria surrounded by the German Alps is a quaint, lovely resort catering to tourists from all over. Accepting a job from Herr Konig (Dan Stevens) to help remodel the resort, Luis (Marton Csokas) moves his wife Beth (Jessica Henwick), his reluctant teenage daughter Gretchen (Hunter Schafer) and his youngest daughter Alma (Mila Lieu), who suffers from a strange disorder that makes her unable to speak. Gretchen, looking to escape her family, gets hired to work at the front desk in the resort.
This seemingly peaceful resort town harbors terrifying secrets, and Gretchen quickly learns not everything is as it seems. After witnessing strange occurrences and being chased by a mysterious woman, she links up with a rogue detective named Henry (Jan Bluthardt), who has his own ulterior motives. As the puzzle slowly unravels, Gretchen realizes her family is in grave danger, and she may be unable to save them let alone herself.
German born writer/director Tilman Singer captures the beautiful serenity of the Bavarian Alps by filming on location. The juxtaposition of the twisted horror story with the breathtaking backdrop of the scenery is deliciously intoxicating and only enhances the creepiness factor. This coupled with Singer’s imaginative storytelling makes for a compelling watch. He also employs creative cinematography to improve the level of suspense, such as one heart-palpitating scene where the main character is riding her bike oblivious to the woman running after her until she notices the encroaching shadow.
“Cuckoo” is far from a perfect film, however, as the younger director does make his fair share of inexperienced mistakes. The most critical of these errors is weakly explaining the existence of these creatures/entities, and the rationale for this resort location acting to preserve the species is paper thin. Compounding these issues are certain details Singer misses that leaves the audience perplexed. Not to mention, having the injured main character, who only has the use of one arm, successfully wrap her good arm around her head to block the hypnotic siren type of wailing is silly and not at all believable. While these problems are significant, they don’t prevent this from being a decent horror film.
Young actress Hunter Schafer has had a fast start to her acting career, gaining well-earned respect from her significant role in HBO’s “Euphoria,” followed by movie appearances in “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” and “Kinds of Kindness” earlier this summer. This is her first starring role in a film, and she knocks it out of the park. Hunter exemplifies the closed-off demeanor of a rebellious teenage girl with an untrusting, anti-authority attitude, which gives her the authenticity to believably pursue and expose the truth as the protagonist. She even exhibits quality dramatic acting that gives her an emotional edge. Keep an eye on Hunter, this is only the beginning for the rising starlet.
“Cuckoo” is a solid entry in the horror genre with enough creative suspense and creepy scares to get that adrenaline pumping. A top to bottom reliable cast invests the audience in the character outcomes. Just don’t expect too much from it and you won’t be disappointed.
This movie earns:
