Movie Review: Cuckoo

There are some movies that are perfectly described by their titles. A Christmas Story is exactly what it says. Earthquake is about an earthquake. Airplane! takes place on an airplane and definitely deserves that exclamation point. You get the idea. Now, we can add Tilman Singer’s Cuckoo to that list, both because it makes frequent references to cuckoo birds and because it is one of the most bonkers ideas for a horror movie this year.

Grieving the loss of her mother, Gretchen (Hunter Schafer) is forced to move in with her father Luis (Marton Csokas), stepmother Beth (Jessica Henwick), and their daughter Alma (Mila Lieu) just as they are themselves moving to a resort compound in Germany owned by Herr König (Dan Stevens). After their wedding eight years prior, Luis & Beth honeymooned there and became friendly with König, and he has now hired them to help him build out the second phase of the complex, offering them the use of an on-site home while they do so.

Gretchen is clearly unhappy, not just about her mother but the entire arrangement, and when König offers her a chance to get out of the house by working at the resort’s reception desk she quickly accepts. While there though, she notices increasingly strange occurrences. Her half-sister begins having mysterious seizures, which are inexplicably blamed on Gretchen’s general attitude, and no one will believe her when she tries to point out that something strange is going on. No one except for Henry (Jan Bluthardt) anyway, a local policeman who is also staying on the property, leaving it up to the two of them to investigate.

Cuckoo is essentially comprised of a series of unusual events that become increasingly bizarre as the story progresses, building up a good deal of suspense as the viewer is glued to the screen wondering what weird twists lie ahead. Aside from a few scenes though, very little of what happens here is especially scary and perhaps even worse is that it never really gets quite as crazy as it promises to. Don’t get me wrong, it is weird, to the point that I can’t imagine anyone watching will guess exactly where it’s all headed, but the finale feels almost restrained given how ludicrous the core plot winds up being.

It’s all shot beautifully by Paul Faltz, who expertly uses the brutalist architecture and surrounding woods to maximum eerie effect. The cast are flawless as well, with Schafer doing especially great work as a young woman grappling with grief while taken to a strange place and Stevens clearly having a blast playing the clearly-“off” König.

Really all of the pieces are in place for a gonzo great time, but Cuckoo can’t quite stick the landing. It builds up steam through impressively disorienting plotting and atmosphere, but feels like it’s holding back where it counts and then offers up a “monster” that’s more fashionable than frightening. It’s good enough to leave me curious to see what Singer might make next, but this Cuckoo probably should have spent a little more time in the nest. ★★★