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Another Cineworld Secret Screening, hoping for Alien: Romulus, but getting something else, something rather delightful, an experimental independent German horror film.
Cuckoo sees 17-year old Gretchen (Hunter Schager), forced to leave her home in the US and move back with her father, Luis (Márton Csókás) and her stepmother Beth (Jessica Henwick) and mute half-sister Alma (Mila Lieu) following the death of Gretchen's mother. Together the family travel to a holiday resort in the German Alps, where Luis and Beth have been hired by creepy resort owner Herr König (Dan Stevens) to design a new building. König offers Gretchen a job on front-of-desk of the resort, which beyond the odd honeymooning couple seems strangely empty. He warns her to lock the doors at 10:00pm and not to travel alone at night. Naturally she doesn't and ends up hospitalised after she's attacked by a mysterious white coated and hooded woman in huge sunglasses who can paralyse with her shrieking bird-like scream. But the trouble is no one seems to believe her, least of all her frustrated father.
Gretchen begins to realise that something isn't right in the complex. Why do all the female guest keep vomiting and stumbling around drunk-like, what's up with the complex's hi-tech hospital, with no patients, and just what is that shrieking sound coming from the forrest? And why is König so interested in Alma?
The film plays on the concept of the Cuckoo, as you begin to wonder if it's Gretchen who's the Cuckoo in this family, or is it Alma. Feeling lost, bereaved and unwanted, Gretchen decides to runaway with an attractive French girl who comes to stay at the resort, and together they drive off after stealing the resort's takings. But their escape is cut short when they're involved in terrible car crash, caused by the hooded woman, and Gretchen finds herself once again in the strange hospital, with serious injuries. And that's when shit gets unreal and the bizarreness and weirdness accelerates.
Written and directed by Tilman Singer this is a genuinely entertaining horror flick that feels like early David Cronenberg crossed with David Lynch. he shows great flair and his direction feels fresh and original. There's one shot I really liked, a tracking shot where the camera, looking up, at Gretchen face tracks her across a room, it sounds odd to point out but it appealed to me. This is Singer's second film and I look forward to seeing more. Likewise, Hunter Schager (Gretchen) who carries this film is superb, bringing a real believability to her role of the grieving Gretchen, and for once she doesn't come across as a over powered girl-boss, but a resourceful young woman desperate to survive. And not forgetting Dan Stevens who keeps turning up in these small indie flicks and fricking nailing it dead! I thought he was great in Abigail and once again he brings genuine unease in this.
As the story unfolds and the secrets are revealed the film loses some of its charm, but not a lot, and the violent blood soaked final act is almost cathartic in nature. I was reminded of a previous European horror film from 2022 called Hatching, which together with this would make rather a good double bill.
Cuckoo sees 17-year old Gretchen (Hunter Schager), forced to leave her home in the US and move back with her father, Luis (Márton Csókás) and her stepmother Beth (Jessica Henwick) and mute half-sister Alma (Mila Lieu) following the death of Gretchen's mother. Together the family travel to a holiday resort in the German Alps, where Luis and Beth have been hired by creepy resort owner Herr König (Dan Stevens) to design a new building. König offers Gretchen a job on front-of-desk of the resort, which beyond the odd honeymooning couple seems strangely empty. He warns her to lock the doors at 10:00pm and not to travel alone at night. Naturally she doesn't and ends up hospitalised after she's attacked by a mysterious white coated and hooded woman in huge sunglasses who can paralyse with her shrieking bird-like scream. But the trouble is no one seems to believe her, least of all her frustrated father.
Gretchen begins to realise that something isn't right in the complex. Why do all the female guest keep vomiting and stumbling around drunk-like, what's up with the complex's hi-tech hospital, with no patients, and just what is that shrieking sound coming from the forrest? And why is König so interested in Alma?
The film plays on the concept of the Cuckoo, as you begin to wonder if it's Gretchen who's the Cuckoo in this family, or is it Alma. Feeling lost, bereaved and unwanted, Gretchen decides to runaway with an attractive French girl who comes to stay at the resort, and together they drive off after stealing the resort's takings. But their escape is cut short when they're involved in terrible car crash, caused by the hooded woman, and Gretchen finds herself once again in the strange hospital, with serious injuries. And that's when shit gets unreal and the bizarreness and weirdness accelerates.
Written and directed by Tilman Singer this is a genuinely entertaining horror flick that feels like early David Cronenberg crossed with David Lynch. he shows great flair and his direction feels fresh and original. There's one shot I really liked, a tracking shot where the camera, looking up, at Gretchen face tracks her across a room, it sounds odd to point out but it appealed to me. This is Singer's second film and I look forward to seeing more. Likewise, Hunter Schager (Gretchen) who carries this film is superb, bringing a real believability to her role of the grieving Gretchen, and for once she doesn't come across as a over powered girl-boss, but a resourceful young woman desperate to survive. And not forgetting Dan Stevens who keeps turning up in these small indie flicks and fricking nailing it dead! I thought he was great in Abigail and once again he brings genuine unease in this.
As the story unfolds and the secrets are revealed the film loses some of its charm, but not a lot, and the violent blood soaked final act is almost cathartic in nature. I was reminded of a previous European horror film from 2022 called Hatching, which together with this would make rather a good double bill.
8/10
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