CUCKOO! CUCKOO! CUCKOO!
You know, like the clock. Cuckoo clocks are pretty annoying, aren’t they? There’s a reason you find them in horror movies a bunch. Coincidentally, they are thought to originate from somewhere near the Black Forest in Germany, which is not that far from the setting of the horror film Cuckoo.
Cuckoo is from director Tilman Singer starring Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens. If you’re not familiar with the plot, it starts out when, following the death of Gretchen’s (Schafer) mother, she moves with her dad, stepmother and stepsister to the Bavarian Alps, where they are contracted to design a new resort by creepy entrepreneur Herr König (Stevens). But strange occurrences at the resort threaten to reveal the sinister heart under the jovial facade.
So we have a secluded town, a creepy patron, and a strange family situation. Check, check, check. That’s right, kids! We have the makings of a horror movie!
Gretchen is having a bad year. Her mum died, and now she has to live with her father (Marton Csokas), step-mum (Jessica Henwick) and little mute sister. What makes things worse is that her new family unit moves to the Bavarian Alps to design a new holiday resort for some creepy German dude (Dan Stevens).
With nothing to do but kill time in the mountains, she accepts a job from Herr König as a receptionist at the resort. That’s when things start getting really strange. When she’s riding home one night, she is chased and attacked by a strange woman. This woman wasn’t normal, emitting ethereal noises, but nobody believes our protagonist.
With her credibility diminished after nobody believes what she saw; Gretchen resolves to escape the God-forsaken resort once and for all.
But it may not be as easy as it sounds…
Hunter Schafer performs exceedingly well in the role of Gretchen. She just cannot catch a break, evoking oodles of empathy for her situation. You can see the love she has for her mute sister, but that love is the only relationship she has. Her parental unit barely gives a crap about her, and she’s totally isolated after moving to Europe. Often, I find these types of characters whiny and annoying, but Schafer transforms her character into someone likable. She’s great.
I really liked the atmosphere that was built throughout the film. From the first scene, there was a feeling of vulnerability. Physically, the mountains tower above the characters, and then the trees seclude them from prying eyes. They’re segregated from the outside world, so when danger is afoot, nobody is around to save them (if they’re actually on their side in the first place). Cuckoo is much more of a mind-f*ck horror than a we’re-all-gonna-die horror, and I’m here for it.
The sound design is freaking excellent. With a name like Cuckoo, you’ve got to imagine some of the story hangs on sound, and you’d be right. The original score from Simon Waskow, in combination with the audio effects, portrays the sense of unease the audience is feeling. Some scenes are uncomfortable to listen to and often jarring. Waskow understood the assignment and delivered some awesome stuff.
There’s one main issue I have with Cuckoo. I’ll try to be as vague as possible to not spoil the plot. The film’s twist can be telegraphed from very early on in the story. I didn’t catch it myself, but some people will divine the crucial reveal within the first 15 minutes. It didn’t bother me because I didn’t get it, but I felt kinda dumb afterwards for not figuring it out.
Otherwise, I do have a few nitpicks.
Dan Stevens’ accent is a little baffling. It’s accomplished enough, but sometimes it crosses into Bond villain campy. Stevens is a terrific actor, and this year, he’s already given us a fabulous horror performance in Abigail, but this one is odd. To be fair, that’s in keeping with the rest of the film, so perhaps it was intended.
Lastly, the “take it with a pinch of salt” moments take you out of the story. None of these moments are horrendous enough to spoil the movie, but they were a tad eye-roll-y. One of these moments is when Gretchen meets a nice French woman and almost immediately decides to leave town with her despite only talking to her for maybe ten minutes. Am I supposed to believe she’d leave her family that easily for an attractive French musician?
Okay. Maybe I understand that, but still…
Cuckoo is a weird ass film. It’s a film that will keep you guessing, often with your mouth hanging open in astonishment. Coupled with a terrific performance from Hunter Schafer and an accompanying score and SFX team to die for, and you have the makings of a solid horror film on your hands.
Cuckoo is also a film that, at times, is so weird that plot holes appear right in front of your eyes. I wouldn’t drive my car down this film’s Plot Avenue, scared of damaging its suspension on a strange story decision or two, but it’s down to you whether you can forgive Cuckoo’s obvious flaws and enjoy what’s there.
Me? I choose to metaphorically fill those holes in with head-canon and slowly traverse the cobbled road of Cuckoo. Ok, I’m out of driving comparisons.
I really enjoyed this film. It’s certainly not perfect, but I don’t think you’ll regret giving this one a try, even if you do end up saying, “what the f*ck did I just watch?” after the credits.
